Vox’s posts tagged vegan

I want to belong to the living

nobody@vox.com(heartshapedsky) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:54:47 +0000

Life affirming. That was my thought leaving yoga on Monday. I saw two people walking in to their power vinyasa class and their bodies appeared to radiate to me, "we are life affirming." I think that's what yoga, exercise, sunshine, and vegan food are for me- life affirming. I just can't seem to say it enough.

What is life affirming for you?

My friend Roz Savage is very life affirming and a gift of perspective each day she shares her adventurous life on her blog, rozsavage.com. The other day she posted this poem and I hope she doesn't mind my passing it along. Please visit her blog too, you'll love it.

So here's the poem. I had a bit of it going through my head as I began my run today and it got me energized. xoxo

If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win, but don't think you can It's almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost, For out of the world you'll find Success begins with a fellow's will. It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are. You've got to think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But sooner or later the man who wins Is the one who thinks he can.

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summer crossing

nobody@vox.com(jamieleto) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:28:54 +0000

Summer Crossing: A Novel (Modern Library Paperbacks)

Truman Capote

<-- currently reading. second chapter and i'm already addicted. it's about a socialite named grady, living in a flat in new york city. i really like it. (:

as i read this book, it's making me think of how fast summer has passed by and how little i've done in that time. no summer homework, not enough exercise, not enough crafting, not enough anything. i'm almost to 50 etsy sales, and i'm positive that by the end of the year i'll have 100, but i wish i could do better. i need to do better is more what i should be saying. i have so many books i've taken out of the library all summer and i've only read 1. i've read parts of 2 and am really reading the one i'm on now, but i want to have read at least 7 books by the end of the summer, and it shouldn't be as hard as it has been. i just need to bring my focus back to where it was in june. less flab, less fat in general. i'm just getting so worried that this summer is going by too quickly for me to keep up with it. i need to achieve more quicker or my life will pass me by so fast i won't even notice it going.

i'm cleaning out my room. essentially, getting rid of stuff and keeping what matters. i'm throwing away my past and living in the present, with the exception of some old journals, but that should be agreeable. i'm almost finished. i love redecorating, making my room more spacious and continuing to collage my ceiling. i'm becoming more and more agitated with everyday, and i'm seriously considering therapy. i just need a boost of some kind. everyone needs a lift, but nothing i used to do works anymore. i need more ideas. i remember having the biggest burst of happiness when i went vegan. the restriction made me realize my freedom, but i couldn't live that way. vegetarian is the life for me, and i'm living it, but i need something more. i need to sort things out and be sure of things i'm unsure of. i need someone to sort it out with that's used to that, you know? as much as writing can help, i just want to know if i'm seriously having a problem. i tire of things and people too easily and i fear it sometimes. people aggravate me, but what if i eventually end up with no people at all? i don't know. tonight i'm going to make an exercise plan and this time i'm going to put everything into it... or i should just kick myself in the ass.

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Giving mother nature a kick to her nethers.

nobody@vox.com(elbradenabra) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:47:27 +0000

I have a lot of good qualities! At least, that's what twenty-two years of after school specials have lead me to believe. I'm not racist, I don't steal from the elderly, I stay away from the (bad) drugs, and I like to recycle even when it's the most inconvenient thing in the world. Seriously. Just what the hell am I supposed to do with a drawer full of plastic bags?

