HVT @ Home: A Cool Breakfast & A Mostly-Cool Dinner

This might just be the hottest midwest summer I have ever experienced.

You know of an awesome breakfast for hot summer days? I do: it's peanut butter banana soft serve.



frozen banana chunks (from 1 banana) + a little splash of almond milk + about 1/2 a tablespoon of PB + some food processor action = a heavenly cool way to start the day.

My main man and I briefly considered grilling for dinner tonight, but it's pretty darn hot outside. Instead, I laid zucchini and red pepper slices, along with some chickpeas, on a baking sheet, tossed with a little olive oil, sea salt, and garlic powder, and stuck it all in the broiler for 5 minutes. Stir/toss/flip, and back in for 5 more minutes. We ate this on a bed of Romaine lettuce and spinach, along with slices of local cucumber (from the farmers market) and diced heirloom tomato (courtesy of a neighbor).



The pepper slices had some nice little char marks, and roasted chickpeas are so darn good. It's almost like popcorn, but without all the gunk getting stuck in your teeth.


I dressed my salad with Annie's Naturals roasted red pepper salad dressing (possibly my favorite dressing) and some Vegan Parmesan.

The high for tomorrow: 101. Keep cool, readers.

Dirty Dozen 2010

Are you familiar with "The Dirty Dozen?" It's a list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables most likely to be contaminated by pesticides. The latest edition of Vegetarian Times has released the updated list.

The Dirty Dozen
1. celery
2. peaches
3. strawberries
4. apples
5. blueberries
6. nectarines
7. bell peppers
8. spinach
9. cherries
10. kale/collard greens
11. potatoes
12. grapes (imported)

Alternately, there is also "The Clean Fifteen," which is a list of - you guessed it - the fruits & veggies with the lowest risk of pesticide contamination.

The Clean Fifteen
1. onions
2. avocado
3. sweet corn
4. pineapple
5. mangoes
6. sweet peas
7. asparagus
8. kiwifruit
9. cabbage
10. eggplant
11. cantaloupe
12. watermelon
13. grapefruit
14. sweet potatoes
15. honeydew melon

(VT's source: Environmental Working Group, 2010. Visit foodnews.org for more info.)

My stance on organic vs. conventional is to try to follow the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen as a guide, but I have to say that I care more about buying local and supporting farms and farmers in my own community. I planted my own little herb and vegetable garden this year, and while it's small, it's a start and it sure is nice to know where that food comes from. I have gotten to know a couple of growers at our local farmers market, and they're wonderful and wise people and I am happy to support their organic-but-not-"certified" veggies, rather than pay double at the grocery store for wimpy certified organic items that were shipped from hundreds of miles away. By "wimpy," I mean that their organic produce was picked at least a week ago, whereas at the farmers market, it was picked that day or the evening before. The quality is better, the price is better, and the environmental cost is lower. It's a win-win. I also prefer to shop with the seasons as much as possible. This means, while living in the midwest, no fresh pineapple or avocados in December, unfortunately, but plenty of root vegetables in the fall.

Some people are really gung-ho about organic, and that's great. I personally can't afford to buy everything organic, and I also feel strongly about supporting my community by supporting local farmers. It's a personal decision, and I want to remind my readers that with every purchase you make, you are definitely voting with your wallet.

HVT Product Review: Brody's Bakery

I first heard of Brody's Bakery sometime last year and was excited to hear about a Kansas City area bakery dedicated to vegan and gluten-free goods. When I first heard about them, though, their items were only available in Lee's Summit. Earlier this year, though, they started to offer their products in other areas, slowly coming closer to my neck of the woods/Missouri. Last week, I was thrilled to hear that they were now stocking their items at Hy-Vee in North KC. I could finally try them out!

Brody's Bakery is an all vegan and all organic bakery located in Kansas City, MO. Besides being available for local pick-up and delivery and by mail order throughout the entire USA, our products (all vegan AND gluten free!) are available in multiple Hy-Vee stores throughout Missouri and Kansas.

