Here we are, the last night of Vegan MoFo. What a month it has been.
I started out in Missouri, shared my Vegan Story, and just a week into this blogathon, I moved 1,400 miles away.
I blogged along the way, sharing notes from the road and my stops in Saint Louis, Nashville, Atlanta, and Gainesville. When I made it to Florida, safe and sound, I kept on blogging, despite being in a time warp since leaving the Show Me State and living in limbo since I arrived in the alternate universe that is southwest Florida. Still, I hit the ground running and have been very optimistic about everything since I returned. I've even been able to share some glimpses of my Florida life with you, through potlucks and nature and, of course, food. (Including a Thanksgiving flashback.) There were some fun reviews and some fun giveaways. I shared with you a vegan rap song and a vegan poem (neither performed or written by yours truly - sorry, folks! Maybe next year!).
I had every intention of blogging for every single day of November, but I missed three days, due to internet complications on the road once, and heavy distraction upon arrival twice. I think you understand. Because of all that I had going on, I fell behind with reviews and giveaways, but that just means you can look forward to them in December, just in time for Festivus.
I had so much fun reading all the fantastic vegan blogs that participated in Vegan MoFo. It felt like we were all running a marathon together. A marathon of delicious food, ran from our seats and desks. Though I can't promise daily blogging post-MoFo, I will be blogging regularly, so I hope everyone will continue to stop by. I'll still be eating and I'll still be traveling, thus I will still have something to share.
I dedicate this song to my fellow MoFo-ers. Job well done, comrades.
(I will also take any opportunity to post early 90s music videos.)
Showing posts with label vegan mofo 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan mofo 2010. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Just Wheat Me Alone
Over the holiday weekend, I kind of felt like Michael Jackson in his video for "Leave Me Alone."
But instead of being hounded by the paparazzi, I was bombarded with wheat products. Seriously, here's the breakdown:
Tofurkey and other wheaty trimmings on Thursday
Pizza on Friday
Some pita bread Friday night (and normally, a few little pita triangles wouldn't hurt me, but this time, it was on top of the rest of the wheat extravaganza, so it was just more wheat fuel to the wheat fire).
Needless to say, I'M DONE!
I've blogged about my relationship with wheat in the past, but I feel I should address it again, since it's been awhile. I'm not 100% wheat-free. I don't believe I have Crohn's or Celiac's or even an actual wheat allergy, but I've never been tested by a doctor or dietitian. It's through intuitive eating, through listening to my body, that I realized that I am what I call wheat sensitive. I can handle eating a couple crackers or a cookie every now and then, but my pasta and sammich days are over (unless it's with gluten-free pasta or bread, which doesn't seem to bother me). It was through the elimination of wheat products from my regular diet that made me realize why I constantly had stomach and digestive issues, ever since I was a tween (which is also when I first went vegetarian and started to eat a very pasta-heavy diet because I was clueless about nutrition, didn't know how to cook, and was the only vegetarian in the family). This was not a huge sacrifice to make, though, because once I learned how to cook, I lost interest in pasta.
After my Two Day Wheat Extravaganza, I was pretty stoked to go to Sweet Tomatoes with a friend on Sunday and load up on some necessary veggies.
Hoofin' it around Fort Myers was also lovely (and pretty darn hot).
Watch out for that gator!
If I had to choose a palm tree to represent myself, I think it would be this one.
I'm back aboard the veggie train, having left Wheat Station, and not looking back. (Until the next major holiday.)
But instead of being hounded by the paparazzi, I was bombarded with wheat products. Seriously, here's the breakdown:
Tofurkey and other wheaty trimmings on Thursday
Pizza on Friday
Some pita bread Friday night (and normally, a few little pita triangles wouldn't hurt me, but this time, it was on top of the rest of the wheat extravaganza, so it was just more wheat fuel to the wheat fire).
Needless to say, I'M DONE!
I've blogged about my relationship with wheat in the past, but I feel I should address it again, since it's been awhile. I'm not 100% wheat-free. I don't believe I have Crohn's or Celiac's or even an actual wheat allergy, but I've never been tested by a doctor or dietitian. It's through intuitive eating, through listening to my body, that I realized that I am what I call wheat sensitive. I can handle eating a couple crackers or a cookie every now and then, but my pasta and sammich days are over (unless it's with gluten-free pasta or bread, which doesn't seem to bother me). It was through the elimination of wheat products from my regular diet that made me realize why I constantly had stomach and digestive issues, ever since I was a tween (which is also when I first went vegetarian and started to eat a very pasta-heavy diet because I was clueless about nutrition, didn't know how to cook, and was the only vegetarian in the family). This was not a huge sacrifice to make, though, because once I learned how to cook, I lost interest in pasta.