    Yet, I can't help shake the feeling that if we were to ever meet, Captain Planet would spit on my face. I mean, sure I enjoy the odd steak and buy produce from the equator, but does he need to be a giant blue dick about it? So, to prevent humiliation at the hands of a D-list super "hero", I have tried to make another swing at a more eco-friendly diet. Hit the archives button and relive my new years resolutions that touted a beef free diet and a lower carbon footprint. Mock my inability to commit to said decision as I continue to eat on the cow like it was going out of lower-middle class housewife fashion, and burn through fossil fuels like Amy Winehouse burns through the good faith of her friends.
    But LO! I have made it two days deep into this turn-of-leaf. No, I have failed at being vegan, but I am winning at being merely vegetarian. Which is worth something, I think. Vegan is hard. I like cheese SO MUCH. So decided that I would ditch the flesh of the four-legged, feathered and . . . fishy and simply limit the dairy I take. Also, I'm just not committed enough to drop bread because it has eggs. I mean, jeeze, I'm not George Washington!
    I'm happy to report that my brief flirtation with this lifestyle has already managed to piss someone off. Mind you, its a guy I went to school with many many seasons ago, so the satisfaction is minor. Kidding, of course. But in all honesty, all the vegan/earth-mother/new wave hippies I meet are the most incendiary bunch EVER. Everything makes them mad. How zen is that? It's more militant than "Janene Garofolo" brand Lesbianism (not that there's anything wrong with that). Like my experimentation with their lifestyle somehow trivializes it. Frankly, if someone came up to me and said, "Braden, I'm going to try and be really good with electronics, videogames and enjoy sushi, but only for a little while" I wouldn't be pissed off. I mean, I tolerate otaku. To the point where I only cringe a little bit to actually use that word.

But to demonstrate my currently middling level of commitment to general green-ness, I started my own garden. And it's not even the kind on Facebook! No, I threw some dried plant babies into the cold wet earth of the flower boxes that came with my teetering, danger infested balcony. In a few weeks I will be the proud owner of peas and beans. Up until the point that I totally eat those little guys! Behold, my tiny army of nutritious warriors!

Also, behold the glory of my "just woke up from a nap to write a smart assed blog post" grizzled-ness. Men and women alike are all swooning, to be sure.

But all this gardening got me to thinking. Science has promised a lot of things and it is generally lacking in the delivery. For reals, Science, you need to stop with the empty promises, especially the wishy-washy geneticists. All I ever hear is ethics-this and safety-that and 'hey kid, get away from that, security!'. I WANT MY OCTOPUS-MONKEY! I mean, what good is genetic tinkery if we don't have mutant death fights being broadcast on SportsNet yet? Sure, I'm a a fan of disease-proof wheat as much as the next guy, but pardon my 21st century selfishness when I ask how it could possibly benefit me. I mean, if H.G. and Jules had their way, by now we'd be zipping around in hover-carriages, hiring robots to do our nefarious bidding and picking the fruit of science's greatest marvel, the Steak-Tree.
Oh, wow. I can't even begin to comprehend the sheer awesome inherent in that idea. Astral Zeneca needs to get it's lazy ass in gear and Science me up a Steak-Tree. That baby would end WARS!

Gotta go, need to begin to attempt mating cows and dandelions. Or maybe I'll just water my beans with the blood of a calf. Nothing could go wrong there. Unless I unwittingly give birth to some sort of demon-zombie plant, and honestly that's pretty awesome in and of itself, if the first half of Little Shop of Horrors taught me anything. Hey, a little Black Magic and mild satanism never hurt anyone.

BRB, practicing the dark arts of floral-mancy.Also, seriously, I was not expecting to find a picture of an Octopus-monkey. Praise be to Google.

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My latest post on SF Bay Style

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:46:13 +0000

Is a review of my entirely vegan meal, from cocktail to dessert, at Destino, a San Francisco Peruvian restaurant.

Check it :)

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 114, The Mega Post

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:09:11 +0000

Time really flies. It's the middle of July now. I haven't been blogging much lately. I have a very good excuse this time. I was transitioning to Ubuntu Hardy (a very popular Linux distro) in the past two weeks. I was really busy configuring my system, getting our wireless network to work, and synchronizing the iPod Touch with my new Ubuntu system. I'm really excited about this move because I'm finally free of Windows and all the Windows woes. And I can cut our future expenses down - no more software purchase! And in the midst of setting up my own notebook, my husband's Windows Vista was actually wiped out by a serious and malicious virus. All of his files and his Windows system files were deleted after a reboot. We got no warning whatsoever from our expensive antivirus software. Yeah, what was I expecting a stupid little Windows program to do? The outcome is that now we are both using Ubuntu only. I guess Windows finally pissed us off enough. I'm certainly not gonna miss it.

Being inundated with setting up two Ubuntu systems, I haven't posted any food porn but I have been eating. Well, that goes without saying. I have been cooking, sort of. So this post may seem a little long.

