Where's the Revolution?

new year, new blog

2009-12-31T13:11:00.005-05:00

Happy new year and new decade, everybody! 2009 was a year of great change, and surprise in my life, and so I know that 2010 will be very different. Those differences will also be reflected in this blog- look for a new address, a new design, and new directions for Where's the Revolution? in the next few weeks. I hope that you'll join me for a new journey!

and now, my new year's resolutions, 10 for 2010:

learn to make sprouted grain bread like Ezekiel
make injera
read 200 books (inspired by Elizabeth)
keep a journal (including dream journal)
visit 10 cities I've never visited
get a job, pay off credit card debt
be better than I've been lately about drinking water and taking my vitamins
write, create writing portfolio, send out articles for publication
keep in touch better with friends- letters, emails, cards, care packages, phone calls
revamp this blog!

baby, it's cold outside

2009-12-16T14:27:00.009-05:00

... and I hate it!

In the midst of the snow and cold and damp and grey and dark, I'd rather deal by having a flashback. Let's flash back to July and some blueberry picking, shall we?

can you just feel the warm sunshine?

can you just smell the green freshness all around?

can you see all those bursts of blue juiciness?

can you see those ~~flies~~ Japanese beetles doing naughty ~~fly~~ Japanese beetle things?

can you see Daiku picking away?

can you taste the fresh, fruity, plump and tangy blueberries?

can you feel your fingertips beginning to thaw just a bit?

the winners!

2009-12-09T09:48:00.003-05:00

That's right, winnerS. I've decided to pick 2 people to send the Swell zine to! (Here's the original post describing the zine) Lucky numbers 15 and 37, Amey and Hase! Send me your mailing addresses at wherestherevolution@gmail.com and I'll put Swell in the mail for you!

Thanks for playing everyone, and keep watching for more giveaways!

swell giveaway!

2009-12-06T23:07:00.004-05:00

When A-K, of the swell vegan blog, put out a zine, I just knew I had to have a copy. I mean, you've seen her blog, right? She makes the most beautiful and healthy recipes. I've had the Swell zine for a few months now, and have loved all the recipes I've tried from it. I share a love of spicy foods with A-K, and so have loved the chipotle black bean tahini dip, the spicy tahini stew, and the lentil bolognese. Well, as far as I'm concerned, you can never go wrong with chipotle chilis, tahini, or lentils, so I might be biased! This little zine is packed with 15 inventive recipes, including some interesting, not-too-sweet desserts- you have to try Great Aunt Betty's Oatmeal Bundt Cake!

I've decided to give one of these zines away, so if you'd like a chance to win one, just leave a comment in this post. I will announce a winner Wednesday morning, 9 December 2009. Spread the word... and good luck!

5 cookbooks in 5 days, 5: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

2009-11-20T17:36:00.006-05:00

Whew- we have come to the final chapter of our 5 cookbook reviews in 5 days. I'm ending the series with a little book called Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Remember a little book about vegan cupcakes that came out a few years ago? And now we can't imagine a world without cupcakes? Well, it's time for cookies to get the same treatment. From the simple and old-fashioned, to the innovative, this book has tons and tons of recipes. There's even a section for wholesome cookies! I mean, come ON.

These have been all the talk with the kids these days- Mexican chocolate snickerdoodles. You think they'll be good. Then they turn out even better than that.

Lazy samoas. The Girl Scout recipe, simplified, veganized, and awesomerized.

Agave trailblazers- chock full of nuts and other goodies, but not too sweet.

And finally, these Irish Creme Kisses, delicious cookies that get a kick from just a hint of Irish whiskey. When I lived in the U.K., I may or may not have developed a thing for Irish whiskey...

And it may or may not have gotten a little out of hand...

Anyway... you can go here to get some sample recipes from the book- including the Mexican Snickerdoodles!

And, check out the other 4 cookbook reviews from this past week:
11/16 - 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman
11/17 - The Urban Vegan by Dynise Balcavage
11/18 - Potluck Mania by Joanna Vaught
11/19 - The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes by Kris Holechek

Happy cooking and baking!

5 cookbooks in 5 days, 4: 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes

2009-11-19T22:50:00.005-05:00

We are on a roll! Tonight we have the 4th installment of this week's 5 cookbook reviews. When I heard that The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes by Kris Holechek of the nom! nom! nom! blog was coming out, I knew that I would have to get my hands on it. Why? Because Kris was the author of The Damn Tasty! Vegan Baking Guide. Those of you that were lucky enough to get your hands already know how good the recipes in that book were. That book is no longer in print, but fear not! Some of its best recipes are included in the new book.

If you've spent more than 5 minutes with me, you've heard me go on and on about THE banana bread recipe. It's the best one ever. I've tried a couple of other ones, only to come back to this- it makes a perfect, moist, flavorful banana bread and you won't believe how simple the ingredients are. It's also adaptable- I switch up the flours and add in crazy ingredients all the time, and it's never failed.

Here's another amazing recipe from the book- Boston Creme Pie! I never imagined I'd be able to make this fancy treat at home, but this recipe is awesome and it'll make you see that it is quite do-able.

This week I decided to make carrot cake. Don't laugh- my cake decorating skills are not that great!

But you can see from this inside shot that this cake is too good to care about my shoddy frosting job. A delicious spicy cake with carrots, raisins, nuts, and plenty of cream cheese frosting. It's so good. I'm not ashamed to admit that Daiku and I have been having slices of this for breakfast for the last couple of days...

Some helpful features of 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes:

very thorough ingredient and substitution guides
a huge range of recipes from sweet to savory, simple to fancy
a guide to let you know exactly how difficult each recipe is, in addition to tips on how to increase efficiency while baking

Don't miss out- this is a reference guide that you'll go back to again and again! Except for THE banana bread- you'll memorize that one pretty quickly...

Check out this week's previous cookbook reviews:

11/16 - 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman
11/17 - The Urban Vegan by Dynise Balcavage
11/18 - Potluck Mania by Joanna Vaught

And stay tuned for my final review tomorrow:

11/20- Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

5 cookbooks in 5 days, 3: Potluck Mania

2009-11-18T22:05:00.006-05:00

Tonight's cookbook up for review is actually a zine, Potluck Mania: Issue #1 Baby, It's Cold Outside. But it's bigger than most zines, and comes with a load of recipes that have been thoroughly tested and vetted to be really good. So really what's going on is that you have the depth and quality of a full-blown cookbook, for the price of a zine. Win-win.

It comes to you courtesy of Joanna Vaught, who you may recognize from her first cookbook, Yellow Rose Recipes. Much like YRR, this zine is full of recipes that reflect Joanna's southern roots. However, these dishes all have a little twist that takes them from good to extraordinary. You will be impressed with the quality of these recipes- taste, texture, and balance, it's all here. Here are some of my favorite dishes from the zine:

corn muffins- these have the perfect texture, and a delicate topping that kicks them up a notch

ginger maple tempeh strips- perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and awesome.

coconut sweet potatoes- just when I thought my love of sweet potatoes couldn't go any farther

last, but not least, we have us a crazy little breakfast treat that some friends and I invented one day. Before I go any farther, let me just say that Joanna is NOT responsible for this monstrosity! Her recipe is for these excellent breakfast sausages. We just happened to take those innocent sausages and... cook and wrap them in pancakes and top with maple syrup and whipped cream. I'm in no way saying you are obligated to do these with these sweet breakfast sausages, just... putting it out there.

Check out Monday's cookbook review, 500 Vegan Recipes
Check out Tuesday's cookbook review, The Urban Vegan

and stay tuned for review #4, tomorrow!

5 cookbooks in 5 days, 2: The Urban Vegan

2009-11-17T22:14:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the 2nd installment of this week's 5-part cookbook review series! As I mentioned last night, I will be reviewing a new vegan cookbook (and 1 zine!) every day of this week. Tonight, I have The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine, by Dynise Balcavage of the Urban Vegan blog.

True story: Urban Vegan was the 2nd vegan blog I discovered, way back in the summer of 2006, and it was one of my main inspirations to start this blog. As anyone who reads her work knew, it wasn't if, but when Dynise would come out with a cookbook. I love the way she distills the essence of urbanity into her recipes- diverse, edgy, cosmopolitan, unexpected, but ultimately, homey. If like me, you are an urban person at heart (whether or not you live in a metropolis like Philadelphia), you have to pick up this book. What I love is how the recipes are inspired by Dynise's travels to all corners of the world, but somehow fit together very nicely. Check out some of my favorite recipes:

alternative granola - Peruvian influence, a use I'd never imagined for quinoa!

spätzle- you don't need any special tools for this Central European comfort food

chickpea paprikash- daiku's favorite recipe from the book- the paprika taste is so deep and rich, it'll blow your mind

Havana beans and rice- a little taste of Cuba, right in your kitchen

punka pie- I never even liked pumpkin pie before this!

blue mosque ayran- a refreshing and minty drink from the Middle East, perfect for hot summer days

crème brûlée - yes, you heard me!

tiramisu- oh man, possibly my favorite recipe from this book. boozy and decadent and coffee-y- wow!

portobello burger- so simple, yet so good

Here's the tiramisu that Luciana and I made for our recent Halloween party. We called it "fetalmisu"- get it? Ok, even if fetus humor isn't your thing, you have got to get your hands on this book!

Stay tuned for installments 3, 4, and 5. In the meantime, check out my first cookbook review from last night, 500 Vegan Recipes.

5 cookbooks in 5 days, 1: 500 Vegan Recipes

2009-11-16T22:01:00.008-05:00

It's such an exciting time! Those of you who are cookbook addicts, and I dare say that's more than a few of you, might be aware that a ton of new vegan cookbooks have been published recently. This week, I've decided to give a few of these books some love- so I've decided to do a series called 5 cookbooks in 5 days, one each day until Friday.

The schedule will be as follows:
Mon (today!) - 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman
Tue - The Urban Vegan by Dynise Balcavage
Wed - Potluck Mania by Joanna Vaught
Thur - The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes by Kris Holechek
Fri- Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

Just a quick note to let you know that I know all of these authors, I have tested recipes for most of these books, and as a result have received free copies of some of them. I won't lie to you, I'm going to highlight what's good about these books! However, I think you'll agree that there just isn't much bad to say about any of them.

On to today's book!

