Marty's Flying Vegan Review

Day 4 Native Foods Chicago

2012-03-10T10:21:00.002-08:00

I don't remember but I think it was -12 with the wind chill. It even looks cold in Minneapolis. Hey Minneaoplians, there are places with PALM TREES ya know.

On the ramp in MSP

I woke up not very hungry, well, whaddaya expect after eating 2 sandwiches for dinner? 2 cups of coffee later I was on the crew van and a short hop over to Chicago. Now you might think, "Ohhh, Chicago!! Wow!!" and I sort of think, "Oh, Chicago!! Wow!! I'm an hour away from the airport with traffic on 55 and if my charter passengers finish up an hour early, (oh yes it does happen!), and I'm an hour away from the airport, well, you can see how so NOT well that might turn out." But today we had a 6 hour wait and those are pretty big buffers.

There were a few bowls of fruit left over from the catering so I started my first meal of the day with melon and berries. I know, you can't really call this something that you'd find while traveling but you more than likely can get to any supermarket easier than I can and they of course have precut fruit and veggie bowls in the fruit section.

I sent out a tweet and my friends in ORD land sent me a few suggestions. The Bourgeois Pig was suggested for their amazing vegetarian sandwiches. I decided that today I'd like a 100% vegan restaurant so put them on the back burner for when I'm with a die hard carnivore. Also suggested were Karen's Raw, Chicago Diner and Native Foods. I was looking for something warm, comforting, and not particularly healthy but really wanted to try Karen's Raw. I had tried Karen's Cooked and loved it but for now Raw would have to wait. The Diner and Native Foods were near my copilot's destination and since I had been to the Diner a few times, and didn't think I could control myself knowing they had those malteds, I decided to go the Native Foods route. I also loved what I ate in California so although it wouldn't be a "new" place it would still be good. And it was.

Peeking in through the front door. The place was pretty crowded.

Order here and you get a number for your table. Runners bring out the food.

The condiment table has these nice touches. Chupacabra sauce is very nice and warm! There wasn't much left and I forgot to put it on my
Caribbean Queen because it was so good by itself.

My choice was between the twister, (special of the day as well), and the CQ Burger.

And a buck into the tip jar made $16.80 for lunch. A bit more than eating supermarket frozen meals but worth it and I never
know when I'm going to be at a place I want to review or just starving in my hotel room.

Moist slices of seitan that were grilled up to a nice crisp. Had that perfect char. I did think that the avocado
might have been better in a guac spread as a few times I got big chunks of avocado in my bites. Not bad just a bit incongruous with the
meatiness of the sandwich.

OK, also, see those fries? Do not under any circumstances order them. They are perfect. They are crispy on the outside, not soggy. They are cooked on the inside. They are not too salty, just irresistibly salty. You will finish them and not have enough calories left for dessert. Wait, you're at Native Foods and worried about calories? Duh!

The Iced Tea was sweet but not too. The other two drinks, the lemonade and Watermelon Aqua were way too
sweet for my taste.

This is a hearty sandwich you can sink your teeth into. And I did. A great combination of textures and flavors, a bit
sweet, hot, creamy and hearty.

Lunch being all said and done I used the excuse that my buddy might not have had time to grab some food and ever on the "make a vegan today" mission, which can be a pain in the ass for some but honestly I couldn't care less, I went back to the counter for round two. (OK, I also wanted to try some more stuff!).

For another 20 bucks I was a sport and showed up in the car for the ride back to the airport with SUPPLIES for the trip!!

Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger.

This is sort of funny. I'm not super crazy for fried pickles although there's nothing wrong with them. I gave them over willingly as I knew that after a few more minutes in the box they'd be soggy anyway. Not much difference between vegan fried pickles and the egg batter used in regular ones. I tried one and it was starting in on the soggy scale but had that sweet batter/salty vinegar pickle thing going on.

(I'm fast forwarding a day here. I was at the airport on day 6 and took the inside of the burger, which is a misnomer btw, and nuked it for about a minute. Put it back on the cold bun. I have to tell you it was heavenly. Not a "burger" but the savory tastes of the shaved chicken-y seitan and the hickory smoke of the bacon and the mayo and cheese creaminess were absolutely mind boggling. It is times like these that I wish I was one of Pavlov's dogs and Tanya was standing next to me ringing the bell. This was so delicious, so perfect in your mouth that your mind just doesn't want to stop eating it. Consider this one of my rare raves about food.)

We dove into the chicken wings so the burger is still in my hotel room fridge here in Boston. Waiting.

"Chicken Wings" We both chowed down on these.

Since my compatriot lives outside of Chicago I was impressed when he thought so highly of the wings that he asked for the name and address to pass on to his wife. Every vegan meal eaten is an animal saved even if we don't make vegans.

It is scary how much this looks like the real thing sans bone.

Here are some shots of a truly colorful, artfully decorated casual place.

After a delicious meal we headed East. I know the iPhone camera isn't the best but that red dot is the moonrise.

Finally it started to turn white.

And here's my breakfast, Amy's Breakfast Tofu Scramble. It's one of my favorite pre made frozen meals and as far as ingredients, it's almost entirely unprocessed.

Day 3 on the road

2012-03-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

Off we went to Stop and Shop. My number one goal was Silk coffee creamer. I was running close to empty with the pint I had taken from home on Tuesday. I also picked up a few other things including one of my favorite on the road frozen breakfasts, Amy's Tofu Scramble.

$23 for the spree

In the plane heading out to Minneapolis I scarfed down 2 deli thin sandwiches made with Hickory Tofurky. That's it. No salad, no condiments, nothing. I was starving since it had been almost 6 hours since my burrito. I washed it down with a Naked Green Machine.

Now after a long day putting the airplane to bed in wind chill factor of 12 degrees I began to thaw. Dinner tonight was a deli round with a Boca Chicken Patty, Daiya and stuffed with salad and another sandwich on a Pocket Thin of a Boca Burger with Daiya and greens.

Hot sauce is my savior on the road. I also had a few handfuls of nuts from Meijer, a few carrots and two broccols. (2 broccoli florets).

Someday I would like to talk to the person who is in charge of ordering the refrigerator units for all of the hotels I say at. Kudos to the one who orders them with the little freezer section. Why in the world would you not? My cold pack is reduced to something frozen in the middle about the size of an apricot. Only by leaning it up against the coldest part of the fridge on the back wall did it happen to freeze. Better to have a fridge than not. Better to have a little freezer in your hotel fridge than not. Better to have been born with rich parents in the first place.

Now that I was craving something sweet I ended the day with a PureFit Granola Crunch bar. I stole, (not really), an apple from a basket sitting on the check in counter. I'm sure I'll use that for my sweet tomorrow.

My travels; is it "hard" to eat a vegan diet on the road? Day One

2012-03-08T21:06:00.002-08:00

I do have a couple of posts to catch up on and a testimonial to write but the last 10 days off have been a whirlwind culminating in 2 days of the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival. I was an Emcee for 2 stages on day one and 1 stage for day 2 and got to meet some of my icons in the vegan world. The bummer was I didn't get to see any of the cooking demonstrations from the Natural Gourmet School. Please forgive any inaccuracies as I'm trying to dash this entry off and don't have time to look up spellings. (I hate to do this but this is going to be food blogging on the fly ... so to speak).

Terry Hope Romero, Laura Theodore, Ellen Jaffe Jones, Marisa Miller Wolfson, Brendan Brazier, Dr. Michael Gregor, Rebecca Gilbert, Gena Hamshaw and Matthew Frazier, and Jenny Brown to name more than a handful. Also running around and meeting all the vendors and in a pinch filling in and conducting a Q & A when a scheduling snafu left an empty stage.

I just started my 15 day rotation and in discussing food, (one of a pilot's MAJOR concerns ... I know, you thought it was the safety of flight), with my new copilot, he mentioned that it must be "hard on the road."

This is in response to that statement. I'm going to chronicle my food over the next 15 days. What I ate, how and where I got it. Just to show you that it can be done.

First day was crazy and had a The Simply Bar and a Purefit bar to stave off the hunger as a calm day turned into a scramble to plan a possible recovery flight, (to dash off and save the day when an airplane has a mechanical problem), then go back to plan A, then have a test flight for an airplane that just came out of maintenance thrown into the works, then go back to plan A again and head off to Michigan.

I packed a bag when I left the house. It had an Amy's Breakfast and a Non-Dairy bean burrito, container of Silk coffee creamer, (my lifeblood), 2 half opened packages of Daiya cheese, half a bottle of Maple Farms Fat Free salad dressing, some Primal Strips, vegan jerky, Purefit and The Simply bars, a few small hummus containers and a half pack of Pepperidge Farms Deli Flats, and a bottle of hot sauce. I think. My room didn't have a microwave or fridge and my cooler bag is in the kitchen of the hotel right now.

So last night when I did arrive I heated up one the bean burrito with Daiya in the microwave, had some primal strips, a deli flat with one of the containers of hummus. No eating out.

Today the free breakfast had packets of oatmeal that I wasn't in the mood for, (hoping for some cooked oatmeal), and no fresh fruit. It truly is amazing how crappy we eat. The only thing that wasn't processed or dead was a banana. I had my breakfast burrito with daiya and hot sauce with a few cups of Silk lightened coffee.

There's a Meijer Supermarket across the street so I'm off to see what I can find there. I am scheduled to be back in Teterboro tonight at about 3 in the morning so I'll have access to my car and a Stop and Shop nearby that has a few pretty good options. (No Daiya yet but I asked the dairy manager to see about ordering some. We'll see if that happened).

I went over to the Meijer and it truly is amazing how many vegan options are there. I even found vegan ramen noodles. Here's the pic of my Meijer adventure. Now, how can I fit it all into my cooler bag? One of the tricks I've come across it to ditch the packaging. If something isn't in a soft plastic bag, repackage it.

This Hawaiian Style tofu from Melissa's looked great but was still on the shelf on 3/7. Expired and they didn't have any more.

The first 2 of about 5 freezer sections with mostly veggie/vegan options. Milk and Eggs in Morningstar and Boca. Come on already!

The sign says, "Frozen Meatless Options" It's the first one specifically stating "meatless" I've ever seen.

For Pontiac, Michigan ... well, for anywhere, this is an impressive display of prepared veggie and vegan options.

This whole aisle is international foods. Listen to my walking commentary, not because it's good but because it's my first:

Alright, well, that didn't work.

Soooo, what happens to all of this?

It all smooshes down into this.

$24 and I will probably have to throw some of it out...still not bad for 2 days of eating on the road.

While in Teterboro later in the day, I topped one of the Boca Burgers with Daiya and popped it into the microwave. It was a bit soggy but the Daiya was mmmmm ... Daiya. I realized that the 100 calorie claim on the outside of the package of Arnold pocket thins was deceptive at best. 1/2 of the pocket is 100 calories so I should have stuck with my Pepperidge Farms Deli Thins. Anyway I wolfed this down with a handful of the salad and some of my dressing. I chomped a few carrots and a broc and that was it until we got back from out next trip (at 3am) when I wolfed down an untouched plate of delicious honeydew, a few paltry berries, some cant elope that tasted like potato and sweet and delicious pineapple. That's it for today on the food front.

Day 3 (I think).
We got into the hotel around 4 AM, (now you know why I'm not sure what day this is), and have to be back at the airport at 230pm. I woke up, had 2 cups of coffee with silk, the burrito with Daiya, some hot sauce, (neeeed hotter), and all of the fruit. Total cost for breakfast. Zero.

We're going to make a quick stop at the supermarket as our overnight tonight, (always in theory), is Minneapolis and we may be getting in a bit late to have many restaurant dinner choices.

A Vegan sides with Big Ag?! On this issue, yes!

2012-03-02T10:46:00.003-08:00

I'm going to add this edit to the post right up on the top. I'm still not sure but here's another very valid side of the equation to think about.

My conversation with Dr. Michael Greger:

This weekend I was an Emcee at the New York City Vegetarian Food Festival. I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Dr. Michael Greger. Dr. Greger is the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States and among other things has a website with daily vegan health tips at www.nutritionfacts.org and his own website at www.veganmd.org. Dr. Greger's speaking fees and proceeds from the sale of his DVDS are all donated to charity.

First I'd like to thank Dr. Greger for spending some time with me. In our short conversation his premise was that if we limited the amount of antibiotics that the factory farming meat industry was allowed to administer it would result in several things happening. First the industry would have to change their practices. They now use massive doses of antibiotics to counteract the illnesses resulting from the overcrowded and miserable conditions they force the animals to live under. Limiting the antibiotics would mean they would have to change the hygienics of their facilities or "process" few animals or at least change, in some way, the disease breeding conditions causing the need for such mega-doses. Dr. Greger made the case that the second result of antibiotic restriction would be an increase in price. Price sensitive commodities result in fewer sales. Fewer sales result in fewer animals being killed as demand decreases.

I can see this side of the argument and it has a degree of validity. I'm still of the opinion that the best way to change the world is to make a vegan out of someone who is not. I do this by basically rebutting the objections that people throw out there for eating animals. There is an economic argument for going vegan but it's a hard sell to the mom who needs to feed her family and fast food restaurants are offering a 99 cent menu. If this goes up to $2.00 will people go to Hale and Hearty for a veggie soup? I don't know. Will the person who doesn't shirk at paying $39 per pound of their beef tenderloin really not buy it anymore? Will the person who eats steak just switch to cheaper ground beef? I don't know the answers to these questions but there definitely will be a consumer shift or some sort.

If we continue to allow the big ag industry to pump those poor creatures with as much antibiotics as they desire and we continue to expose the health risks of eating animals, (in addition to the outcry which should ensue from a public health standpoint), will we get people to CHANGE THEIR WAY OF THINKING AND HENCE THEIR DIETS? I think in economic terms that as time goes on manufacturing operations increase in efficiency and economies of scale drive prices lower. Even if meat prices rise in the short term and consumption is reduced, if the reason for a shift away from meat is economic, rather than ethical or health wise, than two factors will result in "consumption equilibrium" returning to where it is now. Long term efficiencies will reduce prices once again and people traditionally over time will make more money and be able to afford higher priced meat. If we encourage people to shift towards a plant based diet because of health reasons, (not to mention environmental concerns or compassion), then no matter what price the animal on the shelf it won't be purchased.

Here's my original post:

A vegan sides with big agriculture.

I recently received this from CREDO Action. Although I do add my name to many of the causes brought up by the organization, I will NOT sign this petition. The disgusting conditions 98% of the animals slaughtered for food endure, (which is why they need megadoses of antibiotics in the first place ... and lets not even talk about the hormone cocktails they're given), is reason enough to stop eating them. Go vegan. Eat more plants and stop worrying about antibiotics in your food. I will not vote to make your animal meal healthier or try and reduce the guilt you may feel in causing a needless death of a sentient being. I'm less worried about the abuse of antibiotics than I am about the abuse, (read killing), of sentient, innocent beings.

Any change in the care taking of animals destined for the dinner table, short of abolishing their use, is a travesty. It allows people to continue to justify eating them and I will not be a party to helping in that justification.

Those justifications really don't matter. They range from such nonsense as, "Well, they had a good life, just one bad day," to justify so called "humane" treatment of farm animals, which in their minds makes the needless killing OK, to "They were put on earth for our benefit," in which case I say that so were the antibiotics put here and those businessmen who over use them for profit put here and the disease which kills your fellow man because we've taken an incredibly effective medical tool, (antibiotics), and diluted it to the point of ineffectiveness, all so you can have a steak or bacon? Are you out of your friggin' minds?

If you're worried about disease then you should listen to Dr. Michael Greger speak about our creation of a world where we are a hair's breath away from pandemics:

http://www.drgreger.org/DVDs/#swineflu

Or read his interview with Kathy Freston about Bird Flu here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/flu-season-factory-farmin_b_410941.html

There is only one solution to reversing this unimaginable course we've set the earth on and that is going vegan. Not reducing antibiotics, not humanely treating animals before they are killed, not giving egg laying hens 4 more inches to live in. No. There are a lot of reasons to not eat animals but if you're worried about the effectiveness of antibiotics, and how much is in your food and whether or not you can trust big ag ... you should do one simple thing. Stop eating animals.

Here's the Credo Action page:

Deadline Tuesday: Stop factory farms from abusing antibiotics

Cephalosporins are a critically important class of antibiotics that are key to treating bacterial meningitis, salmonella, children, and the seriously ill in hospitals.

But factory farms and Big Ag companies are putting the effectiveness of cephalosporins at risk through overuse in livestock.

The FDA is poised to stop this practice at factory farms - but Big Ag is pushing back hard. We have until Tuesday to go on the record in support of new limits to stop factory farms from abusing antibiotics.

Submit a public comment now supporting the FDA's recent decision to limit cephalosporin use in factory farming.

Today, factory farms give cephalosporins to almost all broiler chickens before they hatch, whether they have infections or not. Factory farms also use the drugs large-scale to fight infections in cows and pigs.

In the absence of FDA regulation, this off-label overuse has led to an increase in the development of cephalosporin-resistant bacteria in animal populations.

The links between antibiotic use in factory farming and the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria are clear. So it's simple: the more these drugs are used in animals, the less effective they will be in humans.

And because these drugs are especially important for treating children -- they carry no warnings against pediatric use -- the risk to our kids of cephalosporin-resistant bacteria is significant.

If we want antibiotics to work for us when we need them, we have to to stop their misuse and overuse in farming.