The first photo is the Deep-Dish Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche. I saved the recipe from Vegetarian Times for several months before I felt perplexed why I hadn't made it earlier. It was worth the wait, I'm telling you. It's good for a summer dinner that will delight your taste buds, which keeps you refreshed and cheerful.

Deep-Dish Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

Here's a closeup that you can't miss. Oh, I really loved this quiche! It's also the first time that I have made a pie crust with whole wheat pastry flour. I enjoyed the whole process for a good reason then.

Deep-Dish Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

The second photo is the Lentil, Bok Choy and Potato Soup. The original recipe is Lentil, Spinach and Potato Soup by Carla of "But Did They Eat It?". I liked it very much, but didn't eat the leftover soup the second day. It's really not the soup's fault. I'm just going through a very particular food-crisis phase. I basically don't know what the heck I want to eat for the next meal.

Lentil, Bok Choy and Potato Soup

The third photo is my first attempt at making mochi. I bought a bag of mochiko a month ago and every time I saw it in my pantry, I felt guilty of not picking it up. One hot afternoon my cravings made me venture into the kitchen and made some basic sweet mochi. I was too lazy to make any azuki bean stuffing, and simply pan-fried (or rather, pan-baked) the mochi. The mildly sweet rice cakes came out so good. Boy, I love Japanese desserts! Oh, I almost forogt. I followed this recipe on Chow.com.

Pan-Fried Mochi

The next photo is Nicole's Four Grain Pancakes. I used the modified recipe by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen. Kudos to both Nicole and Aparna! It's a great recipe and I totally loved these healthy and hearty pancakes. These four-grain pancakes can be easily made into savory ones that will go nicely with some beautiful soup.

Four Grain Pancakes

Yet another photo of my regular udon noodle bowl. This one consists of asparagus, dried Shiitake mushrooms (soaked), and faux meatballs. The sauce is simple: a couple dashes of vegetarian oyster sauce, dark soy sauce or tamari, a pinch of hot smoked Spanish paprika and a lot of parsley.

Udon Noodles with Asparagus, Mushroom and Neatballs

And yesterday afternoon I made these beautiful Chocolate Oatmeal Macadamia Butter Muffins. The original recipe is by Katy of Legally Vegan. She used chunky peanut butter but I'm loving the unsalted macadamia butter now so naturally I used that. I also subbed a silken tofu "egg". Definitely a keeper!

Chocolate Oatmeal Macadamia Butter Muffins

This is after my two bites. It wasn't easy to put down my muffin to take this photo, so I didn't care much about the quality of the photo at all.

Chocolate Oatmeal Macadamia Butter Muffin (Closeup)

Finally, I made a very simple side dish - Summer Squash Sizzle. It's just what I needed in this summer. Crispy vegetables with a hint of lemon freshness. The original recipe is found in My Vegan Cookbook. I love that Web site! Many thanks to the man behind the curtain for all those wonderful vegan recipes.

Summer Squash Sizzle

I guess I won't have much time for regular blogging yet. But I'll try to, especially I've got so much to catch up in my

Vox neighborhood. Until then, take care and God bless!

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Day 660 (Y2/D294): Who can break away to cook dinner when there's a John Hughes movie marathon?

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:30:10 +0000

My silly S.O. Thinking I was going to cook dinner. Just because he's sick. And because, let's face it, I usually do. Couldn't he appreciate that watching Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful was much more important. Plus I was busy, laptop on lap, working away, with only ONE eye on the TV. So, get that cooking idea right out of your head, mister.

Well, OK, truth be told: We only saw the last 15 minutes of Pretty in Pink (raise your hand if you think that pink prom dress is the most unflattering sack ever) but we did watch all of Some Kind of Wonderful. What a silly silly movie, really, it actually makes no sense at all.

And in fact I did get up, during one of the many silly, silly montages, and throw something very quick and easy together. But frozen food and microwaves were involved.

Breakfast:
Organic "Cheerios" with organic Sugar and Rice Milk

Lunch:
Leftover Seitan Stew
Iced Soy Latte

Snack:
Macadamia Nuts

Dinner:
Trader Joe's Penne Arrabiata, with some added Organic Peas, Garlic and Basil
Trader Joe's Soy Creamsicles (Have you seen these? To. die. for. You will re-live your lost youth eating these.)