500 Vegan Recipes is brought to you by the lovely and prolific bloggers Celine (of Have Cake Will Travel) and Joni (of Just the Food). Just as its name implies, this is a big book, and has an encyclopedic selection of recipes for every meal, mood, and occasion. The book gives lots of background on ingredients and techniques, enough to give beginners the knowledge to begin and more advanced cooks confidence to experiment. The recipes, however, are anything but basic- both Celine and Joni are creative enough to write truly enticing and unusual recipes. A broccoli salad with candied nuts? It's good! A muffin made from a cookie? It's possible!

Here are some of my favorite recipes:

Cannellini All'Italiana (hearty, stick-to-your-ribs, lip-smacking yet oh-so-simple to make)

Homemade bacon bits (much better than the overpriced chemical stuff at the store!)

Braised brussels sprouts and apples (so simple, but so good)

"That" broccoli salad (a perfect old-school blend of healthy and decadent, savory and sweet)

Agave bread (a wholesome bread with a light and delicate taste)

Mole bread (a wonderful complex bread with cocoa and spices)

Mexican hot mocha (a hot and comforting drink- with a kick)

in praise of gluten and other yummy things.

2009-11-06T13:15:00.011-05:00

I want to sound a battle cry today. This is something that's been rattling around in my brain for a long time, and I've been wanting to address it for a long time, but dietitian Virginia Messina has done it much more masterfully on her blog.

The issue? What vegan means, and what it doesn't mean. First, read her article, No Need for Vegans to Give up Fat, Gluten, Soy or Cooked Foods Obviously, Messina is speaking from a nutrition stand-point, making the point that unless you are allergic to gluten, there is nothing wrong with it, that fat is essential to our bodies, that soy is quite nutritious, and that certain nutrients are more, not less, bio-available through cooking.

However, she has inspired me to make a list of my own.

Vegan DOES mean:

a diet and lifestyle free of animal products, or as free as humanly possible
~~a life of compassion and respect for all living beings~~
...THAT'S IT!

Vegan DOES NOT mean:

gluten- or wheat-free
soy-free
raw
organic
low- or no-fat
sugar-free
alcohol-free
health food
certain brands or companies
free from refined foods
free from junk food
caffeine-free
salt-free
whole foods or whole grains
a diet in the sense of a weight-loss strategy
activism, at least activism of any particular sort
environmentalism (being vegan is the best thing you can do for the environment, but not all vegans have to be environmentalists or even care about it)
religiousness, or lack of religiousness
limiting foods for the sake of limiting foods
food snobbery
orthorexia
disordered eating
a fast or "detox" of any kind

It's bad enough that people think that because I'm vegan that either I or my diet are rigid, limited, closed, or unexciting. It doesn't help that so many vegans themselves seem to conflate these issues. Again, if you have Celiac disease or have a true allergy or need to lose weight, etc. I completely understand. You can be vegan AND gluten-free, but not because one automatically means the other. I myself have been known to integrate my veganism with an effort to eat healthy, eat for the health of the planet, or for the health of my community.

However, I think it's about time that we clarify, to ourselves and to society at large, that veganism is not a blanket term for "diet" or "healthy" or "activist" - it's just an effort to reduce animal suffering through judiciously removing animal products and exploitation from our food and lifestyle choices.

Now, I'm off to make dinner: pizza. Delicious chewy sourdough crust (gluten! white flour! cooked!), vegan cheese (soy! processed food! salt! fat!), lots of olive oil (fat!), tempeh sausage (soy!) tomato sauce made with wine (alcohol!) ... still badass, still vegan.

Whew! What say you?

I like... I don't like... November edition

2009-11-03T10:50:00.008-05:00

A lot of bloggers have been posting these stream-of-consciousness lists lately, and I love reading them, so I thought I'd post one of my own, organized by the season in which we (in the Northern Hemisphere) find ourselves... If you post a list of your own, let me know, I'd love to read yours!

In November I like...

a good sparkly sunny day
baked squashes and root veggies of all kinds
turning on the oven for any reason, and then leaving the door open when it's done, for the extra heat!
the smell of fires burning in the fireplace, and the fires themselves for that matter
mulled wine, mulled cider, hot toddies
scented candles
my Philosophy cinnamon bun scented body wash
using the space heater in the bathroom so a shower becomes a sauna experience
apples!
looking forward to the holidays- songs, cookies, travel
tea, tea, tea! and teapots, mugs, accessories, cozies, etc.
lots of throw blankets and fuzzy socks and slippers and heat packs
cozy Thanksgiving at home, and planning for it
cranberries and canned pumpkin- on sale!
seeing lights and decorations in public places and peoples' houses

In November I don't like...

when daylight savings time ends and it's dark around 4 p.m...
and knowing that in a couple of weeks it'll be dark at 8 a.m. too
cold!
knowing I won't eat another fresh tomato for about 8 months
food photography is difficult because natural light is gone, and it's dark by the time dinner's ready (or sometimes lunch, for that matter)
putting clothes on when they are cold- it's physical torture for me!
looking forward to the holidays- consumerism, commercialization, figuring out what to do with the kitties
dry, pale skin
raking leaves- over and over again
cold numb toes
fearing the first snow
wearing layers of clothing- makes me feel fat, itchy, and claustrophobic
the endless search for a pretty! warm! functional! affordable! vegan! winter coat
sports- I just don't care!
3 words: seasonal. affective. disorder.
the farmers market becomes a sea of potatoes and turnips... (nothing against potatoes and turnips, which I love, but I miss the color and variety of a summer market)

the UK 100

2009-10-29T12:29:00.006-04:00

There have been a lot of local versions of the Vegan 100 list floating around- for example, the NYC 100 and the Portland 100. I've wanted to play along, but there is no Syracuse 100! So instead, I decided to take this UK 100 list posted by Liz and try my hand at it- after all, I did live in England for a few months! I'm curious to see how I do. If you've lived in the UK, or have visited, or are just an Anglophile (Britophile?), why not play along?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

All items on the list refer to the vegan version. Please don’t contact me to tell me that butter isn’t vegan, for example. I mean a vegan version of it!

Hampshire watercress
Haggis
Montezumas chocolate
Melting mozarella Cheezly
Tartex

Granose Mock Duck
Sosmix
Churros at Terre a Terre
Yorkshire pudding
Beans on toast
Crumpets
Mushy peas
Aldi croissants
Bourbon biscuits
Holland and Barrett fruit flapjacks
Linda McCartney sausages and chips
Marmite on toast
Kent black cherries
Marmite breadsticks (If Marmite crackers count...)
Beanfeast
Sunday roast at The George (hey! what about the Elvis Burger at the George??) Anything at Birmingham’s curry mile
Rhubarb crumble with Swedish Glace
Paskin’s full breakfast
Jersey Royal potatoes swimming in butter
Evesham asparagus
Potato farls
Bubble and Squeak
Sticky toffee pudding
Irn Bru
Bacon buttie with tomato sauce
Marigold bouillon powder
Booja Booja truffles
Scones and jam
Bird’s custard (I still have a huge container of it here at home!)
Anything at Dandelion and Burdock
White chocolate
A bought pizza with cheese in the UK
Hot cross buns
Staffordshire oatcakes
Bread and butter pudding
Summer pudding
Pickled onions
Potato from the Baked Potato Shop in Edinburgh
Weatherspoons curry
Irish stew with dumplings
Mashed carrot and swede (mmm... somehow, roast root veggies taste better in the UK!)
Pease pudding
Christmas pudding
Cranachan
Blue Sheese
Faggots
English muffins
Pringles
Scotch broth
Walker’s prawn cocktail crisps (I miss these!)
Mildred’s mushroom and ale pie
Masala dosa
Realeat fishcakes

Worcestershire sauce
Mushroom ketchup
Pickled walnuts (I have a jar of these at home, but haven't opened them yet)
Ribena
Anything at Vbites Co-op donuts
Picalilli (and brought some jars back- yum!)
Ryvita
Anything at Saf
Chip shop curry sauce and chips
Parmezano
Warehouse Café bangers and mash
Innocent Smoothie
Vimto Eccles cake
Semolina pudding with jam
Linda McCartney country pie Scallop (potato fritter)
Elderflower cordial
Spotted dick
Victoria plum

Marigold braised tofu
Clive’s pie
Wagamama Yasai Chilli Men
Sarsaparilla (this is British???)
Spring cabbage
Holland and Barrett Porkless Pie
Henderson’s relish
Scottish raspberries
Scouse
Colcannon
Fry’s Peppermint Cream
Hobnobs
Roast parsnips
Booja Booja ice cream (could not afford this!)
Champ
Pimms (mmmmm)
Rice pudding
Nuttolene
Beef and Tomato Pot Noodle
Sesame Snaps

37... not bad, eh? This just proves that I need to come back to the UK soon! Anyone wanna buy me tickets???

sour grapes

2009-10-29T09:07:00.006-04:00

Just a little kitchen tip for those of you who want to get into Iranian cooking. As you know, sour is a huge component of the cuisine- we get our sour from many sources- lemons and limes, fresh and dried, pomegranate in various forms, and... sour grapes! If you go to an Iranian market, you can actually find sour grape powder sold in the spice aisle. However, you can capture that flavor yourself, as long as you have access to some grape vines! What you should do is pick some unripe grapes- if you taste them they should be edible, but seriously pucker-inducing- and then preserve them. You can dry them and grind them to make powder, or juice them and freeze the juice in small segments (maybe an ice cube tray?), or just freeze them whole and throw them into recipes where a little sour somethin-somethin is called for.

The response to my Grandma recipe was so positive (thank you!) that I'm working on another of her recipes to post soon. Stay tuned!

pizza crust- yet another v. v. important debate

2009-10-28T11:12:00.006-04:00

yet another DEBATE OF SUPREME IMPORTANCE!! this one is a debate that goes on in my very own house, in my very own marriage, on a regular basis: thin crust or deep-dish pizza?

chewy, doughy, deep-dish baked in a cast iron pan?

Or a crispy thin crust baked on a pizza stone?

A crust that is a meal in and of itself?

Or crust as amuse-bouche-style delivery system for toppings?

What say you, dear readers, WHAT SAY YOU?

what was I eating this time last year...?

2009-10-27T22:04:00.007-04:00

Just a flashback post from the archives tonight... If you remember, Daiku and I were living in England last Fall, and by the end of October, we'd established a pretty good food routine and were trying to eat like the locals.