After my Two Day Wheat Extravaganza, I was pretty stoked to go to Sweet Tomatoes with a friend on Sunday and load up on some necessary veggies.
Hoofin' it around Fort Myers was also lovely (and pretty darn hot).
Watch out for that gator!
If I had to choose a palm tree to represent myself, I think it would be this one.
I'm back aboard the veggie train, having left Wheat Station, and not looking back. (Until the next major holiday.)
Monday, November 29, 2010
My Best Tofu Scramble Yet
I've always loved the idea of tofu scramble. I've always thought they sounded really good, too. However, I wasn't always the best at making them myself. Over the years, I would occasionally experiment with tofu scrambles, always adding or tweaking or taking away. Then my stop in Saint Louis just three weeks ago, where my darling host whipped up a fantastic batch of tofu scramble, gave me some ideas to perfect my own tofu scramble concoction. Last week I had a serious craving for some yellow crumbly tofu, and I was very pleased with the results.
I used almost half a block of extra firm tofu (drained and squeezed, of course) and crumbled the pieces by hand. I tossed it around in the pan with a little bit of olive oil and the oh-so-necessary turmeric, as well as some garlic, curry, cumin, coriander, and freshly cracked black pepper. Next came the veggies, my favorite part: diced bell peppers, broccoli, and spinach, as well as a couple Tablespoons of salsa (this is KEY!). I also threw in some leftover kidney beans and brown rice because, as we all know, anything goes in a tofu scramble.
And then I just cooked and flipped, tossed and cooked some more. I seem to like my tofu scrambles "well done." If the end product seems a little dry, I found that a little barbecue sauce perks things up quite nicely (as seen above). If you're a ketchup kind of person, I'm sure that could work, too.
The "anything goes" vibe of tofu scramble really appeals to me, especially when it's time to use up things in the fridge. Experimentation keeps things interesting in the kitchen. Instead of kidney beans, black beans or chickpeas would be a great option. If you have leftover quinoa instead of brown rice, toss it in! Any kind of pepper would work well, too. Go spicy if you aren't a wimp, like me. Since it's post-Thanksgiving, you could throw in some diced Tofurkey, if you're buried in leftovers. If I had had any avocado on hand, I would have chopped some up and added that after removing the scramble from heat. I highly recommend the salsa, though: it made such a phenomenal difference. Dare I say, it was what was missing all along.
In conclusion, tofu scramble is art.
What's in your tofu scramble?
I used almost half a block of extra firm tofu (drained and squeezed, of course) and crumbled the pieces by hand. I tossed it around in the pan with a little bit of olive oil and the oh-so-necessary turmeric, as well as some garlic, curry, cumin, coriander, and freshly cracked black pepper. Next came the veggies, my favorite part: diced bell peppers, broccoli, and spinach, as well as a couple Tablespoons of salsa (this is KEY!). I also threw in some leftover kidney beans and brown rice because, as we all know, anything goes in a tofu scramble.
And then I just cooked and flipped, tossed and cooked some more. I seem to like my tofu scrambles "well done." If the end product seems a little dry, I found that a little barbecue sauce perks things up quite nicely (as seen above). If you're a ketchup kind of person, I'm sure that could work, too.
The "anything goes" vibe of tofu scramble really appeals to me, especially when it's time to use up things in the fridge. Experimentation keeps things interesting in the kitchen. Instead of kidney beans, black beans or chickpeas would be a great option. If you have leftover quinoa instead of brown rice, toss it in! Any kind of pepper would work well, too. Go spicy if you aren't a wimp, like me. Since it's post-Thanksgiving, you could throw in some diced Tofurkey, if you're buried in leftovers. If I had had any avocado on hand, I would have chopped some up and added that after removing the scramble from heat. I highly recommend the salsa, though: it made such a phenomenal difference. Dare I say, it was what was missing all along.
In conclusion, tofu scramble is art.
What's in your tofu scramble?
