putting my department’s iPad to good use, clearly

The past two years have been great for Vegtastic! and I — two years ago today, we started on our journey together. Our relationship has gone from just a casual fling to something much more serious, and I just can’t imagine life without her.

Since May 17, 2010, I’ve learned a few things about blogging. This is mostly because I’ve spent this time coaching lawyers how to blog and use social media in my day job, but Vegtastic! has allowed me to test what I teach.

1. The people you meet are better than the recipes you make and the pictures you take. I’ve met some awesome people through Vegtastic! and Twitter.
2. Blogging can help you solidify those nebulous ideas you have floating around in your head, and strengthen arguments. Sometimes you need to write through something to really understand it.
3. Venting can be cathartic, but usually should stay as a draft. Vegtastic! has a number of dirty little unpublished secrets.
4. If you blog it, they will not come — you need to get together with other vegans in real life, supplement your posts with social networking, leave comments, and share others’ content.
5. That first non-spam comment? It’s the greatest feeling in the world.
6. Updating your title tags really can help you rank better for the terms you want to be found for (yeah, yeah, I know: SEO talk is tacky, but I told you: Vegtastic! allows me to practice what I preach to clients).
7. Sometimes, a blog is just a tool, a reference, to give you credibility and nothing more — umm, yeah, I really am vegan: check out my blog. Sometimes, it’s much more than that.
8. The most visited pages are never the ones you think they will be. Apparently, people love baked oatmeal.
9. It’s awesome looking back at where you’ve started and realize you’re two years closer to being the blogger you want to be.
10. When in doubt, post a picture of a cat. Terry Hope Romero uttered these wise words at Vida Vegan Con, and they’re so true.

I don’t know if Vegtastic! and I are in it together forever — people change, technology changes — but I want her in my life for a long time to come.

Thanks for reading.

Here’s a picture of my cat.

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There are a fair number of vegan options at Safeco Field, and I’m very excited to add another to the list: the Field Roast Frankfurther stand in section 131 (adjacent to The Natural).

I had the honor of joining some other local bloggers, vegan and non-vegan (including the lovely Dawn of Vegan Moxie!), for a tasting of the Field Roast’s new offerings before yesterday’s Mariners game. (Full disclosure: Field Roast invited the other guests and myself stay to watch a rather embarrasing first inning and ultimate Tigers victory.)

Field Roast is a local product that I strongly support, and I promote extended vegan dining options anywhere, so I’m pleased to report that the experience was a positive one.

Field Roast owner David Lee served us four different options, a Frankfurter (sold for $6.25) and three specialty dogs, which will rotate at the stand ($6.50 — for what you get, this seems like a good deal). We also got to try Field Roast’s very first veggie burger, the Field Burger ($6.75).

They do offer dairy cheese on the burger, but everything else (sans burger cheese) is vegan (though the stand advertises itself as vegetarian). Note: all pictures represent half of a serving, save for the Field Burger.

The Frankfurther

The frankfurters are a little on the salty side (the good, “I’m at a ballgame” salty, not the “I think my blood pressure just skyrocketed” salty), and are very well seasoned — probably the closest to the meaty dogs of any vegan dog I’ve tried. When David Lee addressed the crowd he mentioned that Field Roast doesn’t bucket every special diet under the vegetarian label, meaning that they add oil (palm oil — yeah, I thought about the rainforest too. I’m going to email them about this, though I do use Earth Balance.) to their products to give them a richer taste. Compared with Smart Dogs, they definitely have more body and flavor.

The Seattle Chili Dog

This was the most traditional of the bunch, and the one I sampled first (after the plain frank). It’s topped with chili (made with Field Roast — how meta) and vegan “cream cheese” (oh Seattle — you and your cream cheese dogs). The chili alone was a little bland (I understand the need to appeal to a broad swath of the population, so I’d just add a dash or two of Tabasco to mine), but really compliments the saltiness of the dog. The cream cheese is actually an innovative mix of Daiya and coconut cream.

The IchiBan

Topped with sweet teriyaki onions, grated daikon and carrot, nori strips and a vegan mayo, this is definitely an unusual take on the traditional frankfurther. I loved, loved, loved  the creative flavor and texture balance of the toppings (sweet, creamy, crunchy, oceany) but am not sure what I think about putting them on a veggie dog (though I’d still order it). It is a nice nod, however, to my favorite Mariners player, the adorable Mr. Ichiro.

The Bombay

It’s not often that you get fried curry leaves at a ballgame, so this one tickled me most: chana dal, mango chutney, coconut cream, and the aforementioned fried curry leaves. I’m nuts about Indian spicing, so the Bombay definitely hit the spot. My favorite, fo’ sho’.