Breakfast might be some delicious scones with margarine and jam.

Dinner might be sampling a vegan entrée from Sainsburys supermarket, such as the steak above, with some mashed potatoes with greens, and some local Kent apples on the side.

I even started making proper puddings! The one above was made with some stewed and spiced sour cherries, topped with Bird's custard (made with soya milk), and some crumbled ginger biscuits on top. I was proud of myself!

And tea. Lots of tea. Always tea. Long live tea.

the great tofu scramble debate

2009-10-26T08:44:00.004-04:00

It's that time again, ladies and gentlemen, when this blog brings you very controversial topics of great importance. Today's issue- that great vegan staple, tofu scramble. I've sang the praises of this dish before- how delicious, how versatile, how healthy, and how plain awesome it is. It's one of my all-time faves.

But then I became aware of a schism in the tofu scramble universe. It appears that SOME PEOPLE *cough*Portlanders*cough* cube their tofu instead of mash it. Am I insane, or is that just a stir-fry with tofu and not really a scramble? What say you, wise and lovely readers? WHAT SAY YOU???

cappuccino cuppers win at life

2009-10-25T00:50:00.005-04:00

If you've ever made cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, you know that they are all good. But most of you probably have a favorite from there. Or at least a top-3 list. Or... top-5? Well, the cappuccino cupcakes are definitely on my top-3 list from that book. If you like coffee you have to make these RIGHT NOW. They have an almost shocking pop of flavor, and such a moist and lovely texture. The recipe comes with an espresso filling that is really good, but these cuppers have so much flavor that you really don't even need a filling.

They're good with just s sprinkle of powdered sugar on top.

Or, you can go fancy-pants and make a little cream cheese icing...

... maybe a few cacao nibs on top?

NOM!

vegan cakelove

2009-10-22T22:51:00.005-04:00

sometimes love can best be expressed in the form of... vegan cake! like when my cousin brought me this vegan cupcake- she found a store in the mall (in Northern Virginia) that sells vegan cupcakes and thought of me! awwww.

I also know how to return cakelove. My aunt's boss is very interested in healthy living and vegan eating, and the people at the office sometimes poke fun at him for that. Well, I decided to show them- I made him this Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting (from Vegan with a Vengeance). He loved it- and grudgingly shared it with the rest of the office. Somehow, they don't make SO much fun of vegan food any more... make this cake! share vegan cakelove!

trying to decide what candy to give out on Halloween?

2009-10-21T22:57:00.004-04:00

how about 2 oldie but goodie vegan options? Chick-O-Sticks (taste kind of like the inside of a Butterfinger Bar, but with a coconut twist) and Peanut Chews (caramel-y chocolate-y peanuts). There are also Mary Janes, old-fashioned peanut butter toffees. Or how about something newer? Did you know that Skittles are no longer made with gelatin? Yay for tasting the rainbow!

grandma's recipe- fesenjan

2009-10-20T10:45:00.005-04:00

For today's mofo, I'm going to write about my grandma and give you one of my favorite recipes of hers. This article was originally written for Herbivore magazine.

Give It Up For Grandma!

My grandmother’s name is Houra, and she is a wonderful human being and nurturer. In my whole life, she is the one person who has never raised her voice at me or spoken in anger. Even more importantly, she is the foundation of the vast majority of my memories about food and cooking. To this day, getting a whiff of fresh dill or cilantro conjures up the warm feeling of nestling my face in her apron and standing at her feet as she cooked.

Houra was born in northern Iran in the 1920’s. She recounts happy early childhood tales of playing with her siblings and cousins, but also the sadness of being taken out of school while still a young teenager. Grandma tells stories of wistfully watching other kids going off to school, and these stories have ensured that all of her children and grandchildren have placed great value on education. Grandma has also instilled a love of traveling in our entire family, setting an example by visiting far-away lands starting in her 50s and 60s. She has been to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage, to Sweden, to Dubai, to England, to Romania, to the former Yugoslavia. She was with me when I visited Turkey for the first time as a young girl.

I became vegan over five years ago, and my grandma has always been the most supportive member of my family. Due to health concerns, she herself is not a big consumer of meat or dairy. She comes from a culinary background that places great emphasis on fresh, seasonal produce, and her table is always full of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and herbs. It is only now, as I learn more and more about food that I see how rich her food world really is. For her, sun-dried tomatoes are not a gourmet ingredient on a high-priced restaurant menu, but what you make in late summer to make sure you have tomatoes in the winter. Fruit leathers are not a silly childrens snack, but a way to capture the bounty of whatever fruit you happen to have in abundance. Herbs are not merely decorations on a finished dish, but an integral flavor and nutritional component of that dish, meant to be savored rather than discarded. I credit grandma with the fact that I have such a taste for fruits and vegetables today, without which being a vegan would be pretty damn difficult!

For these reasons, eating vegan at grandma’s house has always been easy. Most of her recipes are easily veganized, and she takes great joy into observing me replace the eggs or meat in her dishes, just as I took great joy watching her cook for all the years of my life. Here, I have veganized fesenjan, a delicious, nutritious, and iconic Iranian khoresh, or stew. The recipe is very flexible, and you should approach it in terms of flavor instead of exact measurements. You will be surprised at the lip-smacking flavor that such a seemingly unexpected combination of ingredients yields. The rich taste of fesenjan and its deep brown color make it perfect for the fall and winter.

Fesenjan

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh raw walnuts
1 medium white onion, grated
¼ cup pomegranate paste*
3 TB tomato paste
2 – 3 cups water
1 tsp turmeric
½ - 1 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of your favorite vegan chicken (I used baked tofu, but seitan, tempeh, packaged faux chicken, or even legumes such as lima beans also work well)

Directions:

Using a food processor, grind the walnuts until they form a paste with a smooth nut-butter consistency
Crumble the walnut paste, along with the grated onion, the pomegranate and tomato pastes, and spices into a stock pot over medium-high heat, and stir in enough water until smooth. You want a thin consistency, like tomato juice, this will thicken up substantially. Make sure to get rid of any lumps in the sauce.
Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. As the mixture thickens, the color will darken to a deep brown.

Add your baked tofu (or whatever chicken substitute you are using) at this point, and allow it to simmer for another 30 minutes. Towards the end, you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of ice water to the mixture once or twice, to get the beautiful reddish walnut oil to rise to the top for presentation purposes. This step is totally optional.
Serve warm over rice. White basmati rice is traditional (click here for the recipe for Iranian-style steamed rice pilaf -scroll down), but I also love fesenjan with my favorite brown rice.
Enjoy!

Optional: eggplants also taste good in this dish. You can drop chopped eggplants, raw or cooked, into the stew for the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, in addition to or as a replacement for the chicken.

* Pomegranate paste is a thick, intensely sour paste that gives many Iranian dishes a distinctive flavor. You can find pomegranate paste at Iranian supermarkets, or hit up your closest Iranian friend! If you can’t, however, you can replace it in this recipe with pomegranate molasses or juice, changing the amount of water accordingly. The juice and the molasses are not as tangy as the paste, however, and you should probably add some lemon or lime juice to make up for this fact.

some favorite simple treats, courtesy of daiku

2009-10-18T18:54:00.006-04:00

these are some of my favorite things to eat, simple vegan foods that bring comfort and happiness. some of that happiness can be attributed to the fact that I associate them with my life with daiku- we've been together for a long time, and share so many food adventures and memories. without him, I would not be the unabashed fan I am of cumin, chipotle, or...

...pretzels with plenty of mustard and some beer to wash it all down with,

...delicious focaccia with tons and tons of fresh rosemary,

...beans and greens in all forms,

...german chocolate cake (here in mini-birthday-cupcake form).

what are some of your favorite foods that you sampled thanks to the influence of others?

apples apples apples!

2009-10-17T21:30:00.003-04:00

Daiku and I have guests over at our house quite often. And Autumn is a very fun time to have guests, because we live smack dab in the middle of apple country! So on a nice Sunday recently, we took our friend and guest Julian out to pick some apples.

She had fun!

We had fun!

and, for under $15, we came home with enough apples to make into 2 jars of apple butter, 2 full-sized and 4 hand-sized pies, and juice, with enough left over for some serious snacking.

What are some other mofo-ers doing with apples this month? Head over to my apple round-up over on VeganMoFo Headquarters for a sampling.

blog action day: climate change

2009-10-15T19:31:00.005-04:00

decided to keep it short and sweet this year- even though the U of C study is a few years old, it bears repeating:

Researchers at the University of Chicago have calculated the relative carbon intensity of a standard vegan diet in comparison to a US-style carnivorous diet, all the way through from production to processing to distribution to cooking and consumption. An average burger man (that is, not the outsize variety) emits the equivalent of 1.5 tonnes more CO2 every year than the standard vegan. By comparison, were you to trade in your conventional gas-guzzler for a state of the art Prius hybrid, your CO2 savings would amount to little more than one tonne per year.

quote taken from this Guardian article, 2006

(also, don't let people side-track you by talking about large-scale production of crops such as soy and corn that feed vegans- those are the same crops, but on a much larger scale, that meat animals are fed as well! Whether you are vegan or not, you are eating soybeans. It's up to you how.)

pizzzzza

2009-10-14T15:35:00.004-04:00

making pizza at home is really nice. but sometimes, it's just as nice to be able to go out for pizza. when you are vegan, that is not always possible, but recently, it's becoming more and more doable all across the country. restaurants, delivery places, and chains are now offering not just the "veggies, no cheese" option that we know and love so well, but all kinds of pizzas made with vegan cheeses such as Teese, Daiya, Cheezly, etc.

here in Syracuse, we have a few vegan pizza options (including The Italian Chef, Dorian's, and Papa John's). one place with a huge and varied menu of vegan pizzas is Strong Hearts Cafe. check out the menu!

Here is the Mediterranean, with Teeze mozarella, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic, and a zesty tomato sauce. For a lover of thick, bready crusts such as myself, this is pizza heaven. With so many options, you're sure to find the pizza of your dreams- just make sure it's Friday, the only night that Strong Hearts currently does pizza!

