Ahoy, gang! This time, we’re trying a sorghum beer called Redbridge. It’s kind of… well. Meh.
Let us know what you think. And as always…
Peace out, my vegans.
Turning Veganese
I think I'm turning veganese, I really think so.
Monthly Archives: January 2013
365 Organic Lentil Soup
When I go to Whole Foods these days, it’s usually because I’m on the hunt for something very specific that I can’t find anywhere else, or because it’s the most convenient place to go for certain items. Examples include Chicago Diner vegan desserts (which are available in Whole Foods stores throughout the Midwest) or a Field Roast or Tofurky frozen pizza (I want it when I want it). One really nice thing that Whole Foods does is offer coupons that are actually very decent deals. I end up trying new things because I have a coupon. One new thing that I tried recently was 365 Organic Lentil Soup.
I bought a 2-serving size “juice box” style package of the soup. The box isn’t resealable like most other soup boxes I had seen, so I had to split the contents into two containers which equaled two lunches. That was mildly annoying. It would have been nice to keep the box in the fridge at work. I will say that the packaging does have a clever way of being opened that results in zero to minimal mess and easy pouring.
The soup itself tasted OK. One serving size was a perfect lunch portion for me. It had a decent amount of lentils with some carrots and celery in the mix. No extra seasoning was needed. All I had to do was heat it in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. It was a good meal, but nothing spectacular. It’s nothing more or less than what one would expect from a pre-packaged soup. I didn’t pay much attention to the ingredients but I did find myself wondering what preservatives were in there in order for the soup to stay fresh while it was sitting in my pantry for a month.
If these are on sale or I come across another coupon, I will likely buy a box or two. It makes a really easy lunch when I have zero time to cook or prepare anything. It’s also cheaper than buying soup at a restaurant or in the cafe, and that’s if I can even find a vegan soup. When I do have time, and I should really make time, I’ll follow Christie’s lentil soup recipe which looks and tastes much better. Homemade is best! –Melissa
Sunday Bunday!
Ahoy gang! After clipping our bunnies’ nails, we vacuumed their area. We learned Cassie laughs in the face of loud appliances. To that end, you may want to turn down your volume for this.
Have an excellent week, folks. Peace out, my vegans!
Brown Bag Vegan Lunch: Tofu & Tomato Salad
I’m really proud of myself, you guys, because I brought coffee, breakfast, and lunch to work everyday this past week. It’s a huge deal for me because I had grown accustomed to buying coffee and lunch everyday (I would buy coffee or soy lattes twice a day most days) and either skipping breakfast or eating junk from the cafeteria. So, here’s what I know about myself: while I don’t mind leftovers, I don’t want to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner for a week, which is pretty much what happened when I made the pasta bake, and I still had some left after that. In order to keep this up, my challenge will be to prepare and plan ahead so that lunch can be easy and not boring.
One of the lunches I brought this week was a tofu and tomato salad. It took minimal effort, but did require some planning ahead. Here are the ingredients I used:
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
dill (fresh is great but I keep a bottle of Litehouse Freeze-Dried dill which is the next best thing)
salt and pepper to taste
I’d like to note that if I was eating this at home, I would have added some onion, but I didn’t want to offend anyone with my onion breath. Also, hot peppers or red pepper flakes would be a nice addition to this.
First, I had to make sure to press a block of tofu. I put my tofu in the TofuXpress before going to bed one night. Then, the next night, I drained it, cut it into cubes, and put it in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes. Then I mixed in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dill, and salt and pepper. I then placed all of it in my lunch container and put it in the fridge. In the morning, I grabbed the container, put it in my reusable lunch bag, and took it to work. All I had to do when it was lunchtime was grab a fork and chow down!
Not only was this really easy and about as effortless as lunch can be, it was totally vegan, raw, healthy, and a perfectly substantial lunch. It was also a lot cheaper than anything I would have bought for lunch. Yay! –Melissa
Vegan Beer : Spire Mountain Dark and Dry Cider
Ahoy! We’re back again to show you another great vegan and gluten-free drink from our vlog series. In today’s review, Christie and I take a look at Spire Mountain Dark and Dry Cider.
The cider is pretty darn tasty, and worth taking for a spin. Don’t forget, if you have a favorite you would like us to review, or if there is a beverage you would rather get some other fools to try for you, drop us a line!
From Brent and Christie… Peace out, my vegans.
Vegan 30
People often ask me (and I know every other vegan out their is nodding their head when I say this), “No meat, no dairy and no eggs… what do you eat?” I usually answer, “Everything else”. Sometimes I’ll list off a handful of things starting with wine, olives and chocolate. Any veteran vegan knows that in a year of being vegan you eat more different kinds of food than you ever ate as an omnivore.
I was looking around the internet and discovered a few lists like this. I realized that this is an exercise everyone should try. Here’s my list of 25 vegan foods that every carnist should try and in no particular order.