Submit a public comment now supporting the FDA's recent decision to limit cephalosporin use in factory farming.

The FDA plan would limit the use of cephalosporins in food animal production. It's not the first time they've tried to put such a rule in place. An attempt in 2008 failed when the FDA was flooded with comments from veterinarians, farmers and drug companies opposing the ban. We need to make sure that doesn't happen again. The FDA clearly wants to act, but they need to be able to show that thousands of us are behind their actions.

The FDA's new rule against off-label uses of cephalosporin, which bans routine injections of cephalosporins into chicken eggs and large and lengthy dosing in cattle and swine, but allows smaller dosing under veterinary supervision and usage in animals like ducks and rabbits.

It is a small step but an important one, in protecting this class of antibiotics, and putting the brakes on the overuse of antibiotics in factory farming.

If the FDA can successfully regulate cephalosporins, it's a foothold to go after bigger wins, including finalizing a guideline proposed in 2010 focused on putting a stop to the use of antibiotics solely to promote growth or to compensate for animals' unsanitary living conditions.

Thank you for taking action by Tuesday to fight dangerous antibiotic abuse by factory farms.

Vegetarian Restaurant by Hakim North Miami

2012-02-27T12:09:00.001-08:00

I get into Opa Locka airport the other day in North Miami and I'm panicked. I don't know why I'm so afraid of being without food because one look at me and you know I could miss a meal or two. I'm just speaking theoretically here. I don't think I actually have missed a meal. Maybe some suppressed childhood memory of being threatened with having to go to bed without dinner. I dunno.

I'm panicked because I have, ... oh, like 90 minutes. I borrow a crew car and on the way I call up Hakim and order a Seitan Philly Cheese Sub. He originally suggested a Curried "Chicken" with coconut rice. I'd have preferred the entree but one bump and I'm wearing a turmeric tinged 4 stripes on my arm so I went with the sandwich. Less stress. Less drippage.

Nice new sign. No problem figuring out what this place is now!

It was Hakim's 2nd (I think) Anniversary and I was given a piece of vegan (of course) carrot cake. I love starting a meal with dessert. If you die in the middle of the meal you already ate the most important dish.

The carrot cake was moist and ginger-y. It was of course vegan but brought in from another off site bakery. Ah Hakim, it's carrot cake. You can do it!

Now look at this menu. You should click on it to enlarge it because you don't want to miss one mouth watering bit of drool. Oh, not drooling? Imagine this place is around the corner from you.

I am a sucker for patties. I love the veggie patties from Georges Jamaican Bakery in Baldwin NY (off the menu last time I went in there and now, years later, I wonder if they used butter back then).

Here of course I don't have to worry about butter or any other crap in my patty. So I get one of each, (of course). I wasn't a great big fan of the ackee but loved the spinach and potato. (Or is it the other way around?)

I don't remember now which was which but the green one wasn't my favorite. It tasted like very very well cooked greens. The other was a potato based filling.

The bread is the most perfect bread for this sandwich, perfect density to filling shmoosh ratio.
But, it could use a bunch more seitan.

This seitan is heavenly. It is just the right texture; not too dry or too wet. It is just the right amount of moist, not like a matzoh ball), yet firm enough that the bread needs to be held down and the seitan ripped away with your teeth. That and the creaminess of the cheese. And the taste, man this is hearty and delicious.

And yes, I made it back in 90 minutes!

Viitals in Tampa

2012-02-26T13:05:00.003-08:00

I had a few hours in Tampa and borrowed a crew car. Not many choices but Viitals popped up on Happy Cow and I was craving a green smoothie in the worst way. Needed. Kale. Now.

I passed it by the first time as it is located on the backside of the "L" of a strip mall. You have to make a right into the parking lot, (or street) and it's on your right. If you're driving you actually have to look over your right shoulder to see it. It's there, you just have to look. You can't miss the sign though.

There is a whole menu board of smoothies and green drinks on the wall behind the counter. I find it somewhat difficult to make a decision about the slight differences between them as you'll see 2 pictures lower but Evan, (spelled Ivan), helped. First off though the decision to replace kale with spinach was an easy one as he doesn't carry kale.

I did stop short a few times to look at the vegan cake display. I had a hard time focusing. Sugar plum fairies were dancing in my head and sugar spike memories were making me swoon. They looked so good. But green was also on my mind and my body.

Ivan making the goodness. Behind me are about 10 tables. Someone was working on a laptop so I'm assuming there is internet connectivity. The place is bright and happy although wasn't busy enough. Ivan said he was in business for about 6 months so come on TAMPA and support this guy!

Here you can see the different options available. I just decide what I want, then add what's not included. I added my spinach to the Ultragreen. After I read the menu a few times it all sort of blends together.

There are a bunch of different muffins and cupcakes. I applaud the level of labeling. Everything is labeled vegan/gluten free/soy free/etc., and most of the items, (I didn't read all the labels), seemed to be vegan.

These two items also caught my eye. they are "Meal 'Complete'" items and according to Ivan, who is a semi-retired competitive body builder, contains the "correct" balance of carbs, protein, and fat. I was saddened to learn that although he tried a vegan diet it didn't work out for him and he now has added animal protein back into his personal diet. I would have liked to sit down over a beer with him and talk about Brazier and Cheeke and the other bodybuilders who made it work on a vegan diet, to compare what he ate vs what they ate but time was a bit tight and he was, after all, at work.

That being said, I bought one each of the meals.

The green smoothie was thick and rich. It didn't taste "grassy" but had a hint of green garden flavor with the sweetness of the apples balancing it out. I could have downed three of them.

Here's a bit about Viitals on a laminated card that was on one of the tables. I wasn't able to read it all there but it says they are mostly a Vegetarian/Vegan place. I don't know if that means that some of their baked goods contain eggs. I do know that it says all of their baked goods are made in-house from scratch. Bravo on having total control over your ingredients.

After I bid Viitals adieu, I started thinking about restocking my cooler bag for the next few meals. I stopped by a Whole Foods and lo and behold, all the rave, Quorn Vegan Burgers. This of course resulted in the "How come there's cholesterol in vegan burgers?" question and of course Quorn's answer.

I am also in awe of the number of prepared flavored tofu and tempeh options out there. Also, the variety of garden/veggie burgers. Someday, when I retire, and I'm really really hungry, I'll do a taste test.

I think Whole Foods, in their existence as a corporation and with their goal of making money firmly centered in their sights, does some really messed up things as far as selling animals is concerned. I know they are at heart a Supermarket. I still don't like to see "Humanely" raised meat sold there. I do applaud them for their expansive selection of foods on the opposite end of the spectrum, namely vegan options. It's almost guaranteed that if it's vegan, (especially local vegan foods), it's going to be in a Whole Foods somewhere.

I also have to applaud Whole Foods because right next to their "cheese" events which turn my stomach now are ads for RAW foods and the Engine 2 28 day challenge. So while catering to those who haven't changed their diets for compassion, health or environmental reasons they still help to put the thought into peoples heads that there are options out there. If the demand for meat decreases, guess what folks, the size of the butcher counters will shrink. It's a simple supply and demand. That's why I think it's a waste of time to champion welfare causes like "enhanced battery cages" for chickens or "humanely raised meat" for cows. Just put your efforts into making more vegans!

2 days later I finally warmed up the Viitals' Complete Meal. It reminded me of my grandmother's potato kugel, which is like a knish, rather than a light airy soufflé. It was dense and had that green spinach-y veggie flavor. I didn't definitely get the artichoke flavor but truth be told I was famished and wolfed it down without savoring the nuances of the food. I wouldn't say it was great but it certainly was good enough, especially after being carried around for 2 days in my cooler bag with an ice pack and finally ending up being tortured in a hotel microwave in West Palm Beach. I would definitely buy 2 more if my travels bring me through Tampa, or at least give it a try in the store.

I have no idea why these pics didn't come out well but I enjoyed the taste of this "Complete" meal. It was still dense but a bit more crumbly than the spinach and artichoke. I enjoyed the tomato and pepper flavors which were both very present in each bite. Once again, I think perhaps the experience would have been different had these not been schlepped across the country on an ice pack. All in all, I'd say go to Viitals for a smoothie, to talk about protein needs, (or how over protein-ized our country is), competitive body building, or just to grab a vegan cupcake without having to ask 20 questions.

Support a vegan business Tampa!

Whoopsie, it was a misprint; Quorn

2012-02-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

Nothing to make a big bruhaha about. Still, had my heart skip a beat when I first saw it!
Heres the response:

[Thank you for contacting us regarding the nutritional information on the Quorn Vegan Burger packaging.

The value for Cholesterol should be 0mg.

This is an error on the packaging. We will have this amended on the the next print run.

Please know we will mail out coupons with our compliments.

Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to contact us

Assuring you of our best attentions at all times]

Ok, that's it from Quorn but I think maybe when the boxes went to print the weren't giving it their "best attentions," although I never heard that turn of phrase before. I'm going to use it though. I'll probably use a Cockney accent too, "Right Right."

Anyway, I do think this is one of the better tasting burgers. I prefer mine a little heartier and thicker and richer, (and truth be told a little moister), but I've been eating mine in hotel rooms using microwaves and a cold pack in my cooler. Really battlefield, (ok, no bullets are flying but you have to give me road warrior), conditions.

If they're giving out free coupons, ask for one and give them a try.

Quorn Vegan Burger web site.

Love in Steeltown - Loving Hut Pittsburgh

2012-02-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

The timing worked and my good friend was around to pick me up and join me for dinner. He's a great guy but so afraid of this kind of food he stopped at Arby's on the way to get me. Spilled ketchup all over his car in a panic meal but he's come a long way and I'm sure just seeing the stuff made an impression on him. Favorably or not I'm unsure as he's the kind of guy so set in his ways that when we used to fly together I could order exactly what he wanted from the Cracker Barrel menu. It never varied. If I took him to an Indian or Thai he would probably have made the same stop. Some people change slowly. His wife will drag him here. I have hope.

I change when I walk into a vegan restaurant. I do. I really do. I become like a 7 year old at Disneyland when Mickey appears from behind a wall. I become ... quietly ecstatic. Joy emanates from the essence of my being knowing I don't have to asks the litany, the dirge. I can start eating like PacMan through yellow dots immediately. And a buffet, my friends, well, there goes all traces of self control. I don't pile my plates very high but I do turn going back into a long distance aerobic event worthy of becoming a tag team Olympic sport.

I mean, look at this spread. All vegan. All ... never ending.

Each is labeled but really, who cares what it is?

Of course, I ran back to the dessert display case where many of the offerings were from Vegan Treats in Allentown. Is VT making inroads in Pittsburg? What a lucky town and they don't even know it.

I see a peanut butter bomb. Do you?

One of the largest dining rooms of any of the Loving Huts I've been to. Notice the big "L" on the ceiling. Notice that carnivore in the midst of all of those vegans. (I know his name and have his number).

I am literally like a friggin' tourist here, taking pictures next to all the famous landmarks.

To me it's like having an opportunity to hold the Rosetta Stone. Or the 10 Commandments.

I'm telling ya, I'm like a tourist. This is the famous waitress but I can't find the receipt where I wrote her name down. Alyssa? Alaina? I hate when my memory goes. Especially about that landing gear thing.

Thick and rich Mushroom soup with a hint of sweet potato.

Now I'm going to both cheat a little and make life easier for you. I'm going to summarize this meal. There were some hot (spicy) dishes, some fried comfort foods, some classics like Pad Thai and Fried Rice and some with other mock meats in various sauces and veggie combinations. You all know my take on anything fried needing to be awarded first prize in, oh, anything and there were a few fried thing so heaven in my book just went up a notch. Vegan heaven. Fried fake shrimp that tastes like the ocean. There were also Tofu dishes. Most had a very nice blend of flavors, the sweet dishes not being overly clawing and the hot dishes just a gentle heat. Of course I order my Bloody Marys with a shooter of Sirracha so who am I to judge heat. Oh, there was a bottle of Sirracha too now that I think of it. Most dishes had a degree of salt whether that was from Soy Sauce or salt so you'll be thirsty later for sure.
All in all I could have spent another hour there and forced them to pay the chef overtime but at some point you just have to say, "Hey! Put the fork down and slowly move away from the table and no one gets hurt!" So I did.

A chickeny nugget kind of thing and fried shrimpy things.

I mean, like, really, this isn't piled too high. It's piled wide, ok, I'll grant you that. But I only made 3 trips, I promise.
Well, plus soup(s). Oh, and a cupcake and cookie.

Golden Arches, move the hell over. LH is in the house. Now all they need is a drive-thru!

2 kinds of "chicken" nuggets, peppery and salty, a sweet and sour mock meat and some other stuff. I see Pad Thai peeking out from there too.

The only thing I didn't jump up and down about, (but ate non the less), were the buffet desserts. They were ok but nothing like a Vegan Treats dessert. Pay the money, eat the Peanut Butter Bomb, (if you like peanut butter), or anything else they make. It will knock your impression of vegan desserts on it's cardboard flavorless butt!

Quorn's New Vegan Burgers ... where's the beef ... or what?

2012-02-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

Alright, it's a bit out of sequence but in Tampa today I picked up a few things from Whole Foods and while shopping for my Amy's products I found this:

So like, WHOA!!! All the rage right? So like, I pick up a box, there are 4 in the box by the way, and can't wait for dinner tonight. They are a bit small sitting atop Arnolds Deli Multi Grain Sandwich thins, (seems to be vegan), under some Daiya cheese, (seems to be vegan), under a handful of organic mixed greens, (I'd think vegan too, no?), and I'm delighted at the smoky burger-y taste. Since I was old enough to read, or eat cereal, whichever came first, or becoming a vegan, (now I'm not really sure which came first if I throw that in the mix), I have picked up the habit of reading boxes and ingredient lists. And and and I come across this on the Quorn Vegan Burgers box:

Now I am not a nutritionist by license or course of study but I have read more than a shelf load of books about nutrition and diet and agriculture and the food supply and I can't for the life of me figure out what PLANT BASED INGREDIENT CHOLESTEROL CAN COME FROM. (caps off).

So I'm going to write to Quorn but for now my eyebrow is up. (Not a unibrow, just one of them in a skeptical sort of look). If anyone knows the answer to this conundrum, please chime right in.

Marty

Vegan failure is Vegan progress.

2012-02-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

It is rare these days to stay at a major chain hotel property and not have some sort of breakfast spread. They range from minimal to expansive. I don't even check ingredients anymore since there's no likelihood of them coming up with an egg-free waffle mix or dairy free muffin. I cruise right by buffet steam tables where most guests are stuffing themselves on eggs and bacon and biscuits with sausage gravy and my only option is some version of home fries if I want to ask what kind of grease was used in its preparation. My waistline can certainly do without greasy potatoes though.

No, I'm making a beeline to the fruit and oatmeal. Fruit sometime is precut and bagged in a factory somewhere and although isn't fresh it is usually passable. There are also fresh bananas and apples in most places.

I also have come across a place or two that made their oatmeal with milk instead of water so I always ask.

Now if you read any of my posts you know I wouldnt write about breakfast options on the road to merely inform you that you can get mediocre fruit and oatmeal. There's going to be a lesson coming up sooner or later.

I'm in Sarasota, Florida and make it down to breakfast as the second hand sweeps past the closing minute. I figure, "Ahh, what the hell, they'll still have oatmeal."

It is a cafe sort of setting with a Starbucks motif. You know what? They already dumped out the oatmeal. It must have been the first thing. Oh well. The waiter said, "No problem. We can whip some up."
"Awesome," I think, in the most diminutive use of the word.

I go back to the counter several minutes later and the oatmeal tray comes out surrounded by small containers of nuts,(good), dried fruit, (good), brown sugar,(good), and a tiny pitcher of milk, (ohhh, bad). I give the milk back and mumble something about not drinking milk.

So I'm sitting there eating this freshly made oatmeal, thinking about how this must be a different grain than oats as it has a different consistency. I ask the waiter and he says, "Nope, just oatmeal."

Pause, "Really?" I say.

"Yup, just fried up in a little butter to get it going faster and then just water."

Breakfast is over. I know and understand what happened and why. Well, eventually I do. The cook is an older southern lady who wanted to please the customer, wanted to get me my breakfast and did so in the most expeditious way she knew how. And this is probably the way she learned to cook from her mom, and in her mind, it adds a bit of homeyness to the dish, a bit more flavor and in her mind it was all good. Later I talked to the manager of the hotel about how in this day and age, with if nothing else, food allergies are so pervasive that nobody should be changing any recipes for any reason, at least without a customer request or informing them, or asking them. I also mentioned that many more of us out there are eating differently for ethical reasons and how this was rather ... upsetting.

He, (and the waiter), seemed to understand. The manager asked if there was anything he could do. My standard answer is, "Sure, I'd like you to give me the hotel." That hasn't happened yet but I later asked him if he could email the entire company about why what happened and why and how to prevent it from happening again. Although email wasn't an option he told me he'd mention it at the managers meeting he was attending in a few weeks.

This got me thinking, even when you think you know, you don't. Because I do ask if the oatmeal was made with milk. I just didn't today. I did get a thousand points added to my loyalty card as a consolation prize though.

Fast forward a few days to a snowy morning in Pittsburg. No oatmeal at breakfast. The waitress says they can make me some and I ask, "Is it made with milk or butter?" She has a puzzled look on her face.

"No, no milk."