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Day 659 (Y2/D293): The Clean Out Your Fridge Stew

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:22:29 +0000

Why mess with a good thing? If you're willing to dirty up a pan (and let's face it, we all know I'm not always ready to do such a thing) then you're ready to make a good old-fashioned clean-out-your-fridge stew. And I've been making those a lot.

What they all have in common:

1. Organic Brown Rice (the microwave-in-a-bag-three-minute kind)
2. Some protein source...usually seitan, but can also be one of the now many brands of "chicken" or "steak" strips out there. It can even be soy crumbles, although i tend to save those for either pasta dishes or Mexican dishes.
3. Some combination of fresh and frozen vegetables
4. Nutritional Yeast...which makes it very savory and creates the gravy that pulls it all together. (In fact Nutritional Yeast is such a wonder ingredient that I've discovered you can mostly just use water if you need more liquid...no broth or rice milk or more oil required.)

Saturday night I wanted to continue using the Spinach and Bok Choy I had on hand, and by throwing in some frozen peas that I microwaved a bit, it had a very green-themed dinner. In addition to being pretty, of course it had lots of iron using those dark leafy greens. I even restrained myself from eating the whole thing, so I could have some for lunch on Sunday. That took discipline, I must say.

Breakfast:
Organic Corn Flakes, Organic Sugar, Rice Milk

Lunch:
2 slices of Sourdugh Bread with Soy Margarine and Avocado

Dinner:
Seitan Stew with Olive Oil, Garlic, Bok Choy, Spinach, Peas, Leek, Garlic, Seitan, Organic Brown Rice and Nutritional Yeast
1 ear of Corn
Chery-Chocolate Chip Soy Cream

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Day 658 (Y2/D292): It's good to live in California

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:14:50 +0000

Where the fruits and vegetables are so bountiful, and not so crazy expensive you can't afford them even when they're bountiful.

That is all I wanted to say...carry on.

Breakfast:
Soy Latte
Organic Corn Flakes with Vegan Sugar and Rice Milk
Soy Yogurt
Organic Banana

Lunch:
organic Brown Rice
Morningstar Farms Riblets
Marcona Almonds
Nectarine
Diet Coke

Dinner:
Seitan Stew, made with Olive Oil, Garlic, Leeks, Roasted Corn, Bok Choy, Spinach, Mini Portabella Mushrooms, Seitan, Nutritional Yeast and Organic Brown Rice

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The week that was D653-657 (Y2/D287-289): The BlogHer edition

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:32:29 +0000

So, BlogHer is next week. Which tempts me to simply say:

"Move along, nothing to see here, come back the week of July 21st...or even the week of the 28th."

But in true obsessive blogger fashion I can't resist trying to keep up!!

So, I have a question for you. I've been thinking about this since the weekend.

I find that typically I have one day during the weekend where I lounge about and don't do much. (By which I mean I sit with my laptop and probably try to catch up on email for a while, but I don't catch up on other chores.) And then I have one day filled with chores. Grocery shopping, laundry, taking out the recyclables, tidying up a bit...that sort of thing.

I have typically made chore day on Sunday, thinking it's better to relax more on Saturday. But this week I started thinking that maybe it would be better to move chores to Saturday, so it didn't feel like I was going back to work right on top of a day filled with chores.

What do you do? Thoughts?

As for eating this past Sunday-Thursday? nothing new and interesting to report. one night at dinner I ate some celery and I ate some grapes. And I thought, it would be so nice if I had actually chopped these up and mad some kind of fancy salad with them...that would be great to report on Veggie Goes Vegan.

But no.

I just ate some celery stalks. And ate some grapes.

I've also been enjoying the nectarines and plums that are in season. I discovered that one of my friends, who has a plum tree, actually does canning, when she brought me some plum conserves. Complete in Ball Jar. I looked at her as though she was a stranger. Who is this woman who cans? Or jars.

Plum conserves, by the way? Quite yummy. especially on Vanilla Soy Ice Cream.