Strong Hearts Cafe
719 E Genesee Street
Syracuse, NY 13210

joe-joe cuppos

2009-10-13T14:42:00.005-04:00

If you are lucky enough to live by a Trader Joe's, you might be familiar with this seasonal treat: peppermint candy cane Joe Joes. These are rich chocolate cookies with a creamy minty filling that is chock full of crushed candy canes. An awesome winter treat. Like some other vegans I know, I stockpile these limited-time treats every year. Then, in the summer, I can make the cupcakes you see above- chocolate mint cuppers, mint buttercream frosting, and a piece of cookie on top! I loved this spin on the cookies 'n cream cupcakes, and so did my friend for whose birthday I baked them. Mmmm.

the vegan 100

2009-10-13T10:14:00.004-04:00

I'm home from Europe! Surprise, surprise, I didn't blog from the road... but I'm back with a vengeance- I'm going to shoot for 2 blog posts most days, to make up for my 10-day absence, as well as posting many updates to VeganMoFo Headquarters. Stay tuned for posts about Helsinki, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest, as well as more oldie-but-goodie posts from the photo archives. Here, as a way of easing back in to blogging, is the newest iteration of the Vegan 100 list. If you are also doing this list, I'd love to see yours- let me know!

1) Copy this list into your blog or social networking site profile, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out or italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment on this post linking to your results.

The Vegan Hundred:

1. Molasses
2. Cactus/Nopales
3. Scrambled Tofu
4. Grilled Portobella Caps
5. Fresh Ground Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits
7. Arepa
8. Vegan Coleslaw
9. Ginger Carrot Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Elephant Garlic
12. Umeboshi
13. Almond Butter Toast
14. Aloe Vera
15. H and H Bagel NYC
16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash
17. White truffle (in oil form- does that count?)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Freshly ground wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Orchard-fresh pressed apple cider
23. Organic California Mango (in season Sept-Oct only)
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya Smoothie
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet or Habañero pepper (does salsa/sauce count?)
27. Goji Berry Tea
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
30. Radishes and Vegan Buttery Spread (not yet, but have always wanted to- with a bit of salt)
31. Starfruit
32. Oven fresh Sourdough bread
33. Sangria made with premium fruit and juices <-- how snooty does this sound?
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai Smoothie
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcake from Babycakes nyc
38. Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh combo
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms <-- what?
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Pumpkin Edamame Ginger Dumplings <-- huh?
44. Hemp Milk
45. Rose Champagne
46. Fuyu (YES- persimmons are among my favorite fruits)
47. Raw Avocado-Coconut Soup
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne fresh-pressed juice...with Extra Ginger (I've had this, save for the cayenne)

50. Grilled Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Fresh Pressed Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes off the vine
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water fresh from a young coconut
56. Organic Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Sampler of organic produce from Diamond Organics
59. Honeycrisp Apple
60. Poi
61. Vegan Campfire-toasted Smores
62. Grape seed Oil
63. Farm fresh-picked Peach
64. Freshly-made pita bread with freshly-made hummus
65. Chestnut Snack Packs
66. Fresh Guava
67. Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
68. Raw Mallomar from One Lucky Duck, NYC <-- ha, funny, considering my recent post about One Lucky Duck
69. Fried plantains
70. Mache
71. Golden Beets
72. Barrel-Fresh Pickles
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna
77. Kombucha
78. Homemade Soy Milk
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lychee Bellini remember (scroll down the post)??
81. Tempeh Bacon
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tempeh
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrot you pulled out of the ground yourself
87. Vegan In-Season Fruit Pie
88. Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. High Quality Vegan Raw Chocolate (like cocoa? or nibs? or a packaged bar? not clear here)
91. Yellow fuzz-free Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. Harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Homemade Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Seedless 'Pixie' Tangerine
99. Gourmet Sorbet, not store bought
100. Fresh Plucked English Peas

80 out of 100, cool! Warning- do not attempt this list before breakfast- extreme hunger might ensue!

one lucky duck- good, but insanely expensive

2009-10-03T07:03:00.000-04:00

just a short and sweet mofo post/restaurant review today. while you're reading this, I'm heading to JFK airport and getting ready to leave the country!

While I was in New York City last April, my friend D. and I were walking around. It was a chilly day, so we decided to duck (no pun!) into a cozy little place to warm up. D. mentioned that she had seen a raw vegan place that she thought I might be interested in, One Lucky Duck. Well, I'd heard of them (Pure Food and Wine's little outpost), and I was intrigued.

So we ordered a pot of tea to share, and a piece of tiramisu to share. The bill came to over $23. That is stupid expensive! Good thing the tiramisu was good because... I'm never going back here again until a)I win the lottery b)I get a sugar daddy or c)I decide to quit paying my mortgage!

The next day I went back there and said I'd really liked their raw tiramisu, and I don't live near the restaurant, so would they be willing to share the recipe with me? The answer was "no, but you can buy our upcoming cookbook." PFFFFFT.

carrot jam?

2009-10-02T06:01:00.003-04:00

yes, carrot jam! remember my uncle who lives in Sweden? We visited him last October? Well, I was really thrilled to have him visit us here in Syracuse last April. Daii is a really good cook. While staying with him, I'd enjoyed a unique jam that he had made- made up of carrots (and also apples, lemon, cardamom and vanilla.) The flavor is so good, the jam is so fragrant and bright and vibrant, you have to try some yourself! I photographed while he was making the jam, and will now give you a photo-essay:

zest and juice some lemons.

peel and grate some carrots and tart apples.

add some sugar and pectin- or, sugar with pectin already included, like what daii brought!

add some cardamom (crushed pods, or ground, if pods, you'll have to fish them out once the jam is done) and vanilla.

cook and cook and cook and cook

and cook some more! skim the foam and other debris (cardamom bits?) periodically.

let cool completely, then pour into sterilized jars. I didn't can these (I haven't canned anything yet!), because we were going to give a lot of them away and I was sure they'd be gobbled up quickly. In addition, since they weren't heat-treated, the jam retained a fresh, crisp character. Store them in the refrigerator. We are working on our last jar right now, so this jam has stayed good for at least 6 months! Try it today- I know you'll like it!

my little veganmofo tradition

2009-10-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

Happy October, everyone- VeganMoFo III is upon us! It's so thrilling to be part of such a large group of bloggers participating in this yearly event. For the last 2 years, I have had a tradition of kicking off MoFo with a post dedicated to my favorite hot and comforting beverage- well, mine and a few billion others' ... tea! (Click here to see the 2007 and 2008 posts.)

I love any kind of tea (actually, I don't love that many herbal teas, but give me black, green, white, red...) any time of day. But I have to admit, a hot cuppa kicks some seriously special ass on a cold, wet day.

Which is where I found myself late last October, in the town of Bath, England...

clouds and rain? check. umbrella? check. wellies? check. all that was missing was... you guessed it...
Daiku and I ducked into a coffee shop, where I was pleasantly surprised that they had soy milk. Yay for random vegan finds in random cafés in random cities! So without further ado...

It's coming...

2009-09-29T22:58:00.006-04:00

October is going to be the 3rd annual VEGAN MOnth of FOod! It's not too late to get your blog into the game- visit Kittee's blog for more info.
VeganMoFo is overwhelming, but so so fun! Email me if you want more information!

If you want to see what my previous mofos have looked like, check out:

October 2008 (from all over Europe)
November 2007 (I actually managed to post 30 times that time- woah!)

Here comes VEGANMOFO III! Are you ready...?

a debate of great importance

2009-09-24T15:31:00.004-04:00

sometimes, you think you know someone. you think you know them well. and then you find that you have deep, fundamental differences. this is how I felt when I found out that some of my closest friends ... (gah. it's so hard to even write about this)... DON'T like raisins. poor, sweet, delicious, nutritious raisins. nature's candy. a huge part of any trail mix. sigh.

but this gets even more personal when this irrational aversion to raisins messes with the childhood tradition known as ants on a log. (most Americans are familiar with this treat: celery sticks filled with peanut butter and topped with raisin "ants").

Here's me and Pandacookie battling over whether to go with TRADITIONAL, COMFORTING, HONEST ants on a log or blaspheming them by excluding raisins in lieu of chocolate. (um, thereby turning this nutritious and innocent snack into a den of caloric inequity). But I digress. Being the diplomatic vegans that we were, we made both.

What do YOU think? Please vote! The future of humanity depends on this!

because it's still summer, dammit!

2009-09-20T17:19:00.003-04:00

Ok, I'm seeing too many fall-related blog posts lately! People, it's still summer until this coming WEDNESDAY. I don't want to hear about your pumpkins and squash and Halloween costumes and hot cider! It's summer! I refuse to give in to fall until I absolutely have to!

So in that vein, a little flashback post from last summer...

What do you do when you come across some insane heirloom tomatoes in the Downtown Syracuse Farmers Market? Like the big buddy above, weighing in at around 4 pounds?

How about a tomato focaccia?

How about letting them play the star role in the meal? Doesn't a nice fat tomato drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and fresh basil look so much better than some big roasted dead thing?

Oh god, I am do damn vegan...

a perfect work lunch

2009-09-17T12:30:00.004-04:00

I have a good reason why I haven't blogged in a little while- for the past 5 weeks, I have been working for a mayoral candidate leading up to the Sept. 15th primary. How did we do? Let's just say that Syracuse is well on its way to having its first female mayor- woo! Now that the primary is behind us, I will be back to cooking, eating, and blogging more seriously. While I was working, the above photo was a typical lunch- wheat crackers, Follow Your Heart cheddar cheese, and a fruit leather. Great, however not the most blog-worthy meal.

However, in the next few weeks, we have ... my trip to Finland and Austria with some awesome fellow vegans, the 3rd installment of VeganMoFo, the start of Fall and Autumnal foods galore, in other words, blogging bonanza!

simple and fresh summer eats

2009-08-31T13:24:00.004-04:00

I thought that the last day of August would be a fitting moment to reflect on what I love so much about food in the summer. It's light, it's fresh, it's full of flavor, and sometimes, it's from right in the back yard! Here's a typical lunch from back in July: marinated zucchini salad (zucchini from the farmers market), potato and green bean salad (potatoes from our garden, green beans from the farmers market), and a fresh grilled panini (homemade sourdough bread, brushed on the outside with olive oil, and dill from our garden). How can you not feel good after such a meal?...

you know what's awesome?

2009-08-24T12:28:00.009-04:00

...when it's 3 or 4 in the morning and cold, and you're stumbling towards your friend's house after a night of drinking and dancing and having fun, and you realize you're hungry, and you go to a corner burger joint, the only place that's open as far as the eyes can see, and you see several tempting veggie options such as veggie burgers or bean burgers on the menu.