All ingredients are 100% organic unless otherwise noted. In addition to being gluten-free, most menu items can be specialized in other ways for allergies (corn-free, peanut-free, soy-free) upon request. You can purchase Brody's Bakery products at Hy-Vee stores in Leawood, KS, Lawrence, KS ,Kansas City, MO , Shawnee Mission, KS , Belton,MO, Overland Park, KS , Prairie Village, KS , Lees Summit, MO(both stores), Raytown,MO and also at Worlds of Fun!


I made it to Hy-Vee two days after Brody's Bakery stocked their items there, and their shelves were almost bare! It looked like they had at least a dozen different items at one point, but by the time I got there, it was down to just a few. I picked up a package of the oatmeal pies and the chocolate chip cookies.







These oatmeal pies are definitely something to sink your teeth into! The cookies have a great, dense oaty taste with a light hint of cinnamon, and the filling is sweet.







These are some toothsome chocolate chip cookies! Now, I'm more a fan of the softer, chewier cookies, and while these BB cookies weren't soft, they weren't hard like a ginger snap, either. Like the oatmeal pies, these are tooth-sinking cookies. The chocolate chips are rich and perfect for my chocolate-loving tastes. A glass of almond milk is necessary to go along with these cookies.

I'm excited to see and try more Brody's Bakery products in the Northland. (Their next delivery is tomorrow, if you're in the area.) It would be nice to see individually-wrapped treats in the future, rather than shelling out $6 for a package of cookies or pies that are going to call to me for days at a time.

Paul Nison & His Magical Beard

Last night I attended a speaking engagement by Paul Nison, a raw foods chef and educator and awesome beard-haver. From his Facebook fan page:

Raw Foods Chef and Educator Paul Nison has been eating a raw food diet since he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis many years ago. With no other choice but surgery according to the medical profession, Paul decided to stop eating cooked foods. Today he is 100% cured of this so-called "incurable disease." Paul has been featured on The Food Network and in several magazines and newspapers around the world. He travels the world giving lectures on the raw food nutrition and raw food prep classes to show people how easy and fun the raw life can be.


Paul spoke about his experience with Inflammable Bowel Disease, what his life was like leading up to the diagnosis (in a word: chaotic!), and his journey to curing this disease and living a happier, healthier life. His story is very similar to many stories being told now, about people reversing some of their health problems with diet and exercise.



Quite a crowd gathered for Paul's lecture; every seat was taken and there were several people standing. Paul was a wonderful speaker, peppering his stories with puns and bad jokes (and I love bad jokes!). He emphasized that "overeating and undersleeping are the main causes of disease" and "laziness and constipation are the first signs of disease." He believes in eating less, and eating earlier. He also put a lot of emphasis on reducing stress, warning that a healthy diet won't truly make someone healthy if they're outrageously stressed out.



Paul was a wonderful speaker, and while I don't share his religious beliefs, nor do we share the exact same diet, he had a lot of good advice for anyone eating any kind of diet.

HVT At Home: The Fruitiest, Simplest Pie You'll Never Bake

Earlier this week, I thought making scalloped potatoes sounded like a lovely idea for dinner. I quickly learned that I won't be making them again until probably late September or October. Baking something in a 400 degree oven for almost an hour heats up a house real quick -- and it's too dang hot to be baking like that!

This inspired me to make a post about the easiest, fruitiest no-bake pie I know of, which is perfect for summer. You can use fresh, local fruit, or frozen or canned, whatever is in your pantry -- make it easy on yourself! I won't be giving exact measurements; this pie is simple enough that I feel most people can get by without one.

First, open a big can of crushed pineapple. Spoon out some of the juice (maybe 3 tablespoons?) and mix it with some cornstarch (maybe a tablespoon?) in a saucepan until it's incorporated. Then add the remainder of the crushed pineapple and juices into the saucepan, stir, and let it simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. (Yes, there is a little bit of cooking, but no BAKING!) You want this to thicken up a bit. Once it has thickened, set it aside.