"Are you sure? No milk or butter right?"

"No, they don't make oatmeal with milk or butter."

"Please check."

A half a minute goes by, she comes back and she says, "Nope, no milk or butter."

The oatmeal comes, I take one taste and ask her to go in the kitchen and ask the chef if he used butter.

She comes out and she's blanched. (She's also of color so this was a feat in and of itself). Profusely apologetic. Yes, there was in fact butter used to fry up the oatmeal. She just asked about the milk because she couldn't imagine anyone using butter in oatmeal. Chef comes out and says he's a "Good Ole Southern Boy." I know that this is probably the way he watched his mother cook. He also apologizes for not following the hotel's recipe.

Nonetheless, what do I need to do?

I got a free night out of this one. But really, what do you have to do? This:

Relax.

Take a Zen moment and understand this is what is happening. You tried. You did as much as you could do to follow your ethics. You didn't fail. The system failed. Realize that this will happen as you go through your vegan life. You make every attempt. Most of the time it works. Just be ok with the fact that we are a long way from vegan perfection, a long way from a vegan option at every turn, a long way from a vegan world. If you don't make every morsel you're going to eat you will, one day, eat something you don't want to. Hopefully it won't make you sick even if it sickens you. Keep fighting the good fight, peacefully, conscientiously, consistently. That's how we educate the world. One waiter and chef at a time.

Now the reason is obvious as to why these things happen. They keep putting animal food in places we would never expect. We make assumptions. It's part of the way our minds work. It's a shortcut to not read the label on lets say:

because really, toast and peanut butter, right? This has been my go to airport vending machine since I became vegan. But like the old joke goes, "How many vegans does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" I tuned over the package with my mouth chomping on peanut butter goodness and of course I see:

"MILK"

Huh? Come ONNNNN! Really?

Relax. Another go to food bites the dust but I have my stock of Purefit Bars and The Simply Bar. One step at a time. One day at a time. Breathe, change, and change the world.

Oh, and the answer is two. One vegan to turn the lightbulb and another to read the ingredients.

Marty

Tofu and Seitan thrive in Newark, Delaware at Home Grown Cafe

2012-02-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

While getting familiar with my new office

Perhaps the most fun video game ever conceived.

while in training in Wilmington I like to get over to Home Grown Cafe for a home grown meal. Eating in an efficiency kitchen and trying to cook quick, nutritious meals, while economical, doesn't alleviate the need to sit back and have someone else cook and serve ... at least once during training week.

Home Grown Cafe is perhaps one of the most vegan friendly restaurants I've been in. They really get how easy it is. Just take out the dead animals and put in tofu, portobello, or (Praise the heavens), home-made seitan. Really, what's the big deal world?

Home grown is a casual bar/restaurant a few blocks from the college and has quite a mix of patrons. They have a nice beer list and of course, barnivore.com to the rescue to see which are vegan. I started with a Sierra Nevada Rye IPA which had a flavor you could call bold or certainly present. I am not a beer maven but don't think there's ever a time or place, (work excepted of course), that a beer doesn't fit in and I've disliked very few that I've had. I don't like "thin" or watered down tasting beer and although this wasn't "thick" like a stout it had substance.

In case anyone has a requirement for one of these, the Home Grown has a wall.
Sitting at the bar shooting the entrance and dining tables.

Bar area and dining room beyond.

Sitting at the bar, shooting outside, the other dining room.

What appears to be a sex toy, (did ya just forget to take it with you?), on the bar but is actually the bar menu turned almost sideways.

OK, enough about the interior design, on to the food. First off, a meal just ain't a meal if there isn't an appetizer and I chose the buffalo wings with seitan. It came with a vegan ranch which I wasn't bowled over by. The seitan had crispy crunch on the outside and had a very realistic meaty mouth feel to it. The waiter brought a more spicy Sriracha aioli which was much more to my liking.

Seitan Buffalo Wings with Sriracha aioli

**Boneless “Wings” 9.5
Your choice of breaded fried Chicken or Seitan tossed in our house made Buffalo sauce. Served with carrots, celery & blue cheese dressing.

Next on the hit parade was the entree. I was hankering, (truly a word from Brooklyn if ever there was one), for a good eggplant parm but they are few and far between, most restaurants dipping the eggplant in egg. I had some hopes that this would be the meal but the waiter suggested the tomato sauce had a "canned" taste to it and steered me right back to another seitan dish. I love seitan. Who could argue.

The seitan was once again perfectly fried and crispy/meaty. The sauce was asian inspired with a soy, sweet profile. It was good enough to order again although not good enough ... well, not so unordinary as to dream about. I was totally puzzled by the noodles. They were fried and had a consistency between crispy and just plain hard. There was little if any flavor they brought to the party and eventually the sauce softened them up and they became the starch of the meal but before that I saw no point in eating them.

The beans were perfectly cooked with just the right amount of snap but I thought they also needed a small excursion into the sauce to finish them up.

Crispy noodles, black and white seitan and green beans.

**Black & White 17

Tempura Chicken, Tofu or Seitan

with rice noodles, green beans & an Asian sesame sauce.

The coconut rum cake was excellent but after half I think my palate was intoxicated by the rich thick buttercream-like frosting and the dense flavor punch of the rum cake. The toasted coconut on the top added to the flavor. This should, (of course with me at the table it didn't), serve 3 a nice sized delicious hunk of dessert. Coffee would have been perfect with this but it was too late with a too early wake up call to consider it.

Coconut and Rum cake.

The meal as a whole was solidly north of average but just a tad shy of exceptional, which is where most meals fall if you think about it. That's satisfactory range in my book. I also cut down on the variety by ordering an appetizer and entree with the same protein cooked the same way but both dishes held their own very nicely. It is the way any restaurant should and could do it, offering us vegans a very decent meal with no hassles and no game of 20 questions. (I always recommend verifying that what is put down in front of you is what you ordered when eating in an omni/vegan establishment but the waiter was most definitely a+ in the knowledge and service departments). Next time I will definitely mix it up a bit more despite my love for fried things and seitan. I also plan on doing a lunch of the meatloaf which is also used in the vegan burger and had a nod of approval from the omnivore waiter.

If you're in the Newark/Wilmington area this is a must stop for either lunch or dinner if you want anything more complex than a pita/hummus/babaganoush and is probably 10 or 15 minutes off of route 95. They validate parking so you can park in the municipal lots, (street parking is metered until 1 am if I remember and who wants to run out and put more quarters in the meter every hour?), which are a block or 2 away.

On decisions and Paula Deen

2012-01-24T06:06:00.000-08:00

From my comment on care2.com.

I am never happy to hear of anyone getting bad news, especially about their health. I truly am sorry for Ms. Deen. I'm also sorry about her choices as a very public figure.

As far as I know there is no drug that doesn't have some degree of toxicity. If that's her choice, to take drugs for her diabetes, it's her choice. I personally think it's lazy if she hadn't tried to cure her disease with diet. There are several doctors, which at her income level for sure, that she would have had unfettered access to, who have success with reversing diabetes and heart disease. Ornish, MacDougal, Essylsten, Fuhrman, to name a few. All have cookbooks and plans to take care of yourself with food. Ms. Deen could have made a fortune tweaking recipes of that ilk. If it doesn't work, well, drugs are your last resort, not a first choice. (Just my opinion of course).

Ms. Deen lost a tremendous opportunity to take care of her country, its people, and one of it's major ills. Instead she proved it's all about the money and not doing what's right. The undermining of America comes in many forms. Encouraging personal choices which are not good for anyone except big agriculture and big food manufacturing companies. Something should have clicked after one comes down with the very disease those on the health side of the equation have been shouting warnings about from the mountain tops for years. When it didn't it just goes to bolster a claim of narcissism and denial.

To say it's not possible to change I point to Tyler Florence who although doesn't cook in a healthy manner, seems to be fit and trim and Alton Brown who redesigned his entire diet and made life changes to bring his weight under control. ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/its-not-a-diet/index.html ). No, sorry Ms. Dean, this is a big swing and a miss.

I met Ms. Deen at a NYC book signing. In our brief exchange I told her although I don't cook like her or eat like her I did enjoy her spirit. She said it wasn't about the food but about bringing family together around the table. Unfortunately, with a diagnosis of this magnitude, Ms. Deen's time at her family table will in all likelihood be cut short.

Marty from Marty's Flying Vegan Review
www.martysflyingveganreview.com
@veganpilotmarty

Not bad, Chinese Food in Elkhart, IN

2012-01-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

You can only eat so many boca burgers and salad and microwave only so many Amy's in a hotel room before you need a nice cooked meal. I had nothing to base my decision on since there were not all that many vegan options, i.e., one "vegan friendly" place. That actually means nothing as any steakhouse can be "vegan friendly" by offering a salad, so any omission foods, (meat dishes without the meat), do not vegan friendly make.

So, Jade Garden. It's a tiny place with 4 tables and on this frigid January night, a small space heater. The place was freezing and a couple, (turned out waiting for their take out food), had that little heater pointing right at their table in the corner. It took a few cups of tea to warm up my fingers. There's no vestibule so every time someone came in or left, (and there were about 8 people coming and going with their take out orders), the temperature dropped 30 degrees.

The front door, plastic on the windows, and the heater at my right elbow which you can't see pointing away from me.

I thought the menu had some vegetable soong but apparently there are two restaurants. The other restaurant, I was told, had more tables, a sushi bar, and a regular bar in addition to what appears to be the menu found online. I found out about this after I paid my bill but hopefully among that list of amenities one would have included heat.

Yes, of course I switched tables. So I could study.

I saw one vegetable dish and the waitress couldn't really tell me what was in the sauce but when I asked about chicken stock she said there wasn't any. She then pointed out a dish with tofu and veggies and suggested that so I ordered it very spicy and I confirmed there was no animal products used in its preparation. I asked about brown rice and she asked if I wanted fried rice. I'm not in New York. (I know that was a snobby thing to say but sometimes I think like a snobby New Yorker.) I asked for veggie fried rice and she said there was only scallions in it. It became apparent I wasn't going to get my custom made meal so I just said, "sure," and asked for no egg. I'm surprised I remembered that.

The fried rice was good although not super flavorful and as promised, just had brown and scallions. The tofu dish was nicely spicy but although the waitress later said it was only chili oil it had a tomato-ey, at first thought ketchup-y, taste. Not bad but predicable flavor. The dish had no bok choy but did have fresh and crunchy cooked broccoli and snow peas with a mix of the standard canned water chestnuts and mushrooms. It was a very colorful dish as well. The tofu was deep fried and had a bit of a chewy texture. Not in a bad way but not just pressed and added to soak up the sauce. It wasn't a "healthy" meal although it was vegan as far as I could tell and definitely satisfying and warming when the temp outside, (and inside), plummets.

Next time I'm definitely going to give the other Jade Garden a try. About this one, don't go in the winter if you are going to enjoy a sit down meal.

My mom used to spend this much on dinner ... in 1965. It was a ton of food for 8 bucks.

OK, so of course, at the end of the meal the waitress puts down the requisite fortune cookie and I with typical dopamine infused mindlessness open it up and down it in 2 chomps. The out of curiosity I look at the wrapper. Egg. Egg? Oh yes, apparently the fortune cookie would have just sucked without that uber special ingredient. It's a good thing I truly believe that being vegan is not about perfection. I mentioned it to the waitress in passing and reminded myself that apparently the word "vegan" is from the latin word, "veganeyeballis" which means read the damn labels. If you want to be 100% sure about ingredients never ever eat out or only choose 100% vegan restaurants. Uhm, yeah, that's not going to happen.

It's Getting Better All The Time

2012-01-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

I keep saying that being vegan isn't "hard" it just takes a bit more work. That being said its hard enough being vegan let along traveling as a vegan so I am overjoyed, (well, a little less joyed than "over"), when I see that food businesses in the airports the traveling public uses actually make an effort to fill our needs. I do look forward to the day when 85% of the food available is vegan but with 1% of the population, (3%), we're getting more than 1% of the food choices.

Here's what was available at LaGuardia, B terminal. Its all pre made and I didn't have a chance to hunt for anything that was made fresh on the menus of the restaurants but this is what I came across:

OK, well, that's not it but will someone puhleeease let me know when V-Spot opens up again. Thanks you.
Now:

Here is what I see as I walk onto the B concourse in LaGuardia. All clearly marked with the word, "VEGAN." Now why is it easier to shop in LaGuardia Airport for a vegan meal than in Fairway? Insane.

Couscous, Pad Thai, and Orzo. What's so hard about this?!

Then I get to Midway Airport in Chicago. I have about an hour to wait for the other pilot to arrive so I slowly stroll down the concourse looking for anything hopefully vegan. Then I am hit over the head by "Sprigs." Now if the name isn't enough to make a vegan look twice I don't know what is. Of course there's the usual dead animal fare but those bins on the wall are FULL of greens.

Yelp reviews were mixed and I didn't try anything for lunch but wouldn't it be so nice if the dressings were labeled with things such as "VEGAN"?? So close and yet, here you'd be, playing the 20 questions game.

At least there are more options and at least they're disguised as being more healthy. With a little bit of digging I'm sure there was a vegan option or two.

Safe travels.

Veg News Bahn Mi Recipe

2012-01-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Bahn Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich on French Bread. VegNews just published a recipe from Robin Robertson. I've had really good results from her books and recipes and here are the steps in living color.

The recommendation is to freeze, thaw, and then press the tofu. I don't have time for such nonsense. (Well, ok, there is a rock solid frozen tub of tofu defrosting in my fridge right now but I really really am motivated to just pick up a recipe and cook. I hate when the first thing a recipe says is, "Three days ago you should have started to ... "

The only thing I didn't have in my pantry, (as it were), was a Daikon radish. No problem, 4 blocks away is Fairway market. They had it. Hey, this is New York. I could probably buy a howitzer if I wanted ... at 3 in the morning, so picking up a radish is really no sweat.

As in anything you pickle or marinate it should be done in advance. I gave it about an hour, mixing the carrot and radish, after julienning on a mandolin, about an hour. It was good enough.

Here's the pressed, (unfrozen) tofu just sautéing in peanut oil. (Dr. Fuhrman, avert your eyes). It crisps up slightly to a light light brown.

You sauté the tofu and while this is sizzling away I mixed up the sauce.

Basic asian sauce: soy, hoisin, and sriracha.

Adding the sauce to the tofu. The tofu was cooked in 2 batches.

Now to build the sandwich. Vegan mayo, tofu, scallions, (my touch), and sriracha on the top half of the bread.

Keep building by adding the carrot/daikon layer and throw on some jalapeños for laughs. Actually, these were Roland brand and weren't all that hot.

The finished sandwich. It had to really be held together to keep everything from squirting out. I have to work on the bread resistance factor to the interior smash ration but the taste was phenomenal, sweet, tangy, spicy heat, and fat from the mayo. As you can see I'm terrible with recipes sometimes. I added mayo to both halves and added the forgotten cilantro to the second half of the sandwich. Even better.

Thanks Robin.

Second half with mayo under the sriracha and cilantro.

No vegan pizza near you? No problem!

2012-01-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a tweet pic Kayla Marie @kklamarie

Vegan pizza with seitan pepperoni, veggie sausage, and cashew ricotta. Because my bf is the best.twitpic.com/81vg48 I can't figure out why the pic isn't appearing but the link <--- works.

I had a craving for some real good vegan pizza. I live on the Upper East Side of friggin' Manhattan and not ONE pizzeria has Daiya Cheese or vegan toppings. Unless you want a plain ole veggie pie with just sauce. What's that? Someone called it a Bruschetta! (www.cadryskitchen.com) Perhaps it was in one of her black and white vignettes.

So I ordered a whole wheat pie with veggies. I think I asked for mushrooms, peppers and onions but they also threw on a ton of broccoli and tomatoes. That's ok but if you load up a pizza it starts to steam the stuff on top instead of cooking it with dry heat, especially if it's wet stuff like tomato.

Next it was time to raid the fridge. I had some cheese from Scotland that I wanted to finish up. I got it from Vegan-essentials.com. I wasn't thrilled with it, at almost $6 a pop but wanted to give it a try. It's easier to just walk down to the 3 places within 5 blocks that have Daiya cheese. (OK, so there just MIGHT be an advantage or two to living in Manhattan). I had two kinds of Daiya, the Bute Island Foods Mozzarella and some Smart Deli Pepperoni. I was, so to speak, culinarily armed to the hilt.

Weapons of choice.

I have a stone in the oven and I crank up the broiler and let it run for about 15 minutes. Since this was going to be gloppy and drippy with melted cheese I put it on aluminum foil and tossed that on the stone, hoping to crisp up the bottom. It didn't work. And the Scot cheese didn't melt as well as the Daiya. All that being said, it's not the worst way to get a vegan pizza on New Years Day Eve.

I still am not sure that Kayla's doesn't look better.

Vegan, what's your job?

2012-01-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

I have so much to catch up on from the California trip but this has been on my mind lately and perhaps a bit more important than restaurant reviews. (I know, I know, ya gotta eat.)

I was at a Vegan Drinks in NY the other week and was having a conversation with someone who basically said that, as far as talking to other people about veganism, he didn't do it. His being vegan was, "enough." I told him that I had to somewhat disagree with him.