The above photo was taken last autumn, sometime late at night, somewhere in South London. England, and Europe in general, seemed more advanced in the ways of vegan junk/fast food than what I see back home in the U.S. Good times!

You eat that RAW??

2009-08-21T12:42:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, I catch on really late. For example, I feel that I'm the last person to realize that there are a lot of unexpected produce items that you can eat raw! Not necessarily marinated, dehydrated, sprouted, or anything else, just straight up raw!

Fresh summer corn, straight off the cob? Yes.

Raw beets? Yes. I've graduated from shredding them into salads to just eating them as veggie sticks.

Sweet potatoes? Yes! (sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes, as you might know)

collard greens? yes- they make awesome wraps! I only started cooking collard greens 5 years ago- before then, I had the image that they had to be cooked for hours and hours. Hey, we can all make mistakes.

Here are some other things that I've been delighted to eat without cooking:

asparagus
turnips
oats (as in muesli)

What are some of your favorite unusual or unexpected raw foods? Let me know- I'd love to try them if I haven't yet!

hazelnut butter: an object of beauty

2009-08-18T00:31:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post tonight to bring you the wonder that is hazelnut butter. I feel that the hazelnut never gets its due in the nut pantheon, at least in the U.S. It has such a delicious and rich flavor, and it complements so many other foods so well. I love hazelnuts and hazelnut liqueur and hazelnut extract, but it shines most brightly in the form of freshly ground butter.

In the above photo, you see one of the last meals that Daiku and I shared last winter in England before coming back to the U.S.: a huge slice of wholemeal toast, slathered with fresh hazelnut butter that I had made and bought at Whole Foods. Addictive, sublime, and elegant would all, sadly, be understatements in describing this simple and healthy treat.

If you want to try hazelnut butter, fresh is the way to go- I am guessing that making a batch with roasted hazelnuts in your food processor would be a much better bet than buying an (often overpriced) jar. Either way, enjoy!

I ♡ you, salad pizza!!

2009-08-14T12:11:00.004-04:00

So the love affair with salad continues... now in pizza form! Long before I was a vegan, I was a fan of the salad pizza. Now I have grown to realize that it's not a universal thing, but a local feast only to be found in New York City, Long Island, and surronding areas.

What is it? Basically a vegan pizza lover's dream- a slice of pizza (with the crispy/chewy uniquely New York style crust) topped with... salad. That's it. Most salad pizza comes without cheese, but you can also ask them for a cheese-less slice. The slice you see above, from Brooklyn, has tomatoes, zucchini, red onions, and fresh basil. I've had slices with variations of toppings- sometimes even lettuce! What sets salad pizza apart is that the toppings are raw or only briefly heated. The combination of refreshing salad and comforting pizza is something that should not be missed. Make sure to seek one out (usually at local neighborhood pizzerias- the kind where you can buy by the slice) next time you're in the area!

3rd blog birthday! (I can't believe I blogged the whole thing!)

2009-08-09T19:03:00.003-04:00

Can you believe this blog has been chugging along for 3 years? Even though I haven't been blogging as often as I used to, I definitely am not ready to quit, and I promise many more posts in the future.

Some fun facts about this blog:

When it began, this was a team blog! Even though Daiku doesn't officially blog any more, his ideas (and fabulous cooking!) are still there, and I'm grateful for his help.
I've kept the same avatar, a tomato-face with carrot nose, radish eyes, and scallion mouth, the entire time. The produce was from a garden Daiku and I grew in Old Field, Long Island, in 2000
Our names aren't actually bazu and daiku! But those are our real-life nicknames. Our real names (drum roll please...) are Bahar and Michael. Nice to meet you!
I never thought that blogging would lead to meeting such fabulous people (virtually and in real life) - you guys have enriched my life, and I look forward to more friendships!
I don't do bloglines or google reader or anything yet. I know, I know, I should start. My link list is really outdated.
I didn't think to post my email address to the blog until about a year and a half in! What was I thinking??
I have blogged from different cities and even countries, but have found that I'm best when I'm at home- hence the sometimes long delays of my travel posts
I have never been able to decide between the taglines "the revolution will be veganized" "green is the new red" or "live green, eat vegan". Help!

Now it's your turn- do you have any questions about us or this blog? Leave a comment with your question and I will answer all of them, to the best of my ability, in the next post. Thanks for reading! VEGANZ 4EVER!!!!!

p.s. follow me on Twitter and Veggie Thing! xo

I present to you... biscuits!

2009-08-07T17:23:00.003-04:00

Ah biscuits. Such a basic part of American cuisine, so humble, and yet so complex. The perfect biscuit is light but rich, flaky yet sturdy, the marriage of little more than flour and fat. Ah, but the road to that marriage can sometimes be bumpy!

I've been making biscuits for many years, but only recently have I been achieving the results that I really wanted. The recipe I use is from the book James McNair's Favorites, which is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, and possibly the most vegan-friendly omni cookbook out there. But I digress.

Ok- this is what you need in your arsenal for perfect biscuits: good quality flour (I really can't justify using anything other than King Arthur Flour), some primo vegan non-hydrogenated shortening (I use Earth Balance sticks), a pastry cutter (fine, fine, I've used forks before), a nicely pre-heated oven, and tons of patience and practice. Oh and last but not least, you need a ridiculously sharp biscuit cutter.

Before I move on to McNair's recipe (with a few veganizing tips!), here is what he has to say:

As a youngster, I always asked for 'white' biscuits, which means cooked only until the tops were barely beginning to brown. I still like them this way. If you prefer a browner top, brush the biscuits with melted butter before baking. If you enjoy the sides crusty, arrange the biscuits about 1 inch apart in the baking pan: for soft sides, arrange them touching.
Offer butter and good jelly, jam, honey, or syrup with the biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits, from James McNair's Favorites, p. 411 (makes 12):

solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature, or cooking spray for greasing (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (this is 1 stick of Earth Balance shortening)
3/4 cup buttermilk (which, every good vegan knows, is 3/4 cup soymilk with 1 teaspoon of vinegar mixed in, the mixture allowed to sit and curdle for a few moments)

Position racks so that the biscuits will bake in the middle of an oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F. Using a pastry brush, lightly greast a baking sheet or pan with shortening or coat with spray or line with kitchen parchment. Set aside.

In a bowl or food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the shortening with your fingertips, a pastry blender, or steel blade until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. If using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture sticks together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly and quickly (Bazu says: lightly and quickly being the operative words! This step is what you need to practice.) about 30 seconds. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out about 1/2 inch thick. Using a floured 2 1/2 inch round biscuit cutter, cut out circles. (Bazu says: use a quick, deliberate up/down cutting motion- don't twist the biscuit cutter- this is key for getting a good rise, and the perfect flaky texture) Place on the prepared sheet.

Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Enjoy!

I'll admit it- I love salad!

2009-08-04T18:38:00.003-04:00

I like to think that I don't fit a lot of vegan stereotypes. Well, nobody does! However, there is one stereotype that I wholeheartedly embrace: I love salads! I always have, and always will. If I had to eat only one food for the rest of my life, it would be salad. Of course that would be cheating a little, because there are so many different kinds of salads- so many ways to mix flavors, textures, tastes, and colors. Warm or cold, spicy or sweet, light or substantial, oh, I could sing salad's praises for a long time.

Above, you see a photo of a meal I enjoyed this summer while Daiku and I were visiting my mom in Northern Virginia. We went to The Corner Bakery Cafe, which is s chain of coffee shops that you might be familiar with. To my delight, their menu gives you the option of combining any three salads, which you get with a side of mixed greens (a FOURTH salad!!) and a roll. I chose (clockwise from top) fruit salad, Greek salad (hold the feta), and Asian slaw. This, my friends, is my idea of the ideal meal. Give me produce or give me death!

And where did I get this insatiable taste for fruits and veggies? I'll have to give my mom credit for that one. She says that my brother and I didn't taste refined sugar until we were in preschool. Instead, she filled our plates (and shaped our palates) with fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade juices, and homemade baby food. When I was a kid, there were some fruits and veggies that I didn't like, but I have grown to love them all as an adult. Now, there's no vegan food I've met that I don't really like! I think it's important for kids to be exposed to a wide variety of fresh produce from early on. Would I have ever grown to love grapefruits the way I do now, if my mom hadn't patiently peeled them, separated the juicy fruit from the pith, and fed it to me in manageable segments? (What you see in the photo above is me snarfing up fruit at about 1 year old as my mom peels away.)

Thanks, mom!

and the winner is...

2009-07-16T15:07:00.004-04:00

Lucky #19, Sara Beth! Sara Beth, please email me at wherestherevolution@gmail.com and give me your mailing address and I'll get Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen mailed out to you!

Everyone else, thanks for playing and... yes, watch this spot for more giveaways this month!

another give-away! Vegan Soul Kitchen

2009-07-13T10:28:00.005-04:00

Some of you might remember my review of Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook a couple of months back. Now that summer is at its peak, these recipes will be even more of a joy to experiment with. Think fresh watermelon, mint, tomatoes, garlic... you get the picture! Well, once again, I am thrilled to have a copy to give away on this blog! If you want a chance to win this book, just leave a comment! Deadline for comments: Wednesday, 15 July 2009. Winner announced Thursday, 16 July.

* Note- I announced KimberlyNE as the winner of Ani Phyo's Raw Desserts book. However, I have not heard from her. If I don't hear from her soon, I will hold a second drawing and announce a new winner.

Thanks for participating!

and the winner is...

2009-07-10T10:06:00.004-04:00

Lucky comment #68, KimberlyNE!! KimberlyNE, please email me at wherestherevolution@gmail.com and give me your address and I'll ship Ani Phyo's book right out to you!

Everyone else, watch this spot for another exciting giveaway in the next couple of days...

ani phyo's raw desserts review and give-away!!

2009-07-07T16:28:00.005-04:00

I was so excited to get a chance to review Ani Phyo's newest cookbook, Ani's Raw Food Desserts. This is the perfect time of the year to dive into a world of fresh, raw desserts while taking advantage of all the gorgeous produce on hand. While this book contains many simple recipes that shine the spotlight on a single ingredient such as watermelons or peaches, Ani Phyo's fans know that there is going to be much more. There are recipes for cupcakes, cheesecakes, even tiramisu. I was introduced to new ingredients (such as mesquite powder and lecithin), and also enjoyed reading Ani's tips for health, beauty, and green living throughout the book. There are even recipes using wine- Ani is a chef after my own heart!