The Field Burger

The Field Burger is Field Roast’s first burger offering, and is a nice combination of a purely grain-based patty and those patties that are just pure seitan or soy with burger flavorings. It really captures the substance of a hamburger, with a texture that has just the right amount of resistance when biting — I don’t like my veggie burgers to go out without a tiny bit of a fight. Firm, not squishy.

This is Johanna McCloy, founder of Veggie Happy and the reason veggie dogs are even in baseball stadiums at all, who was in attendance last night as well. She kindly humored me with a photo, which pretty much made my life.

My one concern is the service at the stand itself. David missed the tasting, so I treated him to a Bombay during the game. He didn’t think the griddle looked hot enough, and by the time we got back to our seat a few sections away, his dog was a little colder than he believed it should have been, though he agreed that it was quite tasty. The burger I sampled had that distinct dirt flavor of mold until I removed the offending tomato and lettuce; then it was delicious.

Ballpark food isn’t known for its quality (at least not in proportion to what you pay for it), but I fear that an already veg-skeptical crowd might be put off by a bad experience, which will affect more than just their attitude towards this one meal — it could miss out on what potentially might be a WOW moment about vegan food. However, if the Field Roast stand ups the game, so to speak, a bit in this area, I think it will be a great success.

Already looking forward to not starving or bulking up on garlic fries (actually, garlic fries are sorta why I go to baseball games, but, you know) at my next baseball game.

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This stew is not one for the cilantro haters, since the flavor of that divisive herb permeates the whole dish.

It’s based on a meal that I ate at Bircher-Benner in Lima — Bircher-Benner’s version had yucca and pumpkin too, so if you have access to that, knock yourself out. Otherwise, potatoes alone are cool.

And don’t fear the frozen peas and carrots: I had them in dishes all over Peru, and fresh simply will not be proper.

Also, I’m not typically a huge raw onion fan, but don’t skip the salsa criolla with which this dish is intended to be served. The onions soak in salt water and then “cook” in lime juice and vinegar, so they’re not a total make out-spoiler.

Peruvian-style vegan cilantro, seitan and potato stew

Ingredients

• 1 bunch cilantro (chop off the stems)
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded (maybe even 1/2 a jalapeno)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• juice of two small limes
• 8 ounces seitan
• 1 large potato, sliced into 1/2″ thick pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots

Instructions:

1. Blend cilantro, water, garlic, jalapeno and lime juice; pour into a small saucepan with potatoes, seitan, and frozen pea/carrot mix.
2. Simmer for around 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Serve with rice and Salsa criolla.

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I positively adore reduced fat Vegenaise. I put it on everything. EVERYTHING. My secret favorite snack? Corn chips dipped in reduced-fat vegenaise.

I swear I’m not a stoner.

Cinco de Mayo is coming up, and rather than tequila shots and avocado, this beloved Mexican holiday makes me think of reduced fat Vegenaise.

You know, mayo = mayonnaise = the non-vegan version of Vegenaise.

In honor of the celebration, here are five (cinco) recipes that use vegan mayo and look really tasty.

1. Hot artichoke dip from C’est La Vegan
2. I Eat Trees’ 4 ingredient Mediterranean Penne
3. Veggies on the Counter’s Tofu cakes with Curried apple
4. The Blissful Chef’s Curried Tempeh Chicken Salad
5. The Tolerant Vegan’s Salsa Verde Sliders with Avocado Mayo

Yum.

And, hey, because I’m arrogant, I’ll include a sixth of my own: Chive-y Ranch Dip on a buffalo sub.

Not into Vegenaise? Maybe try Fat Free Vegan Kitchen’s Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise.

Image by artizone via Creative Commons

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In it, Lisa befriends an animal rights activist (see right) and visits him in prison.

I can’t find a YouTube clip of their conversation, so the transcript is below. I hope it gives you a chuckle.

——————————–

Lisa: You do Yoga?

Jesse: Yeah, but I started before it was cool.

Lisa: My name’s Lisa Simpson. I think your protest was incredibly brave.

Jesse: Thank you. This planet needs every friend it can get.

Lisa: Oh, the earth is the best! That’s why I’m a vegetarian.

Jesse: Heh. Well, that’s a start.

Lisa: Uh, well, I was thinking of going vegan.

Jesse: I’m a level 5 vegan — I won’t eat anything that casts a shadow.

Lisa: Wow. Um … I started an organic compost pile at home.

Jesse: Only at home? You mean you don’t pocket-mulch? [takes out pocket mulch for Lisa to feel]

Lisa: Oh, it’s so decomposed! Do you think I could join Dirt First?

Jesse: Well … we might have an opening at the poser level.

Lisa: Oh, thank you, thank you!