From my pics and writings you know that if I'm not working and in a uniform I ALWAYS wear something with a vegan-ish message. My tee shirts or buttons are the easiest way to strike up a conversation with someone who either will say, "Harrumph," give me a thumbs up, or just make some comment or other. It doesn't matter what the comment is, they've just opened up the door for me to talk about veganism with a complete stranger. It's rare that someone says, "Hey, I'm a vegan too," but even that will give me the opportunity to talk about what they do and how they participate in the vegan community. Most of the time I hear all of those standard comments that, if you're vegan, you're all too familiar with.

If they tell me about how much steak they hardly eat anymore I'll start talking about how much I eat and asking questions about why they cut down.

If they tell me how they couldn't ever be a vegan I'll tell them about how my grandfather was a butcher and as a kid I worked on the fishing boats in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and thought the same thing at one point in time.

If they tell me about how they have a rescue dog, (I do wear a spay/neuter button on one of my knapsacks ... one of my few single issue buttons), I'll ask them if they ever rescued a pig.

I will start to talk about diet and health, environmental issues and compassion and wherever I get a glimmer or a "Hmmm," I know that that is the direction the conversation will take. I figure I only have a minute or two in random encounters whilst out and about. What's my goal? What's my job?

Well, I figure that the most important thing I can do is the equivalent of moving that first grain of sand under a ship that's run aground. I want to plant, minimally, the smallest of doubt, the first formation of questioning the status quo of food and how we treat animals. I know that the odds of the lightbulb going off in the short time I interact with this stranger are slim to none. (Although recently someone pointed to my "My Food Didn't Scream" button and said in that moment they "got it" ... so it can happen ... like love at first sight). The odds are much greater that I can implant a thought to change the mindlessness of food consumption in that persons life. If I do that and you do that and the next vegan does that who knows if, (not when), the news of the next animal flesh recall or mad cow outbreak headline will finally push this person over the vegan line. I don't know. Perhaps you'll have been the person to move that grain and I'll be the one to add the final push.

I just heard a lecture by Dr. Steven Best. He raises some interesting points that shifted my thought process, (and caused me to get off my butt and write this), about our vegan movement. How much time do we have left if scientists say that by 2050 there will be no fish left in the sea? And there will be 8.9 billion people* to feed. And the polar ice caps will have melted?

His statement that we're not in the 6th century, acting like we have all the time in the world, but the 21st and time is literally working against us, really struck home. China's middle class is about the same size as the entire U.S. population ... and they all want meat. 300 million new meat eaters. If we don't work at making people come over to the vegan side we are definitely going to be losing this war, and this world!

It's in English, subtitled in German.

I think it's a good use of a half hour of your time. I think I'm better able to serve this movement working my job and making a salary and blogging and being an activist than I am sitting in jail for some direct action at this point in my life but you'll have to make your own decisions about what he suggests we ought to be doing.

Our job is to make more vegans. Make a lot more vegans. And do it soon.

Start conversations with anyone the least bit interested in hearing what you have to say. Talk about their health, talk about the environment, talk about compassion and speciesism. One of those will strike a chord. Do it every day. Do it twice a day. We need a groundswell and we need it now.

*http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/longrange2/WorldPop2300final.pdf

Vegan Disney and California Adventure 2011

2011-12-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

Two days in Disneyland and California Adventure gave me ample time to burrow into the ingredient lists in several establishments in both parks in Anaheim, CA.

Some free advertising for Brittany. If you haven't checked out her cooking videos, you should. www.tofuguru.net

OK, on three, everyone put your hands in your pockets ... one ... two ...

I love love love to wear shirts which cause people to either think or ask questions. (I also usually have a button or two. My favorite has become one from For the Animals Sanctuary which just says, "My food didn't scream." It made a vegan the other day when someone read it and made the connection. I kid you not.)

This is from Brittany Robert's website, The Tofu Guru (duh), where she posts what I believe are some of the most entertaining vegan cooking videos on the web. Unless you're into metal. Then you probably should go to the Vegan Black Metal Chef, which is all the rave but I just am not a heavy metal guy, (picture guitar or banjo or banjo mandolin in an old-timey band). One day I will get through it and try the recipes, which I understand are pretty decent.

First off to a few rides on the California Adventure side of things. One of my favorite rides in the world, Soaring Over California is there. If you haven't gone on this ride you should put it on your bucket list. We went twice. Make sure you go to the A side. The B side was so much blurrier. I mean you can see the windows on the buildings as you come over the carrier deck in San Diego in one and on the other ... eh.

California Screamin' which has a full 360 degree loop.

Look, they've put my framed picture up on the wall. Oh, wait, now it's gone. Good thing I took this picture of it. Hey, any ride that goes upside down is one a pilot will go on.

I was amazed at how many more vegan options cropped up since my last visit here but also amazed at where I found the non vegan ingredients. Since we didn't have one meal at a sit-down restaurant, (where I'm told the chef will usually come to your table and talk about your meal), and all of our meals were fast counter service, I asked every cashier for the ingredient list. Once you get the list you have to delve item by item and read to see if anything pops out. Usually allergens are listed at the end so that's where I start. Any milk or dairy will be declared there and you can save your eyes a lot of small print reading. Honey is the ingredient most often not seen as I'm reading as fast as I can, holding up the beginning of a long line, and it's not listed separately in the allergen section.

Most cast members will ask what your allergen is and I just say vegan which sounds sort of like I'm allergic to vegans and the truth is there are very few vegans I'm allergic to. Many more cast members know of or have heard of vegan requirements and I hardly got a strange, "What's that?" look or question. I did get a few, "I don't knows," and a chef asked me about chicken once then did a sort of head slap, "doh", and realized what he said.

After California Screaming we went over to the Wharf and although I know the Lucky Fortune Cookery has tofu and a few vegan sauces, (make sure you get the book as some of those sauces sound vegan but are NOT), I opted for a vegan burrito at Cocina Cucamonga Mexican. (At Disneyland, this can also be obtained at Ranch del Zocalo where many of the exact same menu items are available). Since I messed up and ended up having the exact same thing for dinner the next night, (I just didn't want to wait on the line for the vegan gumbo in Disney Orleans ... although it has always been tasty (if not too salty last time)), there's going to be one less meal to blog about here. I also had very much wanted to get to Hoa Sen, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Garden Grove, just south of Aneheim. Missed it again.

At the Cocina I start Sherlock Holmes-ing "the book". I'm looking for hidden things and lo and behold, almost the last ingredient listed is "whey". (From Wikipedia - Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained.). Ugh. I mean, would the taste of the sauce be so so off that they just had to add it? Did someone in the tasting lab actually dip a spoon in the first batch and think, "Ah, almost perfect but for that drop of whey"?

The red chili sauce is made with chicken stock. I can't for the life of me figure out why these 2 ingredients aren't made vegan but their not. In addition, the guacamole and Pico de Gallo is vegan. Remember to specifically say, "No cheese, sour cream, or sauce," or you'll get it. I forgot. It had to be redone. And it was with NO problem. I always get the feeling the chefs and food service people for the most part, really want to give you exactly what you want and will literally open up the book for you.

One problem I do see recurring all over the country is that when you say, "I'm vegan," it has started to lose its meaning. I do believe its from too many people saying they're vegan and then adding all kinds of animal crap to their food. Don't be surprised when the person taking your order doesn't catch the cheese as not being vegan when you say you want a vegan meal. I'm willing to bet there was a "vegan" who ordered their food with cheese still fresh in their memory. I was guilty of this before I fully crossed the vegan line. It was easier to say vegan plus cheese than query about chicken or beef stock, et al, and then add the non vegan ingredient that was still acceptable to me. Lazy. And now I see that it fueled a big confusion fire that is still burning. So if you're not vegan, please don't use the word vegan when you're ordering food. Please.

Hidden ingredients pop up in rice and beans and I checked or asked about these also. I tend not to take anyone's word for it anymore as I just think people don't realize that a tomato chili sauce is made with chicken stock. Below is an example of the recipe page from one of the books:

Here's what the plate looked like.

Here's what the plate looked like after I slathered it with hot sauce and autopsied the burrito.

The burrito itself is certainly tasty and adequate. The portions are standard American gluttony and of course there was nothing left on my plate. It's just the way I roll. And if I don't stop this I AM going to start to roll. Anyone hear the word resolution in the background?

The dish is unfortunately repetitive. Rice and beans on the outside and rice and beans on the inside with a soft flour tortilla. Inside there are more sautéed vegetables. The rice, (or beans ... I forgot), can be substituted out for more veggies. Throw some hot sauce on the whole shebang and you have a decently satisfying meal.

Also at California Adventure at the Pier is Pacific Wharf Cafe. They are primarily a soup vendor but do have a vegetarian chili. I didn't go through the ingredients for the chili but did ask if there was milk in the bread bowls. There I was given a bag that the breads are packaged in for sale and they do not contain milk. I am making a leap of faith but I'd presume the bread is the same bread used on the Disney side at the Royal Street Veranda to serve the vegan gumbo.

Also on the California Adventure side is a place that prepares picnics. Where there is hope, namely the Mediterranean Vegetarian entree, is so botched from a vegan perspective you'd be paying ... I don't remember, $13?, for raw veggies.

The only thing on this menu was the Mediterranean Vegetarian dish. The hummus and couscous both had non vegan ingredients. I didn't bother asking about the lemon cake. Plus it was expensive and all you can eat is the raw veggies.

Another one of my questions was about the popcorn and butter. In the guest services trailer, (CA is undergoing some renovations and it's a looooong walk all the way around), I asked and the cast member thought there was butter as an ingredient. From this package I don't see any. The question is about the natural flavors. I'll eat anything artificial from cardboard to styrofoam packing peanuts, (Just kidding. No really.), but who knows what's in there. It doesn't have milk listed as an allergen and I'm not sure if butter would have to be listed as such but it didn't say "dairy" either. One of the things I've noticed about my ethical veganism is that I just pass on a lot of food which "might" be vegan and err on the side of not eating it.

Popcorn package.

I'm still never hungry so don't worry about me keeling over anytime soon.

Another place I didn't eat is Award Weiners in California Adventure on the Back Lot. They do have a veggie option, I think it was a cheesesteak without the cheese and it's cooked on a separate area. I didn't do much research. I lied. I just looked it up. Portobello-Mushroom Philly - Grilled Portobello, onions & bell peppers sauteed in amber lager, topped with pepper jack cheese. Served with sliced apples or chips. $6.99
So leave off the cheese. I didn't check the ingredients in the bun though. And you'd have to check the lager on barnivore.com.

So now we're over on the Disney side and I've been thinking about the unlimited skewers someone mentioned along with the words vegetable. I thought they said it was at the Bengal Grill right by the Indiana Jones ride. Well, I couldn't find unlimited veggies anywhere and found out that although the Bengal Grill does have a vegetable skewer, it's cooked on the same grill as the meat. I just wasn't interested. So, even if you're ok with that I suggest you look at the book for the sauces and marinades they use.

But, right next to the Bengal Grill is the River Belle Terrace. I was astounded twice there. First we went through the book for a few of the options and then the ingredients in the options. They have a Vegetable Po Boy that was delicious. Just the right amount of heat to tickle Americas' taste buds but not blow out their lower intestines, a really nice amount of food in the bun, a great mouth feel and a sweet tomato sauce. And yes, they have two breads listed, one is vegan and one is not but they only serve the non vegan one there. Score!

And as a side they have either pasta salad, (not vegan because of mayo), fresh fruit or ... get this ... Freaking Lentil Salad. 2 out of 3 vegan options. In Disneyland. Dudes and Dudettes, we are making strides like Paul Bunyon if we're finding options like this and finding them in the most middle of the road Americana dining.

The beans are vegan also. I should have eaten here twice.

I think this is a meal that from a flavor and texture standpoint is worth putting on your list.

Vegan Police Tee Shirt the next day. It reads, "Vegan Police" and "Until Every Cage is Empty"
That raised an eyebrow or two. Good. It started a few conversations also. Even better.

A few more pics of Disney.

OK, I'm really just a big kid. What better way is there to teach the kids in the front row a bit about joy?

Seasons Greeting at the "It's a Small World" ride.
Maybe I missed it but I didn't see one menorah. Way to go Walt.

Two last things. First, there are many places to buy apples, carrots, pineapple, etc. if you're not in the mood for ingredient archeology, or just want something raw.

Second, one last word to the wise. Since menus change and suppliers change, I'd only use this list as a guide and not gospel. Please ask again to see the books and if you have a quick second, throw a comment up to confirm, verify, or correct. Thanks.

Where does the road that is paved with good intentions lead? CIBO, Flat Top Grill, Martin's and SBN airport

2011-12-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

It's been an interesting couple of days. So many things came across my plate, yes, figuratively speaking too.

My trip took me through Chicago's O'Hare airport. I planned to pick up a Seitan Burrito at CIBO which had previously carried Soul Vegetarian's offerings, (now it's Soul Gourmet). So of course there wasn't a Seitan Burrito there from Soul Vegetarian. They did have many other offerings though. I tried to take a picture to show you, my loyal readers, but here's what happened:

Add caption

As I took the picture of vegan offerings I was approached by this employee who told me that picture taking wasn't allowed and to delete the picture.

I'm just following orders

I have to find a lawyer to ask but in the absence of any kind of sign, in the absence of any kind of National Security Risk, isn't taking pictures in a public place legal? Despite the claim by CIBO executives that this is how they thwart corporate spying?

Hi Marty,

I am writing to you in response to your question regarding our policy on photographs of our products in CIBO Express Gourmet Markets. We do, in fact, have a policy prohibiting pictures taken of our product within our stores. We have had this policy in ORD since we opened almost 4 years ago. It is, unfortunately, to help prevent pictures being taken by our competitors. Yes, that is a very real issue here. Please understand that we do have to maintain that policy for everyone, to be as fair and consistent as possible.

I know you were interested in our vegan offerings - I will be happy to provide with you the contact information of the local vegan company, Soul Gourmet, that is our business partner. I am sure they can provide you with pictures of their products as well company background. I will also be happy to give you information on our other offerings if you would like. I believe since you were here last, we did change our vegan business partner from Soul Vegetarian to Soul Gourmet.

I hope you understand that it is not that we want to lose the opportunity to be a part of your endeavor! Like many things - if we do it for one, we have to do it for all. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me anytime!

Have a SUPERFANTASTIC Day!

Kathy Contreras

Director

CIBO Express Gourmet Markets/OTG Management

I will follow up to get you a complete menu or else I'll just have to buy everything in the store that's vegan including a whole lot of "health" bars and take individual pictures of them.

I did buy the Vegan Eggplant Parmesan and sat at the gate eating it. It most definitely would have been better had I been traveling with a microwave.

If you blow this pic up you can see that the ingredient list is small and the vegan cheese is home made. It's not Daiya or Follow your Heart.

The main ingredient was eggplant and it was nicely seasoned. I ate about half at the gate waiting to board. I'd have liked to taste the "cheese" in it's warmed state and from a consistency standpoint this wasn't all that palate pleasing as I hacked at the contents with my plastic fork. Still, it was nice being able to purchase something vegan without the 20 questions game. Next time I'll try another of their offerings that might be better eaten cold.

Add caption

Next we get to South Bend. I actually had to stop and take a picture of this. It makes me think. It especially makes me think because I'm a pilot. Why do we need a special place in an airport terminal to pray? Isn't praying on Sunday enough to cover you for the week? Does a special "preflight prayer" give you any more insurance against crashing or is it just a good time to reflect on the afterlife? Does praying sort of short circuit me, the pilot, from making mistakes? Yup, makes me wonder. I mean, if you're that scared, there's always Amtrak ... although the hand of a Supreme Being certainly has slapped a few trains off of their tracks too.

Next I'm in Elkhart, Indiana. I scour the internet and come up with two possibilities, both in Mishawaka. The vegan websites say over an over again, "void", "wasteland", and "limited vegan options." Not very positive. You'd think with so many colleges, including the tiny Notre Dame that there'd be a ton of vegan options on Happy Cow. One, "New York Boys Pizza" held out some hopes. Man I could use a slice with Daiya. I call up and I speak to someone who has no clue of what I'm talking about. "We have mozzarella," is the best I get. "Vegan"? No clue. So I remember seeing something about mock meats and do a search and find The Flat Top Grill. I'm amazed and enthralled. Mock meats at a chain restaurant? A do-it-yourself stir fry place? Oh well, they'll throw my stuff on a big grill with the steak and chicken and fish right? Nope, they actually say they prepare the food separately. I'm in awesomeness land. I go.

Looking at the food prep area. The buffet is to the left.

You go down the buffet line and put your stuff in a bowl. Then they put your stuff on a grill in piles. Yuck if you're a vegan right? Nope. Watch ...

But lets start at the beginning.

Brown rice. Yes, brown rice. The noodles you see above are also vegan.

The line of fresh veggies including 5 mock meats, 4 of which are vegan. (Maybe 5 one day now that Quorn has a vegan product).

All of this is freshly prepared.

There are some veggie pre mixes like Pad Thai mix, (shredded carrots and purple cabbage amongst others), and Asian Veggie mix (baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots). There's bok choy in one of those containers. My favorite green veg.

The Veat is vegan although regularly available Veat is not.

After you load up on veggies and mock meat you choose your sauces.

Here's what I dropped off at the cooking station. The wooden stick has my table number and name on it. The white stick is the "add tofu" stick. And the red stick is the "dietary allergy" stick.

Now watch what happens. This impressed even me and you know how jaded and cynical I am, right?