So far, my favorite recipe that I've made from this book is the strawberry kream cheezecake (p. 57) (I subbed fresh blueberries for the strawberry sauce). Raw or not, vegan or not, this is by far my favorite cheesecake ever! Daiku and I are obsessed with it- it is creamy and tangy and has just the right texture and taste. I can't wait to try variations of it... hmmm, I went strawberry picking today...

Thanks to the generosity of the publisher, I have a copy of Ani's Raw Food Desserts to give away! If you'd like a chance to win this book, just leave a comment here. I will randomly pick one winner from all the commenters. Deadline for comments: Thursday, 9 July 2009, 11 p.m. EST. Winner announced: Friday morning. Good luck!

jojo visits!

2009-07-02T21:23:00.003-04:00

Ok, ok, I promised cute animals, so I'll start with the post that will give you all the cute critters you can handle! Back in May, Daiku and I were so happy to have a visit from Jojo. She and I met when we visited Brighton back in November, a meet-up I wrote about here. When Jojo decided to come visit New York, I decided to try and lure her up to Syracuse with milkshakes. It worked!

The first night, I decided to go for a home-cooked comfort meal of mac&cheese with cut-up hot dogs. (New Farm mac&cheese recipe). As you can see, we tried to "health up" the meal with some peas and tomatoes.

Of course, no trip to Syracuse is complete without a visit (or 2) to Strong Hearts Cafe. Above, you have Jojo's chocolate/mint cupcake- how gorgeous is that?

Milkshakes, of course.

A favorite of both of us, the Egg Trick Muffin. This little sandwich is so savory and satisfying- a nutritional yeasty tofu egg, melted Teese mozarella, and sausage, all on a toasted english muffin. Yum.

One of my new favorites from the Strong Hearts menu- on the outside it looks like a huge but innocent stack of french toast.

Only to reveal peanut butter, jelly, and bananas hidden on the inside! So good, and enough for 2 people, seriously.

We took a road trip to Farm Sanctuary. We saw lots of cute animals there! But wait, just a little more food first, ok?

We went to ABC Cafe in Ithaca, where Jojo and Daiku ordered veggie burgers, above.

I went for the tempeh arizona sandwich, grilled marinated tempeh topped with heaps of avocado and a fabulous lemon-tahini sauce.

Somehow, we managed to save room for dessert! Above, you have Jojo's brownie, full of yummy walnuts. It was dense and fudgey, and she prefers a more cake-like brownie... which means yours truly scored a bunch of leftovers! ;-)

Daiku and I shared this gigantic slice of carrot cake. It was so moist and full of carrots and raisins, and the frosting was a pleasant surprise- coconutty and sticky and mmmmm.

All in all, Jojo and I got to enjoy several days of vegan heaven- and Daiku and I miss her! Ok, if you've read this far, you deserve some animal photos as a reward! Here are some of the residents of Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. Enjoy!

july happenings!

2009-06-21T09:12:00.005-04:00

Watch this blog for a glorious July! I will celebrate summer with tons of new posts with cookbook and product reviews, great summer recipes, travel updates, meet-ups with awesome vegans, and drawings and giveaways galore! tell everyone you know- Where's the Revolution will be the July IT blog. =)

Oh, and there will be farm animals. Definitely lots of farm animals.

belfast!

2009-05-19T20:06:00.008-04:00

Oh hi! Where was I...? Oh yes, well, before my computer crashed (major boo...) I had almost caught this blog up to all my travels from back in the Fall and Winter. Last I left you, I was finishing up my trip to Copenhagen. As I was flying to from there, my friend Meghan was flying from Washington DC. We met up in London to fly together to Belfast the next day.

Can you tell we were a little exhausted by the time we were getting in? But Northern Ireland immediately welcomed us- even though we were there practically in winter, look at this green greeting we got as our plane was landing!

greeeeeeen!

Once again, our stay was made possible because of the generosity of a fellow PPK-er, Loretta, a.k.a. fezza. She and her partner graciously welcomed us into their home, where we got to have a great time with them, play their wonderful cat and puppy, and eat lots of wonderful vegan food!

Here's Angus the awesome.

And Poppy the pup! They were beyond adorable.

Fezza took us around and we got to see some of Northern Ireland's greatest sites, such as the Giants Causeway, above. This place was amazing.

We got to tour the city of Belfast and see the reminders of the not-too-distant troubles that went on there. Here is something I've always wanted to see in person, the mural in tribute to Bobby Sands.

We got to go to the famous Crown Bar, the most beautiful bar I've seen.

There, I got to try my first hot toddy- and fall in love with Irish whiskey! Mmmmm. Perfect on a cold winter night.

There aren't that many vegan or even vegetarian restaurants in Ireland, and this underscores the awesomeness of staying with vegans. Local delicious food! Above, you see Meghan and me snacking on delicious home-made sandwiches on our flight back home. (Ha ha, other EasyJet passengers!)

Here's a delicious curry that Fezza's partner made for dinner. It was so delicious and warming on a wintry night. (I apologize for the blurry photo- I was in too much of a hurry to start eating!)

Perhaps my favorite Belfast meal: This Ulster Fry-up, the breakfast of champions, vegan style! Here you see beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausage and bacon, and best of all some grilled potato bread. Mmmmmm! This was my first "proper" British breakfast and it was so lovely.

Lastly, Belfast was an awesome city for shopping. It is where I scored the cat dress, above. Festooned with funny kitties, it is my favorite item of clothing now!

Meghan and I want to thank Fezza for her incredible hospitality, friendship and most of all, all the delicious vegan candies and biscuits that she fed us! Thank you also for letting us play with your adorable pets. 6 months later, I really miss Belfast, and hope I have a chance to go back one day.

For more Belfast photos, including more mural images, click here
.

apologies and short delay!

2009-04-15T12:55:00.002-04:00

hi everyone! just a quick note to let you all know that my computer crashed late last week and most of my hard drive has been wiped out. while I work on installing a new hard drive and seeing what, if anything, I can recover from the old one, I'll have to delay blogging. I know that I still owe you all posts about Belfast, England, and the give-away! Those, and more will be coming up as soon as I can manage. In the meantime, please send positive computer vibes my way- I need them!

Thanks!

copenhagen and malmö!

2009-04-08T18:38:00.006-04:00

After Berlin, Ditte and I flew to her hometown of Copenhagen. I was so excited to see Denmark for the first time. Unfortunately, I came down with a wicked cold at the end of our stay in Berlin and by the time we got to Copenhagen, I could barely breathe. A lot of our site-seeing had to be cancelled and instead Ditte and her lovely partner had to take care of a sick Bazu passed out on her couch! So a lot of this post is going to be about lovely vegan homecooking. And you know what? When you're traveling through Scandinavia in the dead of winter, a little warm food at home can be the most healing and wonderful thing ever!

European vegans are spoiled for choice when it comes to various sandwich spreads! Above you see some slices of hearty brown bread with, clockwise from bottom, Tartex "liverwurst", Streich, vegan cream cheese, and a roasted red pepper spread.

Lovely winter breakfast: a big bowl of berry oatmeal. That is the pinkest oatmeal I've ever had!

Homemade soup with deep-fried tofu.

All this wonderful nourishment (and a lot of sleep!) helped me be able to get out of the house by my third day. And oh my goodness- if there is one thing worth leaving the house for, it's freshly baked vegan chocolate croissants, am I right? These were heavenly. I'm ashamed of how many I ate in my few days in Copenhagen...

We went to Ditte's friend Asla's house, and boy was I in luck, because Asla had just made a fresh batch of a classic Danish dish, pictured above. This was warm øllebrød (beer bread) bread pudding, a holiday dish that is indescribable. It's a dark rye bread pudding made with a special kind of beer:

This Christmas brew is sweet and very very low in alcohol. It makes for an amazing bread pudding- a deep and complex flavor, accentuated with a bit of sugar on top. I crave this all the time now, but where to find Danish Christmas beer???

Part of Ditte's job is running a soup kitchen of sort. She cooks a big vegan feast, and people can come and eat whatever they want and donate whatever they can. I was so happy to be able to help her out, it was fun working together, and I got invaluable experience in cooking large batches of food in a commercial kitchen.

We made a wintry roasted veggie salad.

Ditte cooked several big loaves of bread.

And we made a big sweet potato soup, and some rice to go on the side. It was so cool to make the food, and then sit down with everyone and eat the yummy results!

By the end of the week, I was feeling all better, so we were able to arrange a meet-up in Malmö, a southern Swedish city that is a short train ride from Copenhagen. I was really happy to get a chance to go back to Sweden (after my trip to Stockholm to visit my uncle the previous month), but extra excited because of who we were meeting up with...

Vegbitch!! That's right, everyone's favorite Swedish vegan, Emmie, and her wonderful partner Alex showed us around Malmö. In the above photo, from left to right, you see Alex, Emmie, Ditte, and me.

The first thing we did was check out Astrid & aporna, a huge health food store with a most intriguing selection of goods. Above, you see vegan lobster. !!!! Realistic, eh?

Ah, the wiley and elusive vegan ham tube. Have you ever seen so many?

I remembered loving these Tofuline ice cream bars, but had never tried this flavor before: pear! It was good, even on a freezing day.

For fun, we then visited a store selling American things, like the cans of pumpkin, above. It gave me a tiny bit of homesickness, seeing "normal" American grocery items in an exotic context.

We checked out a Polish supermarket, where we found soy chicken cutlets, above. (How weird for an American and a Dane to go to Sweden to meet up with a Swede and a Briton, only to go to a Polish market to buy vegan goods... ah, globalization...)

For lunch, we went to Vegegården, a mostly vegan (some vegetarian items) restaurant that had an all-you-can-eat buffet. We were spoiled for choice!

Here's a rather cloudy shot of my (first) plate. There were lots of fresh fruits and veggies, rice and noodles of all kinds, mock meats of all kinds, and dessert.

After lunch and some more walking around, we sat down at an Espresso House, which is a chain of coffee shops. After double-checking that their mocha mix was vegan, we ordered these soy mocha lattes- they hit the spot!