That is all.

We'll see when I can post again...conference crazy time is upon us!!!

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Four more vegan foods down....

nobody@vox.com(Candace & Matt) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:28:35 +0000

Today, I tried three new vegan foods: a "cheese", a "sugar" and a "butter". Yesterday we tried "ice cream"

Cheese Cheater
Follow Your Heart "cheddar cheese" MELTS like real cheese. It also stinks. Matt walked in to the house 10 min after I'd made a quesadilla for Logan and said, "what the hell is that smell?" At first, I thought he meant the febreze. Nope. Those chemicals don't stand a chance against this stench.

"That soy cheese was the nastiest shit I've ever smelled or tasted" he just said.

I disagree.

Yes, it smelled. Yes, it had a funny texture. Yes, I prefer that my loaf of cheese not jiggle--but--I didn't think it was that bad. If it was combined with something with flavor--say, salsa--it would be harder to tell something was off. Honestly, I thought it tasted like the cheese in mac and cheese--if you ate the powder out of the envelope. Not bad--just not what one is used to, and really not something I could do every day.

Logan couldn't tell the difference, though. He just called it "good"

SCORE: Two out of Three Smylies would eat it again, one would do so willingly.

Sugar Swap:
The other Hippie product of the day--agave nectar.Organic, of course. It is sweeter than sugar, so you use less, and it is liquid--so it is perfect for things like iced tea. The best part is that it doesn't spike blood sugar levels like normal sugar does. I must say it is REALLY GOOD and I will probably make this a perm switch in my diet.Sugar-Free never tasted so good. At least I know it's not a chemical shit storm like splenda, equal or sweet'n'low.

SCORE: Three out of Three Smylies will eat it again.

But it's not Butter:
I should first state that we typically use Smart Balance which is vegan--as chemicals are not animal products. it includes such wholesome ingredients as "natural flavorings" which, sadly, is one of the easier things to pronounce on the list. (My high school best friend, Jeremy Canfield, and I have a long standing joke about how rich the farmers that grow "natural flavoring" must be because it is in EVERYTHING). If it is really a natural by product of a natural ingredient, please list it.

So I went all hippie, I-Want-Animal-AND-Chemical-Free-Food on Matt and made him buy Natural Earth Balance Buttery Spread. It is vegan and it is "natural flavorings" free. It lists each of its ingredients--and they're all good. And just to give Smart Balance a one-two punch, it also includes Omega-3s--25% of your daily need in one serving. Take That.

But who cares what is in it if it tastes like crap, right? I mean, there is a reason we don't eat fruit cake. Luckily, however, it tastes good--just like any other margarine out there. It will become a regular staple in our fridge.

SCORE: Three out of Three Smylies didn't even realize they were eating something different.

Ice Cream, Not Screams:
Yesterday we tried the Soy Delicious Neopolitan "ice cream". It wasn't bad. There was an odd lack of depth to the flavor--sort of like shaved ice or homemade sugar-free ice cream. Maybe that is because it is sugar free--it is flavored with fruit juice. But it was good; I went for a second spoon full immediately. Logan was just excited to have ice cream--and three flavors at that. He ate the entire bowl without a funny look or expression.

I want to make a special note of the name on the package, though. it was listed at Whole Foods as "Soy Delicious" and in Skinny Bitch as "Soy Delicious" but the actual carton says "So Delicious", just like this . The two products are made by the same company, so I assume it is just a "name change" on the packaging. Regardless, it tastes good and I will be buying it to replace my "real" ice cream.

SCORE: Two of Two Smylies will eat it again. Matt didn't try it.

Tomorrow I plan to try rice milk for the first time. Wish me luck.

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Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty!

nobody@vox.com(Larsnxd) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:58:07 +0000

www.shac.net <---- Get involved!

There's a protest going on this Saturday in Peterborough.

Me, a couple of friends and hopefully my boyfriend are going to drive up there and take part.

Yesterday I sent my local MP, Huntingdon's MP and David Cameron a quick(!) email regarding the unnecessary cruelty at this hell hole of a place. I doubt they will do anything, but its nice to try.