You can't see it but my bowl is isolated just in front and to the left of the chef on a shelf next to the fridge.

He takes a wok and puts it on the burner, not the grill, and then adds water. Or vodka, I'm not sure.

Now what you are seeing, in this amazing split second photo, is my vegan food being tossed into its very own wok ... all by it's lonesome.

And here's what was put down in front of me.

A few other shots of the restaurant and then the review ... and the bad news.

It's amazing to see that in the Heartland of America there is a chain restaurant progressive enough to offer mock meats. I am truly blown away. The veggies cooked up well, for the most part none were overdone, and that's the way you have to cook this kind of thing because you can always eat a veg with a tad of crunch left in it if it's undercooked but can't undo the mush if it's over cooked. The bowl made it hard to eat the little things, like edamame with chop sticks but I'm not too proud of a New Yorker to grab a spoon to put the finishing touches on a consumption episode.

The flavors of the sauces were interesting. I thought they were one dimensional but with so many to choose from they end up being quite complex when you add a few together. I wanted to stick my finger in each one to taste but there were people watching. How do you know what's vegan?

Here:

The bottom row shows a "v" for vegan and all of the sauces are listed on top.

Allergies like gluten free, seafood, peanut, are plainly marked.

Or so you'd think. Ahh. Now the next picture is a list that vegans are supposed to get when identifying as vegan. It plainly states that you can have everything except what's on the list. It even identifies the honey in the Korean BBQ sauce. Some of the ingredients in some of the sauces, (in the secret recipe book that I was given a look at), are listed as other sauces, such as Bulgoggi Sauce and Char Siu sauce. Later, with the manager Gabe, we drilled into the ingredient list. I wasn't given this by my waitress for some reason but I suggested that every vegan be given a laminated card with a printout of this when they sat down.

This is where the restaurant shows every other restaurant how it's done ... or should be. You say, "I'm vegan," and they say, "Here's the list of what you can't eat." I'm not sure it needs to have ice cream and cheese on it because these are obvious to us but it's the hidden stuff that goes into sauces that creates a "gotcha," for us. I suggested they make up laminated cards for us to carry around.

Now here's where the problem occurred. I had asked Phil, an assistant manager what was in the Teriyaki sauce. It was a pretty random request. I had no idea it wasn't mixed in-house like some of the other sauces. Phil brought over the jar and one of the ingredients was anchovies. I'm amazed that with so many things being made in-house they use jarred Teriyaki sauce. I think in it's most basic form it's soy sauce and sugar with maybe some clove, 5 spice, or ginger thrown in. This was a sucker punch. And I had just eaten some. It was explained that they had recently changed suppliers. Well, there needs to be some sort of trigger that when something is changed or substituted it triggers a full and comprehensive review of ingredients. This review would't happen at most restaurants but at The Flat Top Grill, as in others which try very hard to cater to our needs, I expect it. Sadly, it didn't happen.

Gabe later told me the next day, when I went back for a second dinner, that he was going to cover the pre-printed menu board with a blank square where the Teriyaki sauce indicated it was vegan. This was the day after I brought the issue to his attention and it wasn't yet done but I'm sure Gabe did it. He seemed genuinely interested in making sure that we get what we wanted. I was just a little surprised that it wasn't done before my return visit.

Here's a sample of the ingredient list. As you can see, some sauces have other sauces as ingredients and you really have to drill down deeply to get the full list of what's in there. For instance, the second to last sauce, Garlic Sesame Sauce, has Black Bean Garlic Sauce in it so you'd have to check the ingredients in that.

We found that the Bulgoggi sauce was vegan but the Korean BBQ was not as it has Char Siu sauce and that also has honey. I didn't have time to see if there was Char Siu sauce in any other sauces. The Flat Top Grill sauce was vegan as well.

So do we accept these errors? I think we have to. Humans make mistakes. They weren't trying to slide anything by us or get away with anything. They changed a product. I do call them out for taking more than a day to get the change on the menu board made, or put up a label on the Teriyaki sauce that it contains fish, or something.

The real question would be if the ingredient in a new product involved an allergy instead of a moral choice. What if shellfish was an ingredient, or peanuts? Kudos to Flat Top for showing what all restaurants need to do to keep pace with the healthier eating habits this country is heading towards. Kudos for providing info to those of us, for whatever reason, want to know what's in our food. Kudos for giving enough thought to vegans that you are one of the few restaurants to plainly display our food choices. Now all that remains is to tweak the process, develop a checklist for when products or suppliers change, and take care of errors in a more timely fashion and you'll be the leader of the pack.

A second trip to the bar is $2 for dinner or $1 for lunch ... if you're THAT hungry.

The next day for lunch I stopped by Martin's supermarket. I grabbed an organic spring greens mix, (surprising that there were numerous organic options), and some Maple Farms Fat Free Balsamic dressing, (vegan of course), and finished up the salad with a few things from the salad bar. Impressive. Colorful. Healthy and tasty lunch. Inexpensive too.

Leave it to South Bend to show me something I've never seen before. A water fountain specifically designed to fill your sports bottle. Someone please tell me how well, (or poorly), it works as I didn't have an empty, (or full), sports bottle with me at the time. Neat idea though. Very Green.

One last thing that I found in the vegan wasteland of Northern Indiana. At the airport there is a small cafe. There's a Boca Burger listed on the menu sign. I asked and was told, "It's a Boca burger." When I asked which one I was once again told "Boca." I asked, "Is it vegan?" Lo and behold, it's a vegan veggie burger. Now if the airport has a vegan boca burger then I would imagine that there are a few other places where vegan food can be found. We're making inroads almost everywhere, fellow vegans. Kudos to the airport cafe SBN.

Best News of 2011

2011-12-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to the Vegsource article. It's a testament to our hard work, our ceaseless advocacy for the animals and veganism. It's a reward for every time we had to answer the, "Where do you get your protein?" question or respond to the "Animals are put on this earth for us to eat," statement. Over and over again we step up to the plate by our actions and our choices. Over and over again we have to hear, "Well I don't eat much meat," as a response to our use of the word, "Vegan" and we have to take it from there.

Congratulations to each one of us who made someone think about their choices because you know, you changed a few minds this year. And saved more than a few lives of those who can't defend themselves.

Seasons Greetings and best wishes for an activism driven 2012.

Marty

new-poll----there-are-more-vegans-than-vegetarians-and-other-data.html

Cooking Class at Jivamuktea Cafe, NYC

2011-12-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

My job kills me in so many ways. Well, not death killing but exasperation killing. I can't make plans because I'm on call so often and never knowing where I'll be makes it counterintuitive to pay for something when you have no idea if you can be there.

Life becomes last minute. I wanted to attend this cooking class but when I showed up it was all full. Chef Kevin, (also the General Manager), told me that I could sit anywhere and watch but they already divvied up the portions, recipe sheets and menus. This is a combination of my notes while watching and a bit of actual blog posting. Click on the link below to get to Kevin's blog and the complete recipes.

As Kevin made the rounds and served the diners, while passing my table, he poured a glass of the Eggless Nog for me.

Made with Eggless nog: almond milk, vanilla, maple syrup, banana, cardamom, coconut, nutmeg, coconut milk vanilla ice cream, agave. This was like stepping back into the decadent world of old, creamy, vanilla, rich. Oh man. This is a holiday drink. I'm taking him up on the suggestion to add rum. It will have it when I make it tonight!

We talked later about all the dishes. His point was valid to a tee. It's not the turkey or the cream or the actual ingredients but the flavors and seasonings and spices that bring us back to reminisce. One sip of this Nog was all it too to experience an incredible snapback in time.

All of the recipes from the workshop can be found here on Kevin's blog:

Chef Kevin Archer

Now I'm sitting here smelling the onions, garlic, fennel and cumin cooking for the next dish, a Sausage Stuffed Kale.

Tempeh

Onions and garlic

Fennel seeds

Cumin (ground)

Cumin seeds, toast in oil

Paprika (smoked)

Cayenne

Sea salt

Tamari

Olive oil

All wrapped in a lightly steamed Kale leaf. I got to taste everything at the end. It tastes like a crumbled sausage, nutty consistency as you bite into the tempeh, with a soft bite of bitterness. I have found that tempeh can be steamed before use and some of it's bite can be cooked out. I would imagine that some nutrients also get steamed away but this is an option if you don't like that kickback in your flavor profile. I've also read that tempeh is more digestible if you precook it but I have no trouble digesting anything ... that I eat.

Pesto was very thick, almost like a spread, nutty and cheesy.

Quinoa pilaf, used as a stuffing

sautee onions and mushrooms and celery

pecans - toasted

figs black mission but any will do

veg stock

quinoa

mushrooms

onions

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

celery

garlic

rosemary

sage

sea salt

thyme

This was NOT my portion ... although it could have been! Quinoa Stuffing

This smelled like traditional stuffing. You don't need no stinkin' turkey. Celery, sage, and a bite of sweet in the quinoa. I can just see wrapping this around some seitan (roulade) and covering it with a mushroom gravy.

In the center a pumpkin and hemp seed pesto, quinoa stuffing, on top is the chorizo stuffing for the kale leaves, (sans kale leaves of course), and to the right, Brunch the next day oatmeal with cherries.

For dessert there were 2 types of Bark. I didn't get a picture of these as they didn't spend much time on the plate!

Peppermint Bark

cacao in double boiler to melt.

lay on mint while still wet, cool, let harden, add another layer of melted chocolate, chia seeds, cacao nibs, etc.

Goji Berry Bark

99% mix with gogi or mint. still maints bitterness but soft.

maple syrup, coconut oil, cover 1st layer with acai powder. Dries. another layer and add gogi berries.

I didn't taste the bark but that's ok too. I probably lost a 1/4 inch off of my waistline knowing how eating chocolate results in uncontained release of Dopamine into my brain and the uncontained consumption of whatever is put before me.

The next day of course is brunch and with a little bit of leftover oatmeal you can alway thaw out some frozen cherries, (or other fruit) like gogi berries, cranberries or blueberries and pour them on. If the tartness isn't to your liking or you just want to start the day with a sugar high there's always brown sugar, maple syrup or agave.

Enjoy. I did. And Kevin's creations can be enjoyed at the Jivamuktea Cafe on Broadway just south of 14th Street.

Two Boots kicks it through the wickets and SCORES!!

2011-11-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

After a NYC Vegetarian Meetup at The Vault at Pfaffs on Broadway, (history steeped wonderful venue but not exactly what I'd call a vegan friendly menu), I was walking to the train on Bleeker and spotted Two Boots Pizzeria. I heard they were going all Daiya and poked my head in to see. Eureka my friends. Here's what I saw standing up in all it's glory on the glass countertop above the pizzas.

By popular demand. Popular demand. Know we know it worked at least once, where we popular people demanded and the powers that be, listened and acted.

One day signs like these will fly off the printer's shelves faster than they can make them.

I found out later that a slice could be made specifically on request that just had Daiya vegan cheese on it. I'm going to assume that any combination you desire could be made with vegan cheese. I personally think it's a boon for people who are lactose intolerant also and why the Pizza Makers Association of the World hasn't picked up on this and they all don't have big signs saying "We Now Serve Vegan and Lactose Free Cheese" in their windows just baffles me. I've been to a few local places trying to do some outreach and lemme tell you, they're not following in the footsteps of trendsetters like John's of 12th Street, Viva Pizza, Three Brothers and now Two Boots.

The slice came with artichokes, shitake mushrooms, red onion and a criss cross of basil and red pepper pestos.

I enjoyed the slice but I'm not sure how much the artichokes really added to the flavor profile. The mushrooms look and taste like they were sauteed inhouse but the artichokes were more like the canned or jarred variety. The other thing with any pizza slice is that when you load it up it doesn't get that crispy crust but becomes more steamed and soggy-ish (soggier). Next time I'm going to try a slice with less on top.

Daiya is daiya and it's not like there are nuances and different flavors as with the tons of different animal cheeses so that is a baseline wherever you go. I'm so glad a new place picked up on it. I love pizza and the more places with vegan options the better. Thanks Two Boots.

Now lets get some home made seitan in the mix!

Vegan Making Saturday

2011-11-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a whirlwind. First a lecture by Melanie Joy, author of "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows."

It was held at the Universalist Unitarian Congregation in Long Island. The Long Island Vegan Meet up group was also, (entirely?) involved in it's organization. I finally met Jennifer Green who heads up that group. Coincidentally, a friend of mine sent me a Newsday article about her. It mentioned that she works for HSUS. I wish I had known about that before as I'd love to talk to her about some of the things they do. Today however, she and all of the volunteers did a fantastic job of putting on this event.

For a 10 AM lecture it generated about 70 people which was outstanding. I read Melanie's book a while back and it makes a lot of sense to explain why meat eating is so pervasive in our culture. Just like sexism, speciesism, and racism, we look upon our meat eating as a belief system. We don't even give it a second thought and that keeps the belief system alive. She's named it "Carnism."

Melanie takes us flowingly from the innocence of childhood and Old MacDonald through the meat indoctrinated society of factory farming we live in today. How we came from, "Be kind to animals," to "I'd like my steak medium rare."

The presentation was a multimedia one, with short clips of animal cruelty and animal farming, all to help bridge the gap between the "meat" and the "person" it once was.

Melanie explains that on some level we don't want animals to suffer yet have created a belief system that puts it out of our minds. We don't see different things, we see the same things differently and this is how people can stop thinking about death and animal "personhood" whilst chomping down on a double bacon cheeseburger.

She takes us through the 3 justification myths of meat eating:

Its natural

Its normal

Its necessary

and how the agricultural industrial complex and their millions of marketing dollars have turned them from myths to "facts."

Her lecture then turned towards what we can do and integrating our beliefs into our daily actions. If we believe animals have a life that matters to THEM then we can consciously stop eating them, create other solutions to be the change we want to live.

One quote I've used a few times already came from a question about perfection. "Perfection is the enemy of good." We can walk through life with intent and not worry about the few percent that we can't change. I told someone the other night to stop eating the cow. That takes care of 90%. If you make a 90% change that is pretty good and not to worry about how and where animal products end up in foods and products that you don't know about. If you try and avoid and something slips through your net, don't get all tripped up about it. You're not eating the cow.

Afterward there was food put out. Vegan food. How nice not to have to ask. (That of course was after someone pointed out to the event coordinators that when the coffee was put out with cow's milk that might not go over so well with many of the guests. Kudos to whoever ran out and picked up a few containers of Soy Delicious!)

A nice little spread. It was bigger than this pic makes it look.

Various roasted veggie wraps.

2 of these platter were set out.

To show how far vegan meat analogues have come, a platter of (delicious) Field Roast Chipotle sausage.

A plate of Tofurky slices.

How come I don't know where to look on my own iPhone? Melanie Joy (Left...ha!) and Captain Marty

I had agreed to meet up with a parent of my daughter's classmate to partake in the Queens, NY part of the National Protest Against Kill Pounds. Now I'm all against kill pounds. I can talk to you for an hour about single issue campaigns and putting time into protecting one species and not another or one abuse and not another but I had the time and made the commitment and besides again, I had picked up a ton of Vegan Starter pamphlets at the UU Center. If nothing else I thought I'd like to know, speaking about the gap in connecting that we just spoke about, how many of the anti dog and cat protesters aligned with veganism.

I didn't take any pics of the protest. Don't know why I didn't think of it but amazingly, many of the people I talked to were vegans. Everyone I talked to about it was receptive to the discussion and I handed out pamphlets to everyone I talked to. (Passersby too!).

So who knows? Maybe I made a vegan or two.

Then onto the presentation by Jenny Brown of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary at the Jivamuktea Cafe, a part of the Jivamukti Yoga Center on Broadway and 14th Street. First a bit of dinner though. Caesar salad, romaine with croutons. A delicious creamy dressing. It didn't quit get the anchovy taste in there but was a well dressed salad with neither too much or too little dressing. The smoothie was a tart/sour with a tinge of sweet. Well played.

Caesar Salad with bread and tempeh croutons and Green Machine, (Kale, apple celery and of course, a green apple).

Juvamuktea serves healthy food ... and these addictive baked goods.

Jenny is one of the most impassioned people I ever heard talk about animals. She went from A to Z and although she talked for almost two hours it was engrossing. From Descartes, "Animals are mere machines", through "Live your values if you truly are opposed to animal cruelty," she took us through a history of attitudes towards animals.

Jenny spoke about environmental issues, health issues and compassion. She spoke of the animals, how they live in prisons we create, their abilities and intelligences and conditions and how they literally are driven mad. She spoke of many animals, from fish to goats to elephants and cows, giving a synopsis of their miserable lives.

If you can catch her at a speaking engagement, do. She will relight the fire within if you ever feel it waning.

Afterwards I asked her a question that had been on my mind for a long time. "If we have limited resources, why spend them to keep a few hundred animals alive as opposed to spending every dime on vegan outreach?" Her answer surprised me. She spoke of the transition in the minds of people when they see an animal up close and personal for the first time. She talked of the realization that this is a someone, not a something and he or she has a personality, loves to play and relax and clearly shows they have their own reasons for living. Jenny said the sanctuary is a vegan-maker. Ahhh. Grasshopper understands now.

The other thing that impressed me is that Jenny is an abolitionist like myself. She is less interested in making conditions in concentration camp like prisons better for the short miserable lives of the animals than she is in making vegans who won't eat them in the first place. To her I say, "Rock on!"

One of my new heros.