1. Porcini mushrooms, picked fresh and sauteed in vegan butter and garlic
2. Fiddleheads
3. Ramps
4, Fresh lychee, rambutan and longan (possibly in a martini)
5. Cashew cheese (home-made,Punk Rawk Labs or Pure Market Express)
6. Raw, vegan macaroons
7. Vegan channa masala from a good Indian restaurant
8. Vegan pad see ew from a good Thai restaurant
9. Vegan sushi with avocado, sun dried tomato and/or sweet potato tempura.
10. A vegan burrito with all the fixings: soy or lentil chorizo, beans, plantains, cilantro, etc.
11. Vegan lasagna, raw or not with lots of tofu or cashew ricotta
12. Monster fruit
13. Vegan hot chocolate made with soy or almond milk and high quality vegan chocolate and succanat.
13. Zucchini bread from Babycakes NYC
14. Chocolate mousse from Vegan Divas (NYC)
15. Fresh picked cherry tomato and basil leaves… just put one of each in your mouth at once.
16. Vegan sweet potato gnocchi with creamy vegan mushroom sauce
17. Vegan risotto with mushrooms (morels for an extra treat), edamame (or peas if you’ve got soy allergies) and asparagus tips or button mushrooms and butternut squash
18. Fresh baked vegan museli bread (vegan French toast when it gets stale)
19. Guacamole and corn chips
20. A sandwich with spinach, hummus, kalamata olives and sliced cucumber
21. Tempeh or eggplant bacon
22. Marionberries, right off the bush
25. Roasted potatoes with vegan aoili sauce
26. Avocado drizzled with high quality balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with garlic salt.
27. Home made almond milk and cashew cream
28.Vegan cheesecake from the Chicago Diner in Chicago IL or Sublime in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
29. A hot home-made vegan quesadilla with bell pepper, tomato, onion and lots of Daiya
30. A wrap with Pure Market Express gouda, mustard, gala apple, tempeh bacon and spinach.
Okay, now I’m hungry.
This is Christie, singing off!
Spinach Pesto!
Brent and I have been pretty lazy lately and that’s mostly burrito kick since we found gluten-free wraps made from teff. This wasn’t one of those nights.
All you need is the following in your blender.
1 cube of veggie bouillon
juice from a lemon
1/4 cup of hemp hearts (pine nuts work too but hemp is cheaper and more sustainable)
5-6 cloves of garlic (more if you like it spicy)
1 large bunch of spinach (frozen is fine)
1 tsp flake red pepper
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 block of silken tofu (use a cup of dry cashews, soaked overnight if you’ve got a soy allergy)
BLEND! We served ours with pasta that we tossed with chickpeas, sun dried tomato and porcini mushrooms.
It was definitely a worth while experiment because it was tasty and loaded with nutrients.
This is Brent and Christie, signing off!
New Favorites!
I’ve been making more of an effort to bring food from home to work not only to save myself from eating junk but also to save some money. 2013 is no financial joke, you guys! Thankfully, I’ve added a few new items to my list of favorite portable foods.
Okay. So. Stonyfield O’Soy yogurt is not vegan. I realized that their cultures are milk-based after buying it. Ugh. Kind of a buzzkill, but O’Soy yogurt is still a decent alternative to other yogurts (is it just me or does everyone else in the world eat Chobani yogurt?) and definitely more nutritious than donuts or cookies that I find myself eating when I’m starving for a snack. For an actual vegan yogurt that is super delicious, try Amande! Christie uses Amande in a breakfast parfait which you can read about here. I usually add some flax meal and/or granola to my yogurt.
Speaking of granola, our friends at Cascadian Farm sent us a box of their new Berry Cobbler Granola. I love Cascadian Farm granola and go through it really quickly. I usually eat it as a cereal with some soy or almond milk and flax meal. It’s great with bananas or blueberries, too! Now, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the new Berry Cobbler flavor. How would it be different from other granola with cranberries or blueberries in it? I don’t know how they did it, but Cascadian Farm concocted granola that actually tastes very much like berry cobbler!! So good and decadent that I find myself saving it for special days.
Finally, I bought a jar of Biscoff Spread when I saw it for $3.99 at Fresh Farms. I find that it pops up in a lot of my Internet searches for Vegan treats or snacks, but I always felt that it was too expensive to even try, so I snagged it when I saw it for under $5. The spread is made with Biscoff cookies. Right on the jar, they call it out as an alternative to peanut butter. (I personally see it as a non-chocolate vegan alternative to Nutella.) It looks very much like peanut butter, has the same texture and is packaged like peanut butter, but it’s got that unmistakable Biscoff cookie taste. It’s so good on toast! It’s on the sweet side. I wouldn’t recommend eating it with jam or even eating it with fruit. My perspective has definitely changed on the cost: it’s no more expensive than almond butter or “fancy” peanut butter. If I’m feeling adventurous enough, I might try making Biscoff donuts. DELICIOUS!
So, there you have it! These are some of my new favorite products. They’re delicious AND cost-effective and (mostly) vegan. –Melissa
Sunday Bunday!
We asked for willow balls, sticks, wreaths and other willow creations for our bunnies for he holidays because they LOVE to devour willow. Lucky bunnies, we got lots.
I wish I understood why they like it but I’m grateful; bunnies’ teeth grow constantly and they need to chew in order to keep them from growing too long. The other half of this equation is that bunnies need a high fiber diet to ‘keep things moving’. I identify with them in this regard because the increased fiber from vegan living has made my guts happier than they ever have been… even before I developed gluten intolerance.
This is Christie, signing off!
The Other Lazy Vegans: TV Dinner 8
Today we’re going to be talking about shepherd’s pie. This is an easy enough dish to make at home but sometimes you just want to go straight to the eating part of making dinner.
The ingredients were unobjectionable, the nutrition was okay and as usual I wish there was less packaging but it’s a small price to pay for a easy meal.
This particular dish was definitely more flavorful than some of the other dishes we’ve tried. We barely had to do anything to it to get it to taste awesome.
This is Christie and Brent, signing off!
Turning Veganese 