Did I mention that this was the first time I saw snow while staying in Europe? Pretty good for a displaced Syracusean! I want to thank Ditte for showing me such great hospitality and caring for me when I was sick. I want to thank Emmie and Alex for meeting up with us and showing us around for a day of fun and conversation (and good food!). I think staying with local vegans and forming friendships is such a privilege, and pretty much the best part of traveling. I was glad to be feeling better, because soon it was time to leave Copenhagen to go back to London and on to Belfast from there...

To see all my Copenhagen and Malmö photos, click here.

Bryant Terry: Vegan Soul Kitchen

2009-04-06T22:40:00.006-04:00

Last year, I attended a "Food and Justice" symposium at Syracuse University. There, I got to hear scholars, writers, food activists, and people from all kinds of backgrounds discuss the intersections of food and justice. There was so much to think about- the availability of fresh produce. Fair prices for small farmers. The cost of organic foods. The best way to get food into the hands of those who need it. Preserving heirloom seeds and varieties. Food education. Nutrition. Politics. In short, it was a bit overwhelming!

Bryant Terry is a chef and activist who is deeply involved in all these same issues. As he says in his book, the best way to engage with people on some of the deepest ethical and philosophical issues is through grub. Good, delicious, simple GRUB. The way to our hearts and minds is through our stomachs after all! I think most of us who blog understand this on a deep level- every time we talk about a delicious organic strawberry or some local asparagus or a vegan dessert, we are appealing to the appetite, but also appealing to a shared sense that there is a better way to eat.

I received a review copy of Terry's second book, Vegan Soul Kitchen, which gives us plenty of ways to eat better- better for our bodies, for the animals, for the earth, and for the producers of sustainable food. In this book, he gives traditional African-American and soul food recipes that are not only vegan, but also based on a whole foods philosophy. You won't find processed or packaged foods here, but you will find plenty of deliciousness.

Case in point, his recipe for Roasted Plantains with Roasted Garlic Lime Dipping Sauce. While this dish is meant as an appetizer, it fed the two of us (along with some tofu and couscous) as dinner tonight. The plantains came out crispy and savory, while the dipping sauce was brimming with fresh and tart flavors, a perfect counterpart. I can't wait to cook more with this book, especially as summer's abundant local produce comes in. Bryant Terry is a man after my own heart- there is a whole section of the book dedicated to watermelon! Get this book if you want to give fresh, local, and seasonal food a twist- who knows, you might change a few hearts and minds along the way.

berlin!

2009-04-04T19:41:00.007-04:00

Ok, this post is gigantic. What can I say. Berlin is my favorite city in the world, and it's a vegan/green living mecca. In exchange for posting tons of photos, I will not use any words. If you want specific information about anything or any place you see, feel free to ask me. For comprehensive vegan Berlin information, look at this post on the PPK, where Sarahbean and Mihl posted hugely valuable information. Their lists were basically our guides! And, I got to meet so many awesome vegans and bloggers on this trip, including Mihl and Ditte. This was an amazing trip. Berlin, ich liebe dich!

latté made with soy milk

munching on a hawaii burger at yo-yo

jojo enjoys one of our many many cupcakes from Cupcake (yes, jojo from Brighton)

yes, vegetarian doner!

vegan gummi bears- seriously addictive

yet another Soyamilchkaffee

lemon cupcake!

apple tart with vegan whipped cream

vegan brunch. plate 1 of many...

our group came from 5 different cities and most of us crashed together- so fun!

yay photobooths!

Mihl & bazu, about to enjoy some fine German beer

Sudanese vegan food.

you heard me right.

another vegan restaurant, co-owned by an Iranian-German lady. um. vegan Iranian German food.

you heard me right.

^ this is where you find it. It's in the Kreuzberg neighborhood.

Berlin has many, many healthfood stores, including an all-vegan supermarket! Above you see that Germans have a huge selection of veggie spreads and pates to choose from

soup,

and hot dog at Hot Dog Soup. That's what they serve!

Lots of different hot dogs, including hawaii dog, above.

the last 3 remaining Berlin revelers, right before leaving our hostel room...

This post didn't even scratch the surface! The one thing everyone can agree that Berlin is is OVERWHELMING. you can see the rest of my photos from this trip here.

let's get this blog back on the road!

2009-04-04T10:50:00.000-04:00

Bijou looks on disapprovingly at my lack of blogging.

Ok, I've been playing the catch-up game forever! Because of my slowness to post about my travels in Europe, I've also been neglecting the here and now- resulting in a huge blogging backlog which of course makes me afraid to do anything! So resolved, as of today, a schedule for getting this blog back on the road:

Saturday, April 4 - Berlin
Monday, April 6 - Review of Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen
Wednesday, April 8 - Copenhagen and Malmö
Friday, April 10 - Belfast
Sunday, April 12 - England odds and ends
Tuesday, April 14 - Drawings for 3 prizes, from among those who kindly donated to my charity sky dive way back in September- I have not forgotten!

I'm making myself stick to this schedule, and so you can be sure to see all these posts shortly! For all you lovely people who have been gently prodding me in the right direction- thank you!

Bijou says "I'll believe it when I see it."

Ghent!

2009-03-20T16:30:00.005-04:00

Mea culpa! When friends and family start complaining about lack of blog updates, I know that I've been abandoning the blog! So let's take off where we left off... Last time, Lisa and I had finished our journey through Lille, and we were headed to the Belgian town of Ghent.

Ghent was simply beautiful.

Our host, Karen.

climbing many, many stories to the top of the bellfry, from which we could see the awesome architecture of the town,

...including the cathedral where where we got to see Jan van Eyck's "Adoration of the Lamb", also known as the Ghent Altarpiece.

This piece is magnificent in all it's multi-dimensional Northern Renaissance glory and made an art history fangirl out of me. (The photo is from the web, since no photography was allowed in the Cathedral).

On to the most spectacular stuff: Belgian vegan food and drink!

fresh juices, made to order

a vegan all-you can eat buffet!! there was so much choice there, it was unbelievable. Lisa and I especially loved a cauliflower gratin that they had... I've been trying to emulate that dish ever since...

including dessert and (organic, vegan) Belgian white beer, of course.

good friends (left to right: Lisa, Karen, Tess (another fabulous Belgian vegan), and me)

No visit to Belgium is complete without frites, of course! The menu above shows you all the veggie selections (the ones with *s next to them mean vegan) - and those were just the burgers! There was also a vegan gravy available, gravy being a traditional Flemish dip for fries.

Frites! And veggie burger! And veg. chicken nuggets, oh my! Fried food HEAVEN!

On our way out of town, we stopped in at yet another vegan restaurant, this one a co-op run by volunteers and devoted to fair trade and just, in addition to vegan and delicious, food. Above, just one of the dishes we enjoyed there, an appetizer of hummus served with homemade bread.

The only restaurant where I've ever seen nutritional yeast offered as a side order! Can you spot it in flemish in the menu above?

Ghent was such a lively, lovely, and politically active town. Finding vegan food was no problem at all, especially since our hosts were there to guide us through the best. And at every turn, reminders, like on the plate above, to "think globally and eat locally." I gotta love it.

Speaking of thinking globally, Ghent is an incredibly bike-friendly town! Especially to an American's eyes, this sea of bikes was awe-inspiring! Biking is not just a green mode of transportation, but a way to work off all the insane amounts of delicious vegan food that you'll eat if you ever find yourself in Belgium!

To see all our Ghent photos, click here. Next up, Berlin!

ETA, 22 March: I'm sorry I didn't include the restaurant names in this post! Here they are:

- Tasty World (juices, smoothies, salads and sandwiches: Hoogpoort, 1, 9000, Gent)
- Komkommertijd (all-you-can-eat vegan buffet restaurant: Reep 14, 9000 Gent)
- De Frietketel (frites and burgers! Papegaaistraat, 89, Gent, 9000)
- Lekker Gec (the fair-trade restaurant and teahouse : 5-6 St Pietersstation)

(thanks for the reminders, Karen!)

zukay!

2009-02-26T13:29:00.003-05:00

I love this stuff! A few weeks ago, I received a generous offer to try some living condiments. Why living? Because they are your regular run-of-the-mill condiments (salsas, relishes, kimchis, pickles), infused with probiotic cultures. You know, the friendly bacteria that make sauerkraut and yogurt so good for you!

I received mild and hot salsas, and garlic and horseradish varieties of the relish. At first I was a little hesitant to try them, so I took them to our friend's house, thinking if many of us sampled these together, we'd be safe! As I opened the jar of mild salsa viva, it bubbled and exploded dangerously onto my friend's counter-top! We were amazed and mildly disturbed, but bravely decided to dip our tortilla chips into this monster anyway. And you know what? It was fizzy! This stuff definitely is alive! But after the first rush, it just tastes like a really fresh, homemade salsa. The 6 of us easily polished off a whole jar of the salsa (and a large bag of tortilla chips) in one night. Next up, the relishes- they are mild, but flavorful, and went great on some vegan sausage sandwiches and also as a dip. The hot salsa viva we tried was more intense and bubbly than the mild stuff, and it received mixed reviews. Most of my friends seem to prefer the mild, though I'm good with both. And my belly definitely appreciates the probiotics.

I'm anxious to try some of Celine's ideas for Zukay foods- in the meanwhile, you can go to their website and order some or see what stores near you carry it, so you can try the stuff for yourself! You won't be disappointed, and you'll be supporting a small and friendly company!

Zukay Live Foods

Coming up soon... remember that giveaway I promised a long time ago? I didn't forget! It's coming!

lille

2009-02-01T21:47:00.007-05:00

Next up on the European itinerary, Lille, France! I had never been anywhere in France other than Paris (read my post about my last trip to Paris here), so when on-line buddy Aelle offered to let me stay with her in Lille, I could not resist!

I was also lucky to find a travel partner. Pandacookie was able to come to England in November, so together we jumped the Chunnel and crossed over to France. (In this photo, she is posing with Obama at the Lille train station. This was less than a week after the U.S. election, so there was Obama-fever everywhere!)