What animals think

2011-11-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

From Mylene's blog, succinct.

Sacred Chow I idolize you, NYC

2011-11-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

After the Marathon orientation was over I wandered aimlessly around the village. It's what many people who are there are doing. Nothing's changed in 40 years and I like it that way. So my wanderings take me past the old "Googies" bar. It looks all slicked out Irish Pub style now but the bar itself looks like it did from back in High School. High School? Maybe I'm not remembering it right. Maybe. Since it is actually "Miller Time" I thought about grabbing a brew for old times sake but really, I didn't want to hassle with Barnivore, (a searchable listing of which beers and wines are vegan), and do a bunch of research at the moment. It's actually quite easy to use, just enter the name of the beverage or click on a letter but I wanted easy-ier. Perhaps another time for reminiscing.

A few doors further south, more importantly, I found Sacred Chow. This place has been on my radar for awhile.

Ever since I got my new Cuisinart Blender I've been shying away from buying smoothies. Besides, I was in a beer mood.

This is the kitchen item I use to make a smoothie (or two) every day. I can't recommend this enough. You can attach the blade to the tumbler and blend, eliminating one extra item to clean. Plus it grinds ice so if you just add a bag of frozen fruit it makes an almost calorie free slushy.

I most definitely had a hankering for kale. A la nutritarian Dr. Fuhrman.

After having that Arepa a few hours ago I was looking for a home made, sit down, comfort food meal. I love sampling in house made seitan. And here it was. BBQ. What a bullseye.

It did seem like so much food but my waitress, (whose name I neglected to get but who was super sweet and helpful), suggested the Souper Hero. $14 for half a hero and side of kale caesar? Done. And a beer. Yes, what goes better with BBQ than a beer. Didn't even have to pull out Barnivore. No questions about chicken broth or other silliness. Just relax and put the mind in a good place.

Sacred Chow is a small place. It wasn't crazy the night I went and there were actually 2 open tables. I would imagine that this place ends up with a line out of the door, (and possibly down to Googies), on a busy night but I was lucky. The tables weren't packed in. I liked the vibe.

The meal surpassed my expectations in both size and flavor. I was truly impressed by a sandwich and a salad. The bread, which in my opinion can make or break a sandwich, was perfectly suited to the consistency of the filling. It had a nice toothiness but neither too hard to cause contents squirt or too soft to fall apart after soaking up the sauce. The seitan was excellent, having just the right amount of "meatinesss" without being rubbery or too soft like a matzoh ball. The onions were cooked to a sweetness and the tomato based BBQ was sweet without being clawing.

The kale salad also was surprisingly better than I had expected. The kale had picked up the flavor of the Caesar dressing and was nicely coated without being drenched. But, but but the croutons were the surprise. Less like tofu cubes and more like thick heavy bread in consistency. My hat is off to the chef on this simple meal that raised the barre.

The best part was that after eating half the food on the plate I was full. I can't imagine how much food a full sandwich and full salad wold have been. I had enough for a meal the next day. I do think I'll be back.

'I Am an Imperfect Vegan'

2011-11-05T07:03:00.001-07:00

This says it all:

"... the best I can do is to consciously exclude as many animal products from my life as is within my control."

It's not about perfection but intent cannot be said often enough.

Marty from Marty's Flying Vegan Review

www.martysnycveggiereview.blogspot.com

@veganpilotmarty
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Drugstores ... Would Hippocrates be proud?

2011-11-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to be selling everything these days. I remember when I first saw a clothes rack in a supermarket and thought, "How odd. Who would eat shirts?"

Before long you'll be able to get your hair cut whilst waiting for an oil change and your hairstylist will also do your dry-cleaning.

New York City has always been the place that has no bedtime. One of the icons here has, as far as I can remember, been the 24 hour Korean grocery store. The moniker comes from the fact that most were started and operated by Korean families and if you have to ask, yes, the one across the street from me also has Kimchee. They are like mini supermarkets with some unusual emphases such as an extensive selection of hot and BBQ sauces and a broad choice of imported beers. The also have a few different kinds of frozen entrees and dumplings and more than a few Amy's products in addition to an actual produce and herb selection. And fresh tofu and sprouts too.

A few years ago the CVS drugstore went to a 24 hour operation. I understand the possibility that you might need toilet paper at 3 in the morning but that begs the question of wouldn't it sort of be too late if you made that discovery at that time? And if you did, at that point, well you probably could put off your purchase until the next morning, no? Anyway, the Korean store sold t.p. but if you really weren't feeling well they also had a whole selection of small packages of over the counter meds so this 24 hr drugstore, (the pharmacy is closed in case that's what you were thinking), never made sense to me.

The last 2 drugstores that opened in my neighborhood had a bad case of steroid addiction. One is over a half block long and the other is the entire ground floor of a high rise building. Both open 24 hours. That's 3 super drug stores in 7 blocks, all having a food section.

I don't know if it's a nationwide inventory or just some marketing guru's idea if what hip (chic) Upper East-siders go for but there was almost a whole freezer case of Amy's Frozen entrees. Yes right next to the emergency bags of spinach and romaine hearts.

Should you buy this? From here? Should this even be in a drugstore?

At least insomniacs now have a healthier (and vegan) choice. Oh wait. My little family owned store had been carrying them for years. So is corporate America going to stomp out the family grocer? By offering health(ier) choices to either the impulse buyers or someone who can't walk across the street to buy food in a food store (well, it IS called convenience food so who WOULD it appeal to?), are we actually going to put small business out of business and ultimately reduce our choices in the long run? Do we support a business like Duane Reade, CVS, or Rite-Aid or Walgreens for diversifying and offering vegan and healthier options (perhaps in neighborhoods where there isnt a Korean store with fresh foods and vegetables) or do we eschew healthier fast and processed foods and buy fresh tofu, sprouts and basil and mint and a few fruits and veggies across the street? I think mega chain drugstores should stick to drugs and Bobby pins in my neighborhood but might be able to break through the food deserts in underserved markets. Yet at premium prices this may not be an option for the low income residents who inhabit those places within a food desert. My question is, "Is this the way we want to change the way America eats, by filling the shelves of our drugstores with high salt, high fat, (although vegan) frozen foods and a bag of lettuce?
Are our priorities to buy vegan? to keep the mom and pop small grocery open? to support vegan business? to support large corporations as they attempt to ride the "VEGANWAVE" to profits?

What do you think?

Palenque Columbian Food truck with vegan options

2011-11-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

For the past six years or so I have volunteered to be a on the medical team at the NYC Marathon. I love it. Its my way of giving back to the community. This year the orientation was at NYU.

One of among 1500 volunteers.

49,000 runners. "Can I take care of that blister, Sir?"

and right outside the building is a food truck.

photo by Nicole G.

I usually don't give food trucks a second glance but I see this:

"Vegan"? Whoaaa.

Now I do a double-take. Not only the vegan word but a vegan section of a menu! I start asking questions and yes, they know not to put butter or cheese if I asked for something vegan. I'm ok with that. I order a Vegan brown rice and flax arepa with Seitan. I added onions and tomatoes, ($2 extra) and 3 sauces; guacamole, vegan chipotle mayo, and cilantro).

How can anyone say vegan food is boring. Just look at these colors!

This was an incredibly flavorful dish. It was standard commercial seitan, a bit on the rubbery/chewey as opposed to fluffy side but not in any sort of off putting way. It had a nice meaty savory flavor. The combination of salt and flavors, spices, cilantro and creaminess of the guacamole sauce came together for a multidimensional flavor. The tomatoes had a cooling offset texture and temperature.

See that fork and knife on the plate? Well, I was eating this on some steps in front of the building and it was a bit cumbersome. I also had no idea if eating it like a taco was the way to go. The arapa itself wasn't pliable enough to fold. I thought it would break and then I'd end up with a mess o' food on my lap. So maybe like a slice of pizza? No, best to cut it and eat it bite by bite.

This is definitely a fast food surprise.

They tweet @palenquefood and I'm going to follow them just to see where they frequent. Unfortunately the web address links to one of the owners of the truck, Angela "nena" Sierra and has nothing about the truck.

Happy Vegan Day Tofu Scramble

2011-11-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Serves 3 to 4

-spray of oil (you can do this entire recipe as a water saute)
-3 med potatoes diced
-2 med onions chopped

-1 red pepper

-Pinch or two of mixed spices to taste (Spice mixture from "Fresh at Home" by Ruth Brown Tal)

-12 baby bello mushrooms, more or less
-chicken seasoning (I used the No Chicken Broth Powder from "The Happy Herbivore" by Lindsay Nixon)

-squirt or two of Braggs Liquid Amino)
-3 bkfst sausages (Vegan Diner by Hasson) or any vegan mock meats, chopped

-2 chard leaves, stems removed (You can use the stems if you remember to chop and add in beginning of recipe. They take longer to cook than the leaves). You can also use any other greens but cooking times may vary ie, Collards a bit longer, spinach almost no time at all. De-stem as appropriate; kale-necessary, spinach, not really).

-block of pressed tofu (I use the Tofu Express). I leave it in the fridge so I always have pressed tofu ready to go. Crumble in a separate bowl and mix with 1 Tbs of Turmeric

-handful of Daiya cheddar

The great thing about a scramble is that you can use anything you have handy. This is more like a suggestion list than a recipe but just think about which vegetables take the longer cooking times, (potatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc), add those first, and think about which ingredients you would eat raw or just warmed up, (tofu, chard, cooked breakfast sausages, processed vegan meats like Lightlife Ham, etc), and add those later. Omit or add whatever your ethics or taste buds, (or the bottom drawer of your fridge happen to contain), dictate.

Heat pan and spray with light dusting of oil.

Add potatoes and saute for a few minutes.

Add onions and peppers. Saute until the onions start to look translucent.
Add water as necessary to prevent burning and to get fond (cooked on bits from the bottom of the pan) mixed into a brothy type liquid. Don't over water or you'll steam everything.

Add mushrooms when mixture has absorbed most of the liquid. Mushrooms have a lot of water.

Add pinch or two of spices. You can use any blend you like. Salt if you like but I suggest you wait until the end as some chicken flavor has salt in it and Braggs is a soy sauce substitute. Speaking of Braggs, give the mixture a squirt or two of Braggs.

Add greens.

When greens are wilted, add tofu and sausage.

When these are warmed through, add the Daiya. Turn off heat and stir until Daiya melts into mixture.

Put in a wrap or soft bread. Soft filling, soft bread. Hard crusty bread with soft filling = filling squirt.

The wrap will hold everything together plus you can add more greens into the wrap.

Hot sauce to your palate's delight.

Activism and Veganism Reconsidered | Vegan Outreach

2011-10-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Activism and Veganism Reconsidered | Vegan Outreach

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Gentle voice of reason and activism

2011-10-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Throughout my journey from a long time pesco vegetarian through vegan activist (and blogger), there was a gentle voice in my ear storytelling, cajoling, rebutting, nudging, and keeping a soft pressure on my logic stream. I thought about what this woman said, how she said it, how I could fit it into my way of thinking. I looked forward to her next podcast with incredible anticipation.

Some bloggers made me feel like a bit of a pariah because I hadn't fully made the transition to veganism, let alone a vegan diet. Not this voice. This voice spoke of compassion and love and justice and equality. This voice read stories that brought tears streaming down my face. I will never get "The Dog's Tale" out of my mind.

There are other things that I find myself telling people. "Don't do nothing just because you can't do everything." Did this phrase keep me from thinking about giving up my vegetarianism at a time that I still ate fish and seafood? Yes. I might not be here had I not heard it and been dissuaded from believing that perfection was the only acceptable way to be.

The voice was a voice of patience. It was almost as if she knew I'd find my way.

I got to personally say, "Thank you," to Colleen over these last 2 days.

Colleen spoke in at the Montclair, NJ Vegan Meetup. After fighting traffic for over 2 hours I arrived with my 12 year old daughter 40 minutes after the talk started . My daughter is an avid baker and now uses Colleen's "Joy of Vegan Baking" as her bible, (followed by Hanna Kaminsky's "Vegan Desserts.") I thought she'd enjoy meeting Colleen since all of her classmates have had the pleasure of eating Colleen's food.

Colleen spoke about choices and where the general public is in their mindset. How they react when confronted, both internal conversations and the things vegan say to them, and a few question and answers about specific situations people have come up against.

Here is a short video clip of Colleen talking about making choices for what to eat for dinner at dinnertime and a few pics of her speaking.

The next night Colleen was giving a presentation on "Animals In The Arts". I don't think anyone knew what to expect but it was a multi media presentation about how animals have both been represented in art including books, paintings and movies.

The venue was the Alexander Gray Gallery on West 26th Street. Co owner David Cabrera welcomed the guests and introduced Colleen.

I hope the next iPhone takes better closeups!

I attempted to list the different areas of the presentation but this is at best an incomplete list of the things that Colleen presented but she did say it would be posted on her website. Me? I've just doubled my Netflix queue and used up all my Nook downloads for this and next year.

Discussion was about how animals were treated in the films ranging from Benji, who was a rescue dog and warmed all of our hearts as kids to a cowboy's love for his horse in Kirk Douglass' most favorite role in, "Lucky are the Brave." The parallel between human to human cruelty and human to animal cruelty was pointed out in "Eyes Without a Face".

The link between the inner good in men who commit horrendous acts of violence and their kindness to animals was also explored in films such as "This Gun for Hire."

And finally, in "The Misfits," Marilyn Monroe's screaming base statement of what those men really were.

Here's the list of films, paintings and writings. This is my list but David sent out a much more comprehensive list you can find here: Colleen's List

--------------------------------

Benji
Umberto d
Lucky are the brave
White Mane
Princesses Monionoke
Parallels of exploitation
Au Hasard Balthazar
Eyes Without A Face
Blood of the Beast
Roald Dahl kiss kiss "pig"
Beyond Lies the Wub Philip Dick
To Serve Man both the story and Twilight Zone episode
Don Lepan and other books
Links of violence
Children's treatment of animals
4 stages of cruelty
Amores Perros
Deer Hunter
Forbidden Games
Killer of Sheep - Soderburgh
You Only Live Once
Tough Guys with a Heart of Gold
Ghost Dog
On the Waterfront
This Gun for Hire
Gun Crazy
Asphalt Jungle
Shawshank Redemption
Ambassadors of compassion
Misfits

This was one of the more interesting presentations I've seen and certainly unique in dealing with Animals and the Arts. As vegans we think about how animals are portrayed and used and abused but I believe this is more of an afterthought. Now Colleen has brought this to the forefront of our minds by pointing out "Here!" and "Look here!" Even as vegans we can drift through our days without focusing on what we see. Sometimes it's just a mist across our vision and we don't realize it's obscured until someone hits the windshield wiper switch. Thanks Colleen. Very eye opening.

A question and answer period followed and Colleen dealt with one of the most disturbing aspects of animals in art. If we use a clip of an animal that was abused in a film to bring to light animal suffering and use, does that come into conflict with our current vegan values and in and of itself constitute animal use?

Alexander Gray summing up and thanking Colleen.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Gentle voice of reason and activism

2011-10-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

Throughout my journey from a long time pesco vegetarian through vegan activist (and blogger), there was a gentle voice in my ear storytelling, cajoling, rebutting, nudging, and keeping a soft pressure on my logic stream. I thought about what this woman said, how she said it, how I could fit it into my way of thinking. I looked forward to her next podcast with incredible anticipation.

Some bloggers made me feel like a bit of a pariah because I hadn't fully made the transition to veganism, let alone a vegan diet. Not this voice. This voice spoke of compassion and love and justice and equality. This voice read stories that brought tears streaming down my face. I will never get "The Dog's Tale" out of my mind.

There are other things that I find myself telling people. "Don't do nothing just because you can't do everything." Did this phrase keep me from thinking about giving up my vegetarianism at a time that I still ate fish and seafood? Yes. I might not be here had I not heard it and been dissuaded from believing that perfection was the only acceptable way to be. "The Myth of the Perfect Vegan," was another podcast that rang so true and helped me believe that whatever I was doing was good enough ... until I could do more.

The voice was a voice of patience. It was almost as if she knew I'd find my way.

I got to personally say, "Thank you," to Colleen over these last 2 days. She is every bit as kind, gracious and generous with her time as you would imagine.

Colleen spoke in at the Montclair, NJ Vegan Meetup. After fighting traffic for over 2 hours I arrived with my 12 year old daughter 40 minutes after the talk started . My daughter is an avid baker and now uses Colleen's "Joy of Vegan Baking" as her bible, (followed by Hanna Kaminsky's "Vegan Desserts.") I thought she'd enjoy meeting Colleen since all of her classmates have had the pleasure of eating Colleen's food.

Colleen spoke about choices and where the general public is in their mindset. How they react when confronted, both internal conversations and the things vegan say to them, and a few question and answers about specific situations people have come up against.

Here is a short video clip of Colleen talking about making choices for what to eat for dinner at dinnertime and a few pics of her speaking.

Then on to the book signing for Colleen's "Vegan 30 Day Challenge." My daughter wanted to start doing more cooking so we bought a copy of "Vegan Table." It has meals organized around full menus and we can't wait to dive into it. Both books were autographed with a smile and Colleen even mentioned how delighted she was to see how used and dog-earred the cookbook was.

I hope the next iPhone takes better closeups!