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I spent March 24 to April 8, 2012 in Peru with a couple of friends, and left with a few new ones.

Mary, Toni, and I stayed in Lima with Toni’s awesome family, then flew up to Los Organos on the northern coast and chilled on the beach in an awesome house belonging to a friend of Toni’s former girlfriend, Mariela. After that, Mary and I explored Cusco and trekked for 3 days in the Andes.

It was magical.

I ate a lot of (vegan) traditional Peruvian dishes…

Vegan(ized) causa at Bircher-Benner in Lima

Seitan and pumpkin stew with potatoes and yucca at Bircher-Benner

Tacu-Tacu at El Grifo

Toni eating Mazamorra morada in Kennedy Park

Lunch on the trail

Mushroom cebiche at Pescados Capitales!)

avocados…

Fresh fruit…

Salads …

Three hearts salad at La Rosa Nautica in Lima

Salty snacks …

Canchitas

Chifles

Yuccas Fritas

Sandwiches …

Quinoa hummus sandwich at Greens Organic in Cusco

Soy meat sandwich at Govinda in Aguas Calientes

Veggie sandwich at Aldea Yanapay in Cusco

Amazing Argentinan-style lentil burger at Prasada in Cusco

And non-Peruvian dishes…

Tofu stir-fry at Jack’s Cafe in Cusco

Drank a lot of beverages…

Chicha morada

Cusqueña beer

Inca Kola

Chilcanos

Coca tea

Saw a bunch of cute animals…

Cats in Parque Kennedy

The most loyal dog ever.

Llamas

Cow

Donkeys

What a cutie!

Visited a bunch of cool places…

Los Organos

Cusco

Lima

Machu Picchu

And hung out with awesome people.

It was an unforgettable experience, and I hope to return soon.

Peru, te quiero.

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I’m not good at scheduling flights.

I had 9 hours to kill in Miami on the way to my very exciting adventure (post to come, I swear), and 9 hours in New York City on the way home.

Fortunately, two of my favorite people in the whole wide world, Jessica and Tanya, live in NYC. Unbelievably, they had never met before, which is odd, because they are both very important parts of my life.

Tanya introduced me to Angelica Kitchen 5 or 6 years ago, and though there are tons of other Big Apple vegan establishments I’ve want to try, it was the best option given our location and the time we had. I was a little relieved at this; my inner food blogger encourages me to explore new restaurants, but it was so nice to just eat delicious, healthy comfort food with my besties at a place I already know and love.

Angelica Kitchen serves whole food organic vegan meals — nothing refined, nothing processed, all excellent.

We started with juices and the curried cashew spread, ”an intriguing live blend of raw cashews, sprouted chickpeas, freshly ground curry powder & unpasteurized miso,” served with crudites. This is on the must-replicate list, if only for its simplicity.

Since there’s this force inside that drives me to order a reuben sandwich whenever I see it on the menu, that’s what I got: the tempeh reuben. It was heavy on substance and flavor, not oil (though nicely sauced), and  I didn’t feel I needed to shower the grease out of my pores afterwards. With lettuce and untoasted whole-grain bread, it wasn’t really the indulgence I had in mind, but tasty, nonetheless.

Jessica ordered some sort of salad and sourdough bread.

Tanya let me take home the leftovers of her Old Man Seitan, a tortilla wrapped concealing a savory filling of Seitan, carrots, turnips, and cauliflower served wet burrito-style with sauce. Thanks, T!

The weather was glorious, so we strolled to our next spot: Babycakes NYC.

Babycakes was much smaller than I’ve been picturing, but a charming establishment, with many gluten-free vegan goodies to chose from: cookies, cupcakes, donuts, brownies, shortcake, and more.

The counter staff and pastry chefs were adorable in their retro frocks and hairdos.

I got a red velvet cupcake, while Jessica opted for a carrot cake donut. Tanya was too full from her burrito for a baked good of her own, but graciously photographed me eating:

I’ve never had red velvet cake before (which was why I ordered it) and doubt I will again — I felt like I could taste the food coloring. However, the texture of the cake and frosting was perfect — light cake, thick frosting — and if I had trusted my instinct and gone for another flavor, I think I would have been 100% happy.

At least it’s pretty.

Jessica only ate half of her donut, and let me pig out on the remainder. It was light and crisp, drowning in a sticky-sweet glaze. I would order it again in heartbeat.

My stay was regrettably brief, and soon I headed back to the airport. I decided to save my Angelica Kitchen leftovers for lunch the next day (because what makes returning to work after a vacation better than reheated food from a restaurant on the other coast?) after I witnessed the JFK Cibo Express‘ vegan selection.

Good thing Cibo Express was right next to my gate — I nearly missed my flight.