I used to think my younger brother was silly to send letters and emails to the government, but now I believe that if you feel so strongly about something, why not help out the cause to the best of your abilities? Who knows, you might just help change something. My brother is my little bit of inspiration, I have him to thank for helping to change my headstrong views.

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but, what can I eat?

nobody@vox.com(Candace & Matt) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:31:59 +0000

Just finished reading Skinny Bitch. I really, REALLY recommend it. If you can't, I'll sum it up for you:

Food is Poison.

Yep.

Basically, it goes in to detail with vulgar language (I love me some good, offensive tongue) about all the ways in which the American food supply is tainted with everything from rocket fuel to morphine.

It goes on to make fairly solid links between cancer (and every other disease we've seen a spike in over the last 50 years) and the way our food is prepared for us in the US and abroad.

These are things I've been thinking about for a while now, but this was the first time i was able to read someone else's take on it with a ton of documentation.

I never thought I'd go vegan -- but now I'm really thinking it might be the only safe way to consume food. That, or never eat again.And we know that's not an option, especially for me.

But it's not enough to give up animal products--it must be in addition to organics.

It was especially disturbing to read about the incestuous, dishonest , relationships between the FDA and USDA and the industries they are supposed to manage. Especially scary was the way in which aspartame (equal, sweet 'n low) got approval and put in to the food supply even before approval.

And forget about Splenda.

My favorite part of the book--and the phrase I can't get out of my head-- was to replace to terms "sugar free" and "fat free" with the more accurate term "chemical shit storm" .

Inspired, I took the book yesterday to Whole Foods to do some shopping. You know how I love grocery stores. Every time I think of a reason to try and dislike Whole Foods--they put smaller coops out of biz, they are corporate, they are the WalMart of organics--they see my thoughts coming and self-correct. I was happily surprised at Whole Foods to see the emphasis on Locally Grown produce. YES! They had maps and everything by their plants, fruits and veggies, showing exactly where it came from!

Whole Foods Wins Again.

Back to me and the book--so I went isle by isle, picking up products it suggests for replacing my non-vegan foods--Ener-G inplace of eggs, Rice Dream instead of milk, Follow Your Heart "cheese" instead of cheese, So(y) Delicious ice cream instead of real ice cream (this stuff is sugar AND milk free--sweetened with fruit juice! and it is REALLY GOOD! Got the neopolitan and tried it last night. Logan didn't even know the difference!).

So, expect daily blogs as I try the swap from my evil animal eating ways to Vegan..I'm not going all-vegan at once--I'm easing in to it, trying to substitute what I can and cut back on my animal products. Hopefully, in a year I'll be all there.

The title of the book is kind of misleading--it is more about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle than being skinny. In fact, it has very little to do with how to lose weight--it more talks about why we're fat in the first place. It was eye-opening, well-researched and documented and fun to read. I finished it in 24 hours--the fastest I've ever read an entire book.

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vegan recipe: cranberry apple crisp

nobody@vox.com(Claudia) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:29:42 +0000

I have not tried this recipe, but I didn’t want to lose it. It sounds really good!

Ingredients
5 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced in fourths.
16 oz of fresh cranberries or 1 16 oz can of whole berry cranberry sauce
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour

Topping
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place sliced apples in a 9″x13″ pan.

If using fresh cranberries, put 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 16 oz of fresh cranberries in a sauce pan and bring to a boil until cranberries “pop.” Cool for 10 minutes.

Combine cranberries, sugar, and flour in a bowl. Toss mixture in with apples.

Combine nuts, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and margarine in a bowl. Sprinkle evenly over apple cranberry mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and fruit is tender.

Makes 10 servings.

From Vegan.org

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A little vegan never hurt anyone.

nobody@vox.com(Vivren) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:08:35 +0000

I am a shameless carnivore, but that doesn't mean I want to try to act responsibly once in a while.

Mat and Nat are having a huge sale on their vegan wallets, purses and clutches. You should check them out!

I really like this little clutch and this wallet.

And this purse.

This one too.

And this one as well.

Decisions...decisions...