I attempted to list the different areas of the presentation but this is at best an incomplete list of the things that Colleen presented. She did say it would be posted on her website. Me? I've just doubled my Netflix queue and used up all my Nook downloads for this and next year.

Discussion was about how animals were treated in the films ranging from Benji, who was a rescue dog and warmed all of our hearts as kids to a cowboy's love for his horse in Kirk Douglass' most favorite role in, "Lucky are the Brave." The parallel between human to human cruelty and human to animal cruelty was pointed out in "Eyes Without a Face". Paintings and drawings such as "The 4 Stages of Cruelty," by Hograth depict how cruelty progress from childhood animal abuse to a full circle of cruelty being inflicted back on the human as punishment.

The link between the inner good in men who commit horrendous acts of violence and their kindness to animals was also explored in films such as "This Gun for Hire."

And finally, in "The Misfits," Marilyn Monroe's screaming base statement of what those men really were.

Here's the list of films, paintings and writings.

Benji
Umberto d
Lucky are the brave
White Mane
Princesses Monionoke
Parallels of exploitation
Au Hasard Balthazar
Eyes Without A Face
Blood of the Beast
Roald Dahl kiss kiss "pig"
Beyond Lies the Wub Philip Dick
To Serve Man both the story and Twilight Zone episode
Don Lepan and other books
Links of violence
Children's treatment of animals
4 stages of cruelty
Amores Perros
Deer Hunter
Forbidden Games
Killer of Sheep - Soderburgh
You Only Live Once
Tough Guys with a Heart of Gold
Ghost Dog
On the Waterfront
This Gun for Hire
Gun Crazy
Asphalt Jungle
Shawshank Redemption
Ambassadors of compassion
The Misfits

This was one of the more interesting presentations I've seen and certainly unique in dealing with Animals and the Arts. As vegans we think about how animals are portrayed and used and abused but I believe this is more of an afterthought or if not that than subconscious much of the time. Now Colleen has brought this to the forefront of our minds by pointing out "Here!" and "Look here!" Even as vegans we can drift through our days without focusing on what we see. Sometimes it's just a mist across our vision and we don't realize it's obscured until someone hits the windshield wiper switch. Thanks Colleen. Very eye opening.

Alexander Gray summing up and thanking Colleen.

About titles and police

2011-10-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

The bell curve. Anything in life can be analyzed by it. In this case there are people on one end you will ALWAYS listen to and on the other those you will NEVER listen to. Food choices also have a bell curve. A vegan diet is at one end and I suppose the late Dr. Atkins on the other, but most fall in the middle somewhere. Vegans fall on this curve too but that is by default. Vegans are at one far end. We must realize that many people who aren't vegans also share this space with us. People who aren't vegans but eat a 100% plant based diet stand shoulder to shoulder with us. Vegan police are there too.

Vegans also have a curve all to themselves. How strict we are, where we draw the lines and limits of what we will do in terms of daily decisions. What we will take as medicines, vitamins, and supplements have a bell curve, whether we toss or donate all of our wool and leather or begin a phase in (or out) process has a bell curve. Whether we don't eat animals, animal products, or anything made with an animal product has a bell curve. Most fall in the middle; some will still wear old leather but not buy new, some drill down into ingredient lists with a cutting laser and others eat anything that doesn't list an ingredient from an animal. Arguments about perfection run from the sublime to the ridiculous. "But ... but ... but ... what if a bug was stepped on whilst harvesting that coconut???" Where is the line? What does the label "vegan" really mean?

The line is wherever you decide to draw it as long as you take a step in reducing animal suffering. People change in different ways. Some are cold turkey types and others are phase-it-in types. Some will just give up eating beef and others all animals. Personally I think any shift in thinking for whatever reason results in less animal use ... and that's a good thing. But that doesn't make you a "vegan". It means you've done something good for the animals, the environment and your health but, as has been said a million times, being vegan is more than eating a plant based diet no matter how good shifting towards a plant based might be.

Vegan police have a place and a value. I never would have thought that sugar had animal ingredients used in its manufacture without a vegan police officer telling me that. Now it's my choice if I want to put sugar in my coffee with my soy creamer. Dear Lord, I'm not stirring it with a pork chop! If we all stopped eating sugar made with bone char would we end animal suffering? Would we end the suffering of any animals? Or would we, by suggesting and convincing someone to go vegan at least for one or two meals a week or a meal or two a day, or being vegan before 6 as Bittman suggests, really do more to save a life and reduce the economic demand for animals as food? It's a movement. It's a change. It's not a revolution. 99% of Americans will not one day next week, wake up and identify as vegan or even flip the switch and eat only a non animal diet. Maybe in a few generations or in a hundred years but not tomorrow. Tomorrow we can only hope to help someone move in that direction. When I talk to people I don't set the barre that low. I advocate a vegan life every chance I get. (And I do talk to people about this despite the eye rolling of my family and friends accompanied by audible groans, every chance I get). But it starts with eating less animals. It starts with changing the economic demand for animal flesh foods. Stop eating the steak and there will be no leather to ponder buying. As that market dries up an economic incentive develops to produce warm clothes made from non animal materials. Eventually these will be less and less expensive as economies of scale take hold. Attacking the sugar eating vegan is counterproductive and will do nothing to stop the slaughter of cows. Informing them of this fact might change their consumption of sugar because ethically they don't want to eat anything made using animal products and you might be doing them a favor by telling them that but that is not how we're going to have the most impact regarding the elimination of animal use.

We as advocates also must think about not only our message but our delivery system. Many people, rightly or wrongly, hear how the message is delivered rather than the message itself. Explanations, reminders, gentle coaxing and pervasive discussions work much better over the long term, with most people, than yelling and going all firecracker on them. Just my opinion and experience.

Lets talk a moment about titles since that is what this is ultimately all about. Fish and seafood were my last animal food holdouts. As a pilot I would often find myself without any vegan options on a menu. As a pilot I eat on the road A LOT but my mind wasn't open yet to the salad as a meal or steamed veggies as a meal. (I've come to learn that changing one's palate takes some time and desire). I wanted a MEAL! I wanted everyplace to offer some sort of tofu or seitan or tempeh in a sauce, with ... sustenance! Something I could sink my teeth into. So I ate fish or seafood as a fallback maybe once or twice a month. I was vegan at home. 100%. I was mostly vegan on the road except for these rare situations. I identified as a vegan. I mean hell, I was almost there, right? Well, no. I couldn't do anything but confuse someone by saying I was a vegan who ate fish. That's not a vegan. I started using the word veganesque and that sat well with me for awhile but I have to tell you that when I made the decision to cut out all animal products from my diet and align myself fully with the abolitionist camp it felt GOOD. There was no grey area, no explanations, no defending my position. (Does a clam really feel anything? Should I worry about eating animals that eat their young?) I bought my first pair of vegan shoes and a vegan belt. I thought long and hard about making animals feel better, (animal welfare), or eliminating their use, (abolition), and where I should spend my time, effort and energy. My food blog, Marty's Flying Vegan Review, took on a new meaning to seriously show how with ofttimes no advance preparation one can find pretty good vegan meals all over the world. (Being vegan isn't hard but it does take more effort in our current animal centric environment).

Call yourself vegan-ish, vegan-eseqe, eat mostly a vegan diet, or use any other qualifier that specifically says you aren't vegan if your intent isn't to embrace veganism and all it stands for. Vegan is more about mind set, intent and philosophy. It's not about perfection.

Seasoned Vegan ... Hiding in Harlem, NY

2011-10-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

Life is serendipitous. Look in just the right place at just the right time and you spend the rest of your life with your soulmate. Sliding Doors and all that.

So I was bored and just looking at my iPhone Tweetdeck and I see the menu of the day scroll by. Serendipitous, right? I ask half heartedly where this feast is being served thinking there are a million places I'm NOT going to be this beautiful fall day, ready to file it away for a visit to some distant city, but the answer actually is the one place I AM going to be. (Or could easily take a little detour to). 283 West 118th Street. I'm game. You never know, in New York City, about a neighborhood. Or a particular block. You can find either a diamond in the rough or a blemish in a diamond. As you can see in the picture below this area of New York City has new Co-ops going up and still has blocks of what the quintessential NY is architecturally known for; brownstones. This isn't really Harlem but Morningside Heights. I just liked the Hiding in Harlem title. What goes with Morningside Heights? MMMmmm...?

This "restaurant" is a little subspace inside of a little space called Lee Lee's Bakery. Lee's has it's own, (non vegan) history and a tradition of baking Jewish traditional sweets like rugaluch, and it was a tad disappointing, although I'm trying to limit my sweets to between none and non existent, to not be able to sample Mr. Lee's delicious looking treats.

There is nothing indicating that a vegan establishment lives here. You just gotta know.

You have to force your eyes away from the sweets and 90 degrees to your right is a hot counter manned by Aaron, the chef/owner's son. About 10 items await your selection and there is a standup menu board at the ready to confound and befuddle you. I wanted it all.

Aaron is dishing out the comfort on a plate. Mom was out and didn't get back before I left so I owe her a picture.

Different days have different themes and this was Soul Saturday. Others are Fish Friday and Italian Night. All vegan. I got the XXLarge plate for 15 bucks plus an extra side for 4. XXL. It sort of sounds like I'm just a fat man buying a shirt. I'd work on those names a bit.

I had a taste of the Lemon Crispy Nugget and although I could see chowing down on 6 or 20 of them with a side of fries I opted for the more sauced items. I just like to sample the work of the chef and a fried nugget turns my brain into a caveman in a bite and a chew but breading something and frying it can't come close to showing off the chef's mastery of flavor profiles.

Open only on Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, and Sunday, there are 5 menus. The website says 12-7PM.

I had work to do at home so got everything to go which seems to be the way everyone who stopped by chose to consume their food. There are also only 2 tables in a corner of the small bakery so finding a park bench or kitchen table to eat on might be a good plan. You always lose a point or two when something goes into a "to go" container but this meal lost none of it's flavor. Soul Saturday was a tin filled with most amazing southern comfort foods.

From the top: Yams with raisins and coconut, Collards, BBQ Ribs, Steamed Chicken, Mac and Cheese and a lone corn muffin.

The corn muffin had a delicious sweet corn taste but the sides were a bit chewy. The collards were well cooked. I don't know how you can have a hot table with some items and have them not continually cook but the greens were no worse for the wear were definitely well cooked. I found the predominant flavor to be salty and slightly bitter.

On to the ribs. The protein itself has a sort of nutty-ish texture to it, almost as if you ground up tempeh and put it back together and less like the meat it was meant to replicate. But ... it was slathered in a sweet and smokey BBQ sauce. Less tomatoey and more molasses-y and sweet and thick. I was so hoping to have a BBQ just like this as I was getting a lot of tomato based BBQ sauces of late. It reminded me of back in the day. All it was missing was a bone and I don't like bones in my food anymore so it lacked nothing. But ... there was only 1 and I think that's less than a portion. Aaron and I were talking about this and that and the other things in life so perhaps he just forgot a piece or two. There were 3 chicken "thigh" sort of pieces and they did have a bone in them. Well, a stick anyway. Although Aaron said it wasn't from May Wah I've seen this kind of protein around. It's a meaty protein with a touch of sweet and was simmered in a delicious savory stew. You just pick up the piece by the stick and bite into the soft meat. It gently pulls away from the stick.

The Mac and "Cheese" gets its own paragraph. I can describe this side dish in one word. ILLEGAL. This is so creamy and cheesy if it's not it should be because I think this stuff has to be damn near addicting. Mac in a mac should, IMHO, be soft and very far from al dente. It should be bathed in a cheese sauce with a tinge of sharpness and a supporting tone of sweet and this was all that. If living without cheese is keeping you from being a vegan then you should come here and eat this so I don't have to listen to that stupid excuse anymore. Balls!

The Baked Yams with Raisins and Coconut were my number two choice. The texture of the yams were perfect and I, once again, don't know how you do this on a steam table but they were cooked with just a bit of tooth left in them yet soft enough to mush with your tongue. The sweet flavor was either maple or brown sugar, (I kept going back and forth), and combined with the coconut and raisins reminded me of a dish I used to have as a kid called candied sweet potatoes.

I mostly eat salads and fruits these days in my Dr. Fuhrman Nutritarian vegan diet of unprocessed foods but this is definitely a place where, for $15 you can compassionately ~~cheat~~ feast like a vegan king.

If you're in the neighborhood, (or not), you should find a way to stop by Lee Lee's and pick up a meal from Seasoned Vegan. I only had one day of menu items and look forward to dropping in for their other themes.

Chicago Diner, Chicago, IL

2011-10-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Chicago Diner. What can I say about it that hasn't already been said before. I usually fly into Midway and on a good day it's about a 30-40ish minute drive. This wasn't a good day. It took almost an hour. Yikes. I hope nobody back at the ranch was waiting for the crew car to get back.

The guy I was flying with today is one of the more open minded when it comes to food. Vegan at home and flex on the road. This is the place to bring people to PROVE you can do it without meat. And they did. When all was said and done, the comment I got was, "I'd drive an hour to eat here again." What else can a Vegan, (well, they do serve cheese, dairy and eggs but I think of it as one of those places that actually take you seriously when you say, "I'm a vegan."), establishment ask for when they put out a plate of food.

No, I mean really. It wasn't food that was just edible. It wasn't food that was alright enough to eat but tasted "vegan" or "fake" or "nyeh..." It was good enough to come back for. It's not healthy food. It's diner comfort food. It's not what I'll be eating on any kind of regular basis but man, when you need a dose of good food bad for you this is the place to find yourself.

Psyching myself up. There's an eating mission on the other side of that door.

Avert your eyes!!! These next two pictures are VEGAN OBSCENITIES!!! Take the children from the room right now. And you skinny vegans, my God, get the sunglasses on right now. I've intentionally scrolled this down so you won't be tempted to look. Or, well, you'll be tempted to look. Fine. I warned you. Go ahead in all your gluttonous glory.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake

A better shot of 15,000 calories. Delicious calories to be sure.

Now I'm saying this up front. I didn't order this and I didn't drink it but I had a small taste of heaven with that spoon sitting on the table. I do believe it's possible to live on these. Put this on your bucket list.

We ordered 2 sandwiches and split them. Each came with a side of wings, one BBQ and one Buffalo. The wings, when hot, were like meat falling off the bone. Tender, soft, perfect texture. As they cooled they got a bit tougher and chewier but there were only 2 left that we didn't eat. The Buffalo had a bit of heat but nothing mindblowing, just a reminder that they were from Buffalo and winter was coming. The BBQ was a sweet, wet sauce.

BBQ wings and Philly Cheese Steak

In addition to the sweet onions and soft peppers and the creaminess of the cheese the seitan had a nice seared crust to it adding to the texture mix.

PHILLY“STEAK” 9.50 Roast beef style seitan, with sauteed peppers & onions, melted cheeze on a toasted hoagie.

THE RADICAL REUBENTM 10.50 Corned “beef” seitan, grilled onions, peppers, sauerkraut, vegan Thousand Island & cheeze, on marbled rye.

The Radical Reuben has a soft rye/pumpernickel bread and comes scarily close to the (memory) of the real thing. It's a softer seitan, one that seems to have been braised for hours to soften and flavor it with salt and pepper corning, the crunch of the sauerkraut and the creaminess of the dressing come together to satisfy the deepest recesses of the NY Deli memories in my brain.

2 different sides of Kale. We both preferred the cold Kale Salad to the right. Bursting with flavor as opposed to the "Flashed Greens" cooked Kale which was sort of just ... cooked.

Not a bad price for all this food. Now if only there wasn't so much traffic from Midway to Halston St. we could do this on a day when we had less than 8 hours to kill. This truly is a place to bring carnivores, (or anyone who appreciates a really outstanding diner comfort food meal), to eat.

Austin, Texas, vegan food truck autobahn

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is a long one folks. There are 3 places in this post: Counter Culture, Conscious Cravings, and the Vegan Yacht.

I have looked forward to a night in Austin ever since the Food Network did that special on Vegans. Or was it vegetarians. And I looked up vegan Austin and saw choice after choice after choice. My facebook buddies at Engine 2 diet and Molly at Lonestarplate helped pick out a few places.

We started at Counter Culture for dinner. I was traveling with a new crewmember whose dietary inclinations I hadn't been able to nail down but I got the "If it's good I'll eat it," vibe. I was actually surprised, coming from NYC and basically having either hot dog cart sized food vendors or mega Taco Trucks, (Yeah, like on the Great American Food Truck Race), when I almost drove by this small sky blue trailer. (You will always be in my heart Seabirds).

It sort of blended into the background as I was driving though an unfamiliar area.

I do love the name. Aren't all of us vegans a bit counter?

The menu isn't very extensive. I was torn between my all time favorite of Philly Cheese Steak and something I hadn't had before.

The grill is right by the window which I thought was mega cool.

Always looking to pick up a pointer or two by watching a chef. Now all I need is a flattop in my kitchen.

There were only 5 sandwiches on the menu and in the spirit of taking one for the team I got both of the ones that caught my eye. Molly met us there and although she had already eaten, joined us in conversation at the darkening table when the food was ready.

Darkness descended way too quickly and half the lights weren't working so the food started to meld into the darkness of night.