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving 2010
What an awesome Thanksgiving I had! I attended the Tampa ThanksVegan Feast and met some really wonderful people. Honestly, this event was, for me, more about the people than the food. Above, you can see my plate, which held some pretty yummy foods, but I can barely remember it. I was just having so much fun chatting with so many new people.
(But I know you want to know what's what on that plate, so starting at 12:00, you're looking at: mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, a dollop of shepherd's pie, broccoli "quiche," baked mac & "cheese," roasted veggies (mostly beets), wheat berry "Waldorf" salad, tabouleh salad, curry tempeh salad, a little chunk of Tofurky, a little chunk of Celebration Roast, and a little dollop of cinnamon-cranberry sauce.)
In fact, let's just do a quick roll call on some of the potluck dishes.
To start, there was a Sheese and crackers spread.
It was very popular.
Now on to the dishes.
Lots of chatting and picture taking caused me to miss out on most of the dessert table. I was able to nab two little pieces of "cheese"cake, one NY style and the other gingerbread, and I added a little strip of Rice Whip, just for funsies. (NY style was my favorite of the two.)
There were a lot of other interesting desserts included in the spread.
What's a vegan potluck without a chocolate tofu pie, amirite?!
There were also piles of So Delicious Neopolitan ice cream sandwiches, chocolate-almond ice cream bars, and cotton candy!
Though this ThanksVegan feast was much larger than last week's potluck, I paced myself very well and didn't overindulge. (However, between this event and the next day's event, I definitely ate more wheat than I ever normally would, so I'm feeling a little out of whack and am ready to get back on my mostly-wheat-free diet.) Since I became the designated picture taker for the day, I was kept busy, trying to make sure I took pictures of as many people as possible (and usually, my focus is on the food, so this was a fun little challenge). I believe the grand total of attendees was 206.
Even a news camera man showed up!
So many great people came together and volunteered their time and talents and made this a really fun event. I can see why it's so popular - this was their 5th annual ThanksVegan!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Point of View
Point of View By Shel Silverstein
Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.
Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.
Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.
Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.
Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.
Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.
Thanksgivings Past
Thanksgiving 2007
My mom made pierogies (love a good pierogi), broccoli is a must, good ol' crescent roll, broccoli casserole (one can never have too much broccoli), and mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy
Thanksgiving 2008
My plate after a raw Thanksgiving "cooking" class in Kansas City. This was my first time eating fancy raw foods (you know, beyond a salad or some fruit) and everything was amazing! Clockwise from the left: cranberry-blood orange dressing, sprouted wild rice stuffing, a dehydrated portobella mushroom torte-type thing, "candied" butternut squash, green bean casserole (my first green bean casserole ever!), and in the center is mashed cauliflower with mushroom gravy. This wasn't even all of the food there, but I can't seem to find any other pictures. What's missing is another "stuffing," a big salad (and I mean BIG), two cheezecakes, and sun-nog. It was quite a feast.
Thanksgiving 2009
Clockwise from the left-ish: cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with "Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy" (from Vegan with a Vengeance), homemade holiday loaf (with Punk Rock Gravy on top), Brussels sprouts, crescent roll, and raw veggies with roasted red pepper hummus.
I only have pictures of the last three years because that's about how long I've had a digital camera. What will Thanksgiving 2010's plate look like? You'll have to check back tomorrow!
Happy holidays, everyone! (And make sure to take pictures of your plates, too!)
My mom made pierogies (love a good pierogi), broccoli is a must, good ol' crescent roll, broccoli casserole (one can never have too much broccoli), and mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy
Thanksgiving 2008
My plate after a raw Thanksgiving "cooking" class in Kansas City. This was my first time eating fancy raw foods (you know, beyond a salad or some fruit) and everything was amazing! Clockwise from the left: cranberry-blood orange dressing, sprouted wild rice stuffing, a dehydrated portobella mushroom torte-type thing, "candied" butternut squash, green bean casserole (my first green bean casserole ever!), and in the center is mashed cauliflower with mushroom gravy. This wasn't even all of the food there, but I can't seem to find any other pictures. What's missing is another "stuffing," a big salad (and I mean BIG), two cheezecakes, and sun-nog. It was quite a feast.
Thanksgiving 2009
Clockwise from the left-ish: cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with "Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy" (from Vegan with a Vengeance), homemade holiday loaf (with Punk Rock Gravy on top), Brussels sprouts, crescent roll, and raw veggies with roasted red pepper hummus.