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Day 652 (Y2/D286): Lazy day, if you count working on the couch instead of at my desk Lazy

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:00:08 +0000

It was a lazy day. I lounged on the couch all day (with my laptop.) But I did even take a nap...wile the S.O. was playing Rock band, if you can believe it.

Got a lot of work done. Whipped a couple of yummy hodge-podge meals too. Loves me that Trader Joe's!

Breakfast:
Shredded Oats Cereal
Rice Milk

Lunch:
Trader Joe's Chicken-less Strips, sauteed in Olive Oil with Fresh Spinach, Garlic, Basil, Organic Corn and Organic Edamame

Dinner:
Trader Joe's Penne Arrabiatta, mixed with Spinach, Garlic, Basil and Meatless Meatballs

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Day 651 (Y2/D285): Happy Fourth!

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:55:58 +0000

As always my family takes care of me at family parties. This time my sister and brother-in-law got the idea to roast a Sweet Potato on the BBQ, along with the usual Portabella Mushroom.Very tasty and healthy too!

Breakfast:
Vanilla Almond Crisp Cereal
Rice Milk

Lunch:
Morningstar Farms Riblets
Corn

Dinner:
Chips and Crackers with Hummus and Guacamole (this was the not-healthy portion of the meal)
Grapes
Portabella Mushroom
1/2 a Sweet Potato
Cauliflower and Broccoli
Vegan Cherry Pie
Diet Dr. Pepper

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Day 650 (Y2/D284): New Vegan Cake at Whole Foods...yummity yum

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:44:31 +0000

You may have noticed I'm a creature of habit. I hope I haven't just started a new one.

Now, whenever I got to Whole Foods down my way in the South Bay and have need of a dessert, I pick up the Black China Bakery vegan chocolate cake. It's dense and rich. This is the Bakery that made my wedding cakes. I love this cake.

It has always disturbed me that when I go to buy cakes up near my office for office birthdays, they don't carry the Black China cake. Instead they carry a vegan cake with a bunch of fruit on top made in their own bakery, and in my opinion, severely lacking.

Until yesterday, when i saw a new breed of vegan cake in the Whole Foods bakery case: A Vegan Mousse Cake.

And it was yummity yummy.

Oh noes! Must. Not. Seek. Excuses. To. "Need". Cake!!!

Breakfast:
Soy Latte
Vegan Scone

Lunch:
Whole Foods salad bar, including Tofu, Edamame, Corn, Beets, Broccoli, Pumpkin Seeds, Giganta Beans, Celery
Cashews
Vegan Mousse Cake

Dinner:
Russet Potato with Corn, Soy Margarine, Tofutti Sour Cream and Nutritional Yeast

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Day 649 (Y2/D283): 12 hours in front of a screen

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:34:30 +0000

Yes, Wednesday I spent 12 hours, literally, sitting at my computer, barely getting up to go to the bathroom and fix some food and occasionally take a phone call from my couch, not my chair.

Before you lecture me: Yes, I realize that is bad for me. Stretching=good. Regularly walking around=good. Sitting in one place for 12 hours=not good.

BlogHer is two weeks away, people, cut me some slack!!

I did, however, go for a nice long walk around the neighborhood with a friend in the evening, before settling down to watch other people exert themselves in So You Think You Can Dance.

Breakfast:
Vanilla Almond Crisp Cereal
Rice Milk

Lunch:
Fried Wonton
Leftover Vegetable Fried Rice and Hunan Tofu and Mixed Veggies

Snack:
Jalapeno Pita Chips

Dinner:
Small Salad
Rice and Bean Bowl with Avocado Salsa and guacamole
Mashed Potatoes
Diet Coke

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Article: This month's Silicon Veggie

nobody@vox.com(Elisa) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:24:13 +0000

Siliconveggie

This month's Silicon Veggie takes a look at how Oprah and Ellen flirted with veganism over the last month or two.

Is Vegan the New Black? The article asks and answers...in only 400 words!

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Vegan: Animals Over Humans?

nobody@vox.com(Joshua Judd) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:29:32 +0000

Some critics of vegetarianism and veganism say that veg*ns care more about animals than they do about human beings.

I think that vegansim shows compassion for animals as well as human beings, and in this video I explain why.

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