There were things I liked and didn't like about each sandwich. First, I love a sandwich. I thought this bread was a tad on the dry side and as such sort of pushed the insides out with each bite. I loved the seitan. It had a nice rich flavor and texturally was something to sink your teeth into. I have to say though, that for a Philly Cheese Steak, it missed the mark. Seitan in that sandwich should be sliced thin, almost shaved, and this was thick slabs. It was good but not a Philly Cheese steak kind of consistency. Also, the cashew cream "cheese". It was tasty unto itself but didn't mimic the stringy cheesy-ness of the original sandwich. The peppers and onions were sauteed to the perfect melt in your mouth texture. Put this on a baguette style bread and swap over to Follow Your Heart or Daiya and I think the sandwich would rock.

Philly Seitan Sandwich

Now the Jackfruit. Ah Jackfruit. I've never had jackfruit before so when I heard it was a close imitation of pulled pork I was all in. Once again, the bread was perhaps really fresh earlier in the day and this was closing time, but I thought it was a little drier than I'd have liked. As for the main ingredient, I wasn't impressed. The jackfruit was canned and perhaps it needed a bit more washing but it had that "canny" or briny taste that canned water chestnuts or canned bamboo pick up. The BBQ sauce had a piquant tone to it and with the pickles shifted away a bit from the classic pulled pork taste but was good. It didn't cover up the tinny-ness of the fruit though. Texturally it was interesting. There was plenty of stringy-ness but also had small pieces of a more fruit texture.

I went out and bought 4 cans and jars of jackfruit just to see what it's like in it's initial form. Stay tuned.

Jackfruit.

The sandwiches both had a very nice presentation.

What we ordered that I don't unfortunately have a picture of was the raw Chocolate Mint Cheesecake. This rocked. If Molly wasn't there, and if I was the one who ordered it, I would have scarfed the whole thing down, uncontrollably. The mint was a soft undertone for the chocolate and the consistency was exactly like cheesecake except it had little cocoa nibs which made it more like a chunky cheesecake. I'm not sure about the nibishy thing but all in all this one is a keeper.

Monkey Wrench Books.

Right next door to Counter Culture is the Monkey Wrench Bookstore. I am reading "Green is the New Red" and Molly said the bookstore was mentioned as a place where activism and organizing had taken place in the past. I would have liked to have gone in but it was, of course, closed early that night.

The next day we had an afternoon departure. I really wanted to hit the Vegan Yacht. I pulled out Happy Cow and looked up the Yacht but the hours listed said they opened at 3PM. I thought about how nice it would be to sleep late every day and go to bed at the crack of dawn but set our course for Conscious Cravings, also highly recommended.

Austin has these little food truck "courts." I don't know if they're permanent or trucks come and go but Conscious Cravings was in the back of this little enclave.

Conscious Cravings isn't vegan but everything can be made vegan. There is always a little worry in the back of my mind at places like this but as far as I could tell everything came out as I had ordered.

More the size of a food truck than Counter Culture but less to see of the production side of things.

Wasn't Lucy filmed in one of these? She was preparing lunch while Desi drove. This is a non vegan seafood truck right next to Conscious Cravings. Although this trailer had a fairly steady stream of customers, there was another trailer which was closed and another trailer serving steaks didn't have one customer while we were there. Apparently vegan is the reason to head over here!

Just to get going I ordered the Mango smoothie. Not much to say about a smoothie except it had a nice balance of fruit and sweet, nothing overpowering.

Mango Sorbet, fruit juice, banana, and mango. for $3.50

Since we both were ready to chow down, the fries were our appetizer. I thought they were ok, nothing special. There was a hint of rosemary but it didn't seem to become evident until the bottom of the bag where there was a much higher ratio of rosemary leaves to fries.

Rosemary Baked Fries $2.00

The menu is mostly hot wraps and we chose 3 to split. I'm going to say that if these were all hero/hoagie/submarine sandwiches, (depending on where you are in the country), they would have been a notch higher in my culinary book but all three were excellent.

These bags reminded me of how Chinese Spare Ribs use to come. What's in these is much much better.

The young lady working the window took our wraps back and put them in individual containers after cutting them in half after she heard we were going to share them. I like when people are attuned to the needs of their customers.

It's sort of unimpressive just sitting there in it's little box. Wait.

The first wrap was the Spicy Chickpea Wrap. (All of these had the whole wheat tortilla and all of the wraps were $5.00. How can you go wrong? You can also substitute the wrap for a bed of quinoa). This was a nice fusion of Indian food in a wrap. It was spicy but the heat level was a comfortable warm, nothing killer, and blended so well with all the ingredients. A bit messy to eat, stop whining, just grab a knife and fork or a few napkins.

Spicy Chickpea Wrap Tender chickpeas simmered in Indian spices, snuggled on a bed of

lettuce, onion and tomatoes and wrapped with a scrumptious green sauce.

The second wrap was highly recommended (and I highly recommend it as well!), and although didn't have near the spice as the first wrap had a nice flavor. The description said refreshing and I concur. Without better words to describe the sauce, it was green, clean and crisp and ... refreshing.

Chimichurri Seitan Grilled wheat protein in a refreshing green chimichurri sauce mixed with fresh lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Choice of dairy or vegan Daiya cheese.

The last wrap was the BBQ and it was a thicker sauce than was found the previous night. The seitan in both sandwiches was breaded and fried and cooked to a melt in your mouth chewiness. The BBQ sauce also had a bit of heat and I thought it was just the right blend of tomato, spice and heat.

BBQ Seitan Homemade wheat protein nuggets grilled and smothered in an agave-ginger barbecue sauce. Served with lettuce and sliced red onion.

I got a side order of the quinoa rice pilaf, (no picture), and in all probability we should have gotten at least one of the meals on this instead of the wrap. It was light, fluffy, and although didn't pack a powerhouse of taste, it's the canvas to the rest of the dish.

Now although Happy Cow said it was closed, I just wanted to see where the Vegan Yacht was. We drove by and lo and behold, it was open. I mentioned that their website said they weren't open until 3PM and boy did I get some rearing back on some haunches. "It's not OUR website!!" was the sort of reply I got. Now guys, (and girl), I'm just saying here. "We told Happy Cow a million times that that was wrong!!" I get it but why are you making me feel like you're giving me the cold shoulder here? I want to give you my money. Pretend to be nice, ok? Then again it started to rain almost as soon as we got there so maybe the whole world was in a pissy mood.

Still I was glad to have made it here. Like one of those places I have on an unconscious mecca list. Even though I didn't get the warm fuzzies from the staff? owners? whatever?
I did want to sample their food and figured it would be a decent meal after a few hours at 37,000 feet.

(I even struck up a conversation with about 6 patrons of the other food vendors in this circle of food carts in this unique small trailer park and opened up my sandwiches to sell them on the "vegan food looks great" concept. I hope they were greeted with a tad more of a welcome than I was should they venture into the vegan waters the yacht sails on).

Extensive menu with a big "X" though some tasty sounding items.

LOOK HERE HAPPY COW!!!

Both of these sandwiches were outstanding. The ciabatta was soft on the inside and toothy on the crust. The lettuce, although it looks like it dominates the sandwich, added just the right amount of green crunch. The field roast has a delicious savory flavor and with the veganaise adding a creamy touch of fat, the olives in the bread a touch of salt, the tomato a touch of cool, and the cranberry a touch of sweet it was a perfect storm of flavor (notice the nautical weather reference here), and texture.

the leftovers-organic olive ciabatta… one side vegenaise! one side cranberry! grilled slices of field roast! organic lettuce and tomato! everyday is a holiday once again and we are all going to be ok.

The Mock Chick'n sandwich had a bit more of the "healthy" sprouty flavor. I would suggest, (without getting my head torn off), that the carrots got a little in the way of eating the sandwich and also was fighting for attention with the chick'n salad. Cut them down to a mere few as an afterthought and this sandwich, for a cold sandwich, inches towards the top of the charts.

mock chick’n sammie-our mouth watering mock chick’n salad (tvp) with organic green leaf lettuce and organic tomato slices atop with a vegenaise coated organic olive ciabatta bread holding it all together.

Austin has an absolutely amazing selection of inexpensive vegan offerings. One of the 6 patrons eating in the rain, although admitted he wasn't vegan, suggested Beets as a more upscale place.

These places are all great for a quick bite or pickup for a trip but I look forward to sampling much more of what Vegan Austin has to offer.

New Blog Picture

2011-09-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

While in Raleigh for a few hours I met my friend Helen who took this picture. Well, it is sort of a nice picture so I jokingly said, "Maybe the next blog picture." Hmmm. So what do you think? Do you like the sunset behind the plane in New Orleans (the current picture) or this one?

Evil Evil Foodswings, get thee in my belly before I leave Brooklyn.

2011-09-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Foodswings, it's black veneer clearly designed by the devil himself with a menu put together by the very same Satanic forces of evil. Like the mythical Isle of Lesbos, Foodswings calls to me, forcing me to alter my course into the vegan dietary shoals. I hit hard and boy am I aground.

Part of why I am a vegan is of course for my health. There's no doubt in my mind that I feel better, have my weight a tad more under control, provide healthier fuel for my body, leave a smaller carbon footprint and of course, lead a more compassionate life. I do miss some foods. My mind skips a beat when I smell Brother Jimmy's BBQ, wafting down my block, but then a different part of my mind recoils at the thought of what Brother Jimmy's BBQ actually IS. Tons of comfort food were consumed in my life without a thought to where it came from, and tons of anything leaves a lasting culinary memory.

No recoil necessary at Foodswings. This is where you should go when you miss fried chicken, Philly steak sandwiches, Buffalo wings and any other junk/comfort/decadent food from the hinterlife. This is clearly where the word "health" is cleaved from the word "vegan." I say it all the time but just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's healthy. (Healthier ... maybe). When your vegan-ish resolve is tested, take the subway, car, crawl or hijack a cab to Brooklyn. Unless you still live in Brooklyn, (I so miss my homeland), then just walk or bike over. You can fall back to the kale salads and green smoothies tomorrow. Oh, and one last piece of advice ... don't get on the scale for a few days.

Our entrees came out before our apps, so here they are in that order. The Buffalo Burger has the perfect imitation of Buffalo sauce. The roll had a nice mush to bread texture ratio but I did find the burger a bit on the mushier side than I am seeking. Lettuce and tomato and red onion put a wonderful flavor and texture combination together. Not my first choice in burgers as I think more along the lines of mushrooms, sauteed onions, and cheese, (read Daiya Mozzarella), or soy bacon or chili are more to my liking. But I didn't order it. (ha ha).

THE BUFFALO BURGER-Homemade Burger w/ Buffalo Sauce, Bleu Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato &

Red Onion 7.75

Now this is what I ordered, a Philly Cheese Steak. This is hearty comfort food. This is delicious. The bread, perfect crumb and crust with just the right "pull" to rip the sandwich away from it's mother planet, the toothiness of the steak, the crunch of the onions and soft mouthiness of the cheese. If I was on death row I'd have to consider this a last meal option.

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK-Marinated Mock Steak w/ Onions, Mushrooms & Your Choice of Daiya Cheese (American or Mozzarella) or “The Wiz” Served on Italian Bread 8.75

And now for the Chicken Parm. Same bread but now with a fried patty. Satan's seitan and May Wah's cutlets? It's just a soft bread, crunch, smoosh, and a gentle genteel marinara sauce. A touch of sweet tomato. No thoughts of falling off the vegan wagon if this is within reach!

CHICK’N PARMIGIANA-Breaded Mock Chicken Cutlets w/ Daiya Mozzarella Cheese, Covered in

Marinara Sauce, on Italian Bread 8.75

Ah, and now the appetizers. 2 combo plates so we could cover all of the 4 kinds of wings. My favorite was all of them. There are 2 kinds of Mac N Cheese. One with nutritional yeast and the other with Daiya. Get the one with Daiya. The other tastes like it was nutritional yeast in a veggie broth. OK, but not my favorite. Daiya is thicker and cheesy like Mac and Cheese should be. I don't know which pic is which but they both LOOK the same.

The wings below, from left to right, are Southern Fried, Buffalo, and BBQ. The BBQ had a nice caramelization and slight char. They all reminded me of a place I used to live in long ago. (Hi Mom).

BUFFALO STYLE-Breaded, Fried & Then Smothered in Buffalo Sauce Served w/

Foodswings’ Bleu Cheese BBQ-Drenched in BBQ Sauce & Fired Up On The Grill SOUTHERN FRIED-Battered & Fried SWEET SOUTHERN FRIED BBQ-Battered, Fried & Then Drenched in a Sweet BBQ Sauce COMBO PLATE-Three Drumsticks w/ Choice of House Salad, Mac n Cheese, Fries, Plantains, or Mashed Potatoes 10.75

From top, Sweet Southern BBQ, Buffalo, and Southern fried.

Of course I can't help myself when I see an empanada. Fried, no less ... or ... fried, of course. I am so able to be tempted. I have no self control, I crave, and I cave. But I've saved the last piece of decadence for later. Wait. This is only a 5 on the decadent scale and I have a 10 a little further down the page.

This empanada had a perfect amount of filling, meaning only a little bit dripped out. The hot sauce is really really good. (Read hot). And shmearing a bit of sour cream on the exposed innards before slathering with hot sauce was ... crunch, cool, hot, meaty. Yes, meaty. Ground bits of seitan in the chili make it reminiscent of ... chili. Which by the way, isn't hot but flavorful.

Oh, if they could put this in a bottle and sell it as a sex replacement.

Nah, wouldn't be the same. As sex. Or as an empanada.

If you look at the next picture and don't want to just take a bite of this ... you have to be dead.

HOMEMADE CHILI CON SEITAN-Ground Seitan w/ Kidney Beans, Peppers, Onions,

Tomato & Spices

Now someone at the table had to go and order the cheese fries. Why oh why? Why not get the chili cheese fries. Well, actually, it's not low fat for sure but since none of this has any cholesterol you can't even order it with a side of angioplasty!

When the friedscool and soak up this sauce, and you spray the basket with ketchup ... being hungry is no longer a reason to eat. I think this is Wiz sauce. Which, if you give me a billion dollars, I'll tell you what it is. Maybe.

Cheese Fries 4

And now finally, for the most ridiculously decant thing we could have ordered. The thing I haven't had in a few hundred years. A milk shake. Chocolate chip mint to be exact. My only critique is that the straw diameter to chip size ratio is out of whack ... it's is too small and the chips get jammed up at the bottom and straw suck pressure is more than the tensile strength of the straw wall and you get milk shake seepage with straw wall failure and collapse. This is a very serious technical issue amongst those of us who like solid ingredients in our drinks but can be simply solved by using a special order milk shake straw. Or just a wider one.

Minty, thick, creamy, chocolaty and oh what a blast from the past. Here is where the meal finally topped 5,000 calories. (Just a guess). Anyway, my liquid cleanse starts today. Well, maybe tomorrow. I'm just glad there isn't a Foodswings on MY block or ...

THE BASIC SHAKE-Pistachio, Chocolate, Vanilla, Mint Chip, Coffee or Strawberry Regular 4 / Large 6. And yes, it's a large. What did you think I'd order?

... I never would fit down that aisle.

Camera put against the door. The printed menu is repeated on the blackboard.

Masao's Kitchen, Fulfilling Buffet in Waltham, MA

2011-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

There were many areas that were prominent displays of water overflowing river banks and parking lots half under water. Here is the Thames River in Connecticut. Or maybe it was the Connecticut River. I don't remember when I took the picture on the way to Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass., a reliever field outside of Boston.

It truly is amazing how many gems are scattered across this country. It never ceases to amaze me. I found a listing for Masao's Kitchen on Happy Cow on my iPhone and about a 20 minute drive from Bedford's Hanscom Field we drove up to this place. It's half the size of the two surrounding restaurants, to the left a Guatamalan/Salvadorian restaurant and to the right a bargain pizzeria. It truly is amazing how we eat in this country where we have so much of everything yet mis-allocate our food and turn it into junk to eat.

Food = Happy Pilot.

Masao's Kitchen is a small buffet style place but is packed with a lot of good things from hard(er) or shall we say less common ingredients like 4 different kinds of seaweed and Mochi packages to his and Evelyn's cookbook. Oh, and lets not forget the food! There were 2 salads and about 11 hot dishes.

Salads and condiments to the left. To the right the display counter.

2 steam tables offer plenty of choices at $8.50 per pound.

OK, lets see if I can get it all. From lower left clockwise, carrots and lotus root, sauteed Shitake mushrooms and Hijiki seaweed, steamed broccoli and kale, millet with cauliflower, 2 white pieces of steamed daikon radish, tempeh in sweet and sour sauce, bbq tofu chunks and in the middle seitan pieces in a savory sauce.

There was complimentary bread and a big container of filtered water.

After eating that delicious plate of food I saw a few sandwiches in the display case. "Ah, for the trip home," I thought. Then I thought about just a little taste. I cut it half to share so I wouldn't be the only feeling like I overate and before you knew it, it was gone. A perfect ciabbata, toothy and yeasty, lettuce holding the thing together with a crunch, a mayo type coating and the bbq came together in a perfect union of flavor and texture.

The proverbial question, "Why can't I buy a sandwich like this everywhere?"

My dish came to .98 pounds. Not a bad price for a full plate of food.

There should be a 3rd word ... "delicious."

Masao should allow cell phone use here to call your friends to come and eat!

It's so nice to know that 20 minutes away from one of my more common destinations is this little perfect place to eat. And for those who refuse to have a meal without animals, there are 3 other places within a stone's throw that I'm sure can serve you cruelty on a plate. Bravo Masao on your 11 years here.