I only have pictures of the last three years because that's about how long I've had a digital camera. What will Thanksgiving 2010's plate look like? You'll have to check back tomorrow!
Happy holidays, everyone! (And make sure to take pictures of your plates, too!)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Hurraw! (and Larabar) Giveaway Winner(s) Time
The time has come to announce the winner of the Hurraw! Lip Balm giveaway! The lucky winner of this cute little baggie of lip-tastic balming (what?), according to Random.Org, is the author of comment #27...
PALINDROME. Congrats! Please email your mailing info to *HUNGRYVEGANTRAVELER[AT!]GMAIL DOT COM* before Monday, November 29th!
Thank you to everyone for participating in this very popular giveaway! I wish I had enough Hurraw! lip balms to share with all of you, but when you do your holiday shopping, consider ordering some Hurraw! products for the chapstick users and lovers in your life. Or for yourself ('cause you deserve it, too).
Aaand, since it's been over a week since I announced the winner of the Larabar giveaway and still have not heard a peep from her, I'm drawing a new winner. According to Random.Org, the winner of a box of Ginger Snap Larabars is... the author of comment #3 on that post... Jenny of Vegan and So Forth! Please send your mailing info to the email address mentioned above and the bars will be shipped out to you ASAP.
And for the rest of yous, don't worry -- I still have a couple little tricks up my sleeve before Vegan MoFo comes to a close. Stay tuned!
Review: Tofutti Yours Truly Frozen Dessert
When I was a kid, long before my vegan days, I was a big fan of Drumsticks. Don't remember those? They're the ice cream cones with the hardened chocolate shell, covered in peanuts. At the tip of the rubbery waffle cone was pure chocolate. This was my favorite summertime treat.
When I saw these Tofutti Yours Truly cones at the supermarket, it brought me back to those summer days in Connecticut, sitting on the patio with my feet in the pool, sitting in the sun, trying to finish a Drumstick before it melted all over my swimsuit (as if I really cared!).
Sadly, Yours Truly cones don't have any peanuts, which is almost a deal breaker for me. Still, being back in Florida has me craving frozen treats again, so I looked passed these nut-less cones and gave them a try.
The cookie topping is deliciously chocolatey, but this is a messy shell. I recommend eating this over the sink (if you're a classy dame, such as myself). Otherwise, be prepared for little pieces to fall all over the place and melt almost instantaneously.
The ice cream is a yummy, sweet vanilla. Semi-related question: Are you one of those people who can BITE into ice cream? I cringe just thinking about that. My teeth are too sensitive and the idea of sinking my teeth into some ic... I can't even finish that sentence.
I got a great kick out of the cone because it had that familiar rubbery texture that I remember from my Drumstick days. And, I was happy to find a chunk of chocolate in the cone's tip!
In conclusion, Tofutti Yours Truly cones are a fun, messy treat, that would be made so much better with the addition of nuts.
What is your favorite Tofutti product?
PS. I'm going to randomly choose the winner of the Hurraw! lip balm giveaway tonight at 11pm, Eastern. Make sure you get your comment entries in!
When I saw these Tofutti Yours Truly cones at the supermarket, it brought me back to those summer days in Connecticut, sitting on the patio with my feet in the pool, sitting in the sun, trying to finish a Drumstick before it melted all over my swimsuit (as if I really cared!).
Sadly, Yours Truly cones don't have any peanuts, which is almost a deal breaker for me. Still, being back in Florida has me craving frozen treats again, so I looked passed these nut-less cones and gave them a try.
The cookie topping is deliciously chocolatey, but this is a messy shell. I recommend eating this over the sink (if you're a classy dame, such as myself). Otherwise, be prepared for little pieces to fall all over the place and melt almost instantaneously.
The ice cream is a yummy, sweet vanilla. Semi-related question: Are you one of those people who can BITE into ice cream? I cringe just thinking about that. My teeth are too sensitive and the idea of sinking my teeth into some ic... I can't even finish that sentence.
I got a great kick out of the cone because it had that familiar rubbery texture that I remember from my Drumstick days. And, I was happy to find a chunk of chocolate in the cone's tip!
In conclusion, Tofutti Yours Truly cones are a fun, messy treat, that would be made so much better with the addition of nuts.
What is your favorite Tofutti product?
PS. I'm going to randomly choose the winner of the Hurraw! lip balm giveaway tonight at 11pm, Eastern. Make sure you get your comment entries in!
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