Next, get your fruit ready. On this day, I happened to have a can of sliced peaches, a ripe banana, and some frozen blueberries and strawberries, which I thawed overnight.



I arranged the banana slices at the bottom of a pre-made graham cracker crust (I told you this would be easy) and arranged the peach slices on top.



Next came the layer of thawed berries.



And finally, the thickened crushed pineapple "sauce" covers the whole thing. Pop this in the fridge for about 3 hours to set, and enjoy. I highly recommend this as a cool breakfast. It's best to eat this pie within 2 days, but in my experience, it has kept pretty well for up to 5 (but generally doesn't last that long, if you know what I mean).

Homegrown Zukes & a Summery Dill Broom

Also over the weekend, I paid my parents a visit. They live out in Nowheresville with very limited options for food. I do not come from a vegan family, so this isn't too difficult for them. However, two years ago they started a vegetable garden, which I made me very excited. This has been a very rainy summer and some of the plants probably aren't going to make it (namely, eggplant), but check out their zucchini! I brought these two home with me.



(Also, check out my sun-kissed arm! Yeah!)

Then my mom and I picked up a few items from their itty bitty local grocery store (seriously, their "produce section" could ride shotgun in my little car) and I was amazed at what I found there:



Have you ever seen dill like this before?! Isn't it awesome?! My mom joked about hanging it in the house like those decorative scented brooms you see in the autumn time.

Feeling Blissed

Greetings and happy August! It's still summer, but I feel like we're being cheated with all of the fall clothing on sale and recipes for pumpkin pie circulating. Too soon!, I say. Too soon!

Of course, take one step outside and it won't feel like fall for one second. It is SWELTERING here in the ol' midwest. I can't complain too much, though; I'll take the heat and humidity over the ice and snow ANY DAY!

We braved the heat this past Saturday for Bliss Fest! Though this was the third annual BF, this was my first, and I was very excited.

I'm such a bad little blogger, though. I was so distracted with chatting with friends and familiar faces (and sweating) that I didn't take nearly as many pictures as a Good Little Blogger should. Still, I shall share with you what I have.



I caught the very end of this raw chocolate pudding demo. It's made with avocado, so it's extra creamy and wonderful. I know this is like Raw Food 101, but hey, good is good! (Especially when it involves chocolate.)


Steep raffle tickets! Not a whole lot of veg*n bikers present, evidently.


My friend Val was making smoothies at the Cafe Gratitude booth. They were also selling beautiful glass water bottles and "I love my life" shirts.

There were a few different booths for complimentary or low-cost massages. It was tempting, but I'd feel bad making someone run my sweaty self. I did have a spinal screening, though, which was eye-opening and worry-confirming. (Is that a word?) There were food demos, some speakers, and live music.


I devoured this veggie burrito by Bonheur (filling included summer squash, eggplant, and purple fingerling potatoes with cashew cheese - not sure about the spices or sauce, but by golly, it was good!)


...while this raw demo was taking place. I was more interested in the food being prepared than the "information" being provided by the man with the microphone.


My friend grabbed a sample. Isn't that lovely?


Kevin and Ann Marie Gianni of "The Renegade Health Show" were the headlining presenters. I had hoped to meet and chat with them, but their booth was pretty busy every time I made the rounds. I only got to hear a chunk of their presentation, but I really liked what I heard, especially in regard to helping and coaching others.


We scurried off to catch up with some friends, but I made sure to grab some cashew ice cream from the Fud booth on the way out. It felt so wonderful to eat something COLD! The raw caramel and chocolate sauce were a heavenly touch.


Ah, ice cold water. "Spin the globe then pack your bags." Oh, Caribou Coffee. If only it were that easy.

We closed out the evening with roller derby.



I found this Remax Man particularly funny.

It was a blissful Saturday!

This week should be pretty busy here on Hungry Vegan Traveler, so please stay tuned!