Until next time, New York!

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So, the Mac’n Food Truck gave me one of the greatest experiences of my vegan life. I visited a few weeks ago during a 9-hour layover in Miami on the way to a very exciting adventure — post on that to come.

Maybe it’s because I mostly wrote this post after a couple of stiff-yet-sweet drinks in classy South Beach joints, a place where both beverages (which go for $8 here) and bikinis (which retail for $40+) cost around $20 (and ladies seldom wear much more), but my Mac’n Food Truck experience was at the best unforgettable, and at the worst on par with anything you’d find in Seattle or Portland.

I ordered Frannie’s Southern Fried Sammie and done fried green tomatoes with tangy remoulade. The hostess served me a sample of their truck-made sweet iced tea, which was delicious but much too sweet for my Yankee blood; I opted for water to, you know, save a few calories — health was definitely on my mind as I ordered a massive plate of fried comfort food.

I waited a few minutes in the South Florida sun, soaking in the atmosphere. Mac’n Food Truck was one of maybe 10 trucks gathered at Pinecrest Gardens, a small man-made jungle with a modest $3 entry fee.

I started with the fried green tomatoes. I couldn’t really taste the remoulade’s flavor, though it’s creaminess contrasted nicely with the tart tomatoes and crispy, greasy cornmeal batter.

Then, I tackled the sandwich. The tofu, frozen and then battered’n'fried, was salty, soft yet chewy, and infused with buffalo sauce, topped with a peppery coleslaw on a cornmeal bun (which tasted like a potato bun to me).

I’ve eaten enough delicious food in my time that I was not surprised to finish the whole thing, though a little disappointed (as always) in my gluttony.

Mac’n food truck moves around (obviously); check ‘em out on Twitter more details.

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This soup is based on one sold in Madison Market’s deli. It’s perfect for a rainy La Nina day when you want something warm, filling and somewhat healthy because you’re cold, hungry, and sad because your favorite Cri de Coeur boots have just fallen apart, which is pretty much the state I found myself in at Madison Market recently.

Curried coconut lentil soup

Ingredients:

• 8 cups veggie broth
• 1 can light coconut milk (or one small can regular)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 onion
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cup dried lentils

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer, covered, for 40 minutes or so until lentils are cooked.

Serve with crusty bread and maybe a vitamin D pill. Or straight whiskey. Something to pick you up.

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Janessa has a recipe for vegan Irish cream that makes me want to do some cruelty-free Irish car bombs. (What would you call a vegan Irish car bomb — an Irish yarn bomb?)

An Irish car bomb is a shot of Irish Cream and Jameson (mmm…) dropped into half a glass of Guinness and chugged; the Irish Cream will curdle in the liquid (like some soy milks in coffee) if you don’t drink it fast enough. It’s gross, but also delicious.

Even if you do veganize your Irish cream, many cherished Irish beers — Guinness, offerings from Beamish & Crawford, Murphy’s Irish Stout, and Smithwick’s products (including Kilkenny) — are not vegan (source: Barnivore), meaning they are brewed with milk or honey, or fined with isinglass (fish bladders), gelatin, or egg.

Before I was a vegan food blogger, I wrote about beer, and finding an appropriate tipple for any occasion is a matter near and dear to my heart, so CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, Irish beer.

For those of you who don’t possess my expert knowledge of malt and hops, Guinness is a stout (“dark beer made using roasted malt or roasted barley, hops, water and yeast”), Harp is a lager (“a type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at low temperatures”), and I’ve included porters, since porters are similar to stouts.

So, here are a few (Seattle-centric) vegan alternatives for St. Patty’s day:

• Ohara’s Celtic Stout or anything else from Carlow brewing (Genuine Irish)
• Pike XXXXXX Stout
• Iron Horse Irish Death
• Rogue Irish Lager
• Deschutes Black Butte Porter
• Sierra Nevada porter or stout
• Elysian Perseus Porter and Dragonstooth Stout
• McMenamin’s Queen Anne has a nitro Irish stout, which I bet is awesome. You could also try the Porter or Terminator Stout at Six Arms.
• Elliott Bay No Doubt Stout
• I’m sure that Big Time will have something fun — they are almost all vegan.

This little list is a start — check Barnivore or write to your local brewery to see whether your favorite stout or porter is vegan. I was disappointed to learn that Georgetown’s porter is not.

And puh-leez: whatever you do, do not just dye regular beer green. Food coloring may be tested on animals (I still use it my old stuff, but am trying to phase it out), and green beer is just tacky.

Also, if you don’t really drink but still want to partake, this Hearty Irish Lager Stew from Vegetarian Times (h/t to Vegan Moxie!) looks amazing.

image by nagzi via creative commons

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