Here is Aelle, and her partner Wally. They were the coolest hosts. The first night, Aelle had made reservations for us at Le Toucouleur, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant. She had, awesomely, previously made arrangements with the Chef for us to get a two-course vegan dinner! In the above photo, you see our cocktails. All the cocktails at the restaurant are named after African capitals- mine (on the left) was the Yaoundé, a tequilla cocktail sweetened with agave nectar and pineapple juice. I had to get it, just because it taught me how to say agave nectar in French! (nectar de goyave)

Our dinner was amazing. We got the first course, this delicious and spicy vegetable stew with rice, and ate it all up, forgetting that we had another course coming!

So by the time we got this amazing veggie curry (withs sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions, and more) we were all stuffed! That didn't stop us from indulging anyway. The experience at the restaurant was so nice- without a host who knew the city so well, what would we have had for dinner?

On Sunday, we headed to Lille's large market. It was super bustling, crowded, and filled with beautiful foods and sights. Above, you see some of the brightly-colored spices at a Moroccan spice shop.

And here are some giant squash. Everywhere we went, people gave us samples of clementines, grapes, olives, etc. The market was a very multi-sensual experience.

Here's one of my favorite photos from Lille- a family of musician playing on the street during market day.

After picking up some fresh bread (bien sûr!) we headed home, where Wally and Aelle cooked us a magnificent... Japanese feast. (You see, both of them had been living in Japan until recently). This fragrant dish, full of mushrooms, peppers, and noodles was so satisfying on a cool day, and we inhaled it all.

Lille Cathedral.

Our lovely hosts at a café, where I got to indulge in my love for French espresso:

Here is one of my funnest discoveries in Lille! Kwak beer (being in Northern France, near Belgium, beer is a huge deal in Lille, and people drink it more than they do in other regions.) Kwak beer is called so because it's served in the special glass that you see- and when the drink gets down to a certain point, the sound of air bubbles as you tip the glass make a "quack quack" sound- it's hilarious! And the stuff is very potent, so giggles are sure to accompany a Kwak order!

Of course, you can't go to France without gorging yourself on fresh-made baguettes. Pandacookie and I must have gone through at least 10 loaves of this stuff...

Both of us were also happy to get to check out Le Furet du Nord, formerly Europe's biggest bookstore! (Now the 2nd biggest)... It was so fun to browse through floor after floor of books, magazines, stationery, and art supplies, including a whole section of books in English (and other languages as well).

Here are Pandacookie, me, Aelle, (and of course, baguette), as Aelle dropped us off at the train station on our way to Belgium. Our visit to Lille was so extremely fun, mostly because of the coolness of Wally, Aelle, and her family who were nice enough to take two internet strangers into their house! It was nice to get an insider vegan view of the city, and I can't wait to go back. Merci, Aelle!

To see all my photos from Lille, click here.

Coming up next, join Pandacookie and Bazu in Ghent...

we interrupt these travel updates for...

2009-01-24T13:02:00.003-05:00

...some images from last week's inauguration! (well I guess it's still traveling, but not in chronological order...) I was one of the 2-3 millions of people crammed in the national mall, freezing my bum off, glad for every moment:

record-breaking crowds in the Metro...

and in the streets

cute kids in the National Mall (we got on the Mall because we were there before 7 a.m... but that meant about 5 hours of waiting in the below-freezing temps...)

people struggling for better views...

...seeing ourselves on the jumbotron

Barack Obama's face melding with the crowds...

...Biden taking the oath...

Obama getting sworn in... more or less smoothly! (wtf, Justice Roberts??)

...jubilant crowds witnessing history...

...jubilant us!!!!!... (my cousin Melissa, me, and fellow blogger Karyn)

...watching as people watched the inaugural address...

cooing at the police horses everywhere

...shivering as we spent a couple of hours getting off the mall! (crowd control was much better organized before than after the event)

but all the cold and aching was worth it to get to eat treats (and drink HOT COFFEE!) at Sticky Fingers afterwards...

Pretty much an ideal Washington DC day, wouldn't you say? I'm so glad I was there and part of this festive and moving day. Gobama!

oh hai!

2009-01-08T13:33:00.004-05:00

Happy new year, everyone! Where have I been? I don't know! I've been present on the internet, but for some reason I've had a weird mental block that's kept me from blogging. I miss you guys. I've realized that I'm not an effective blogger when I'm not home and well, the last 5 months were spent away from my house. But as of late last night, I am back in Syracuse. I have so much to catch up on! Thinking about it too much would just paralyze me, so instead, I'll ease into things by filling out a survey that I found on the Raw Vegan Princess blog. I tag all of you to fill it out too, if you haven't already done!

Memememe....

1) LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATRE? It's been a long time for me, since I've been out of the country until recently. I think the last movie I saw was I am Legend at the $1 theater.

2) WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? I just finished Secret Lives of Great Authors, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Fun holiday reading. I'm also reading Surreal Lives, but I don't like talking about school work...

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? I love the Word Game, because it is really challenging. But I'm a huge fan of any board game, really. I'm nerdy like that. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? Right now I'm in a design mood, having missed my house for the last few months, so anything about design is good. But sometimes the commercial-y consumer-y nature of magazines turns me off, and at those times nothing beats Adbusters.

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS? Right now, rose, gardenia, anise, and musk.

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS? Sounds irritate me easily, so I'm going to have to say silence is my favorite sound.

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Helplessness, and also when you say or do something that you immediately wish you hadn't.

8 ) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE? Tea! Well, first, Feed The Cats! Then, tea!

9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE? I love Panera. On long road trips, that and Subway keep me alive. In regular life, I love the Italian Chef here in Syracuse.

10) FUTURE CHILD’S NAME? Top Secret!

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D… endow a human rights and an animal rights chair at some school or another, donate to charities like there's no tomorrow, travel, give gifts to friends and family.

12) DO YOU DRIVE FAST? No, I drive like a little old granny.

13) DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? Nope. My stuffed animals live in the guest room.

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? cool. especially if you're inside and protected. ooooh, especially summer storms here in the east.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? a hand-me-down 1988 Toyota Camry bought from my parents. I loved that old clunker.

16) FAVOURITE DRINK? Tea (hot), mango juice (cold), sparking wine (alcoholic), lightly fizzy mineral water (water).

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT - IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD… overhaul this blog, and get to all the organizational projects around the house (files, photos, etc.)

18 ) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? Yes, absolutely.

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Something wild. Maybe multi-colored dreads- wouldn't that be cool?

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN? Tehran (Iran), Esfehan (Iran), Los Angeles (CA), Santa Clara (CA), Cupertino (CA), New Hyde Park (NY), East Setauket (NY), New York City (Manhattan), New York City (Queens), Winter Park (FL), Irvine (CA), Syracuse (NY), Canterbury (England). Whew!

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football, but only during the World Cup.

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? She didn't send it to me, but Freedom is one of the most passionate and compassionate people I can think of. I love reading her blog and being inspired.

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? Nothing other than dust bunnies right now.

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a nihilist, so I don't care if I would be born again or not. If I had to be, though, yeah myself would be cool.

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Morning person. Living with a night owl.

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? No! NOOOOOOO!

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? In the summer, in the hammock in the backyard, in the winter, under a cozy blanket anywhere.

28 ) FAVOURITE PIE? Mince. England kicks America's ass in this category.

29) FAVOURITE ICECREAM FLAVOUR? Coconut milk chocolate. So ridiculously luxurious.

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? I'm not tagging anyone, but I hope there are some readers out there left!

brighton

2008-12-03T18:38:00.003-05:00

Saturday, 1 November, was world vegan day, and Daiku and I got to celebrate it in style by meeting up with a bunch of awesome people in perhaps England's most vegan city: Brighton! People came from as far afield as London and even the Netherlands for this day. We shopped for vegan shoes at Vegetarian Shoes, saw the sites, went antiquing, and I even got to see an original Banksy! But above all, we ate.

First, the Brighton kids took us out-of-towners to Infinity market, one of the biggest and best health food stores I've ever seen. I stocked up on nutritional yeast (I didn't know I'd miss it so much!) and other essentials. The best part was their bakery had fresh-baked scones (pictured above) and Chelsea buns. This was my first time getting to taste these British delicacies and they were so good!

Here's Jojo holding up... vegan haggis! I just had to get it (it gets its own post, coming soon!)

Next, we headed to The George, a vegan and vegetarian pub! How cool is that- this was the first time I got to go to a pub and order anything other than chips. But first, I passed out some American vegan goodies- oreos, sour patch kids, and tings!

Ok, if you were at a restaurant and their special for the day was the Elvis burger- a veggie burger with cheese, peanut butter and banana- wouldn't you order it? Most of us did! And you know what? It was actually really good!

Daiku ordered the mushroom and ale pie, which turned out to be huge- and very satisfying.

Next, we headed over to Infinity Café, for hot drinks. I thought, since I'd already had an Elvis burger, not to mention a scone AND a chelsea bun, that I was full, but then this fudgey chocolate cake caught my eye. Who can say no to vegan dessert? Not me! Our party also tried their almond cake and some other delicacies- all very well prepared and extremely tasty.

Even though it was a blistery and rainy day, we all had so much fun! To see other photos from this meet-up, take a look at my Brighton flickr set.

happy december!

2008-12-01T19:19:00.003-05:00

Whew- I didn't realize that I was taking a bit of a blogging hiatus, but there you have it- a month sort of flew by. But, I can promise you that in the coming days, you can expect posts about a month's worth of traveling and vegan eating (of course!) in the following cities:

Brighton
Lille
Ghent
Berlin
Copenhagen
Malmö
Belfast
London

It's been a whirlwind month, and I'm so grateful for all the friends who made my travels possible. And now, I'm grateful to be sorting through the photos and notes and getting ready to blog about it all!

live-blogging election day

2008-11-04T12:01:00.034-05:00

5:05 p.m. GMT, 12:05 p.m. EST

I'm way too excited to sit still, so I thought I'd channel some of my energy into live blogging the election. It's especially difficult here in England, because we are already coming up on night, and don't yet have too much news, so the fingernails are quite stubby by now, as you can imagine....

As I've mentioned in this blog before, I have voted for Barack Obama. This is the 3rd time in my life that I'm eligible to vote for president, and the 1st time that I have voted for a major party (having voted Green in 2000 and 2004.) It might be interesting to know how it feels to back someone who wins!

5:41 p.m. GMT, 12:41 p.m. EST

My ballot was cast in California, and Daiku's in New York, two states the reliably tend to swing blue. However, we have family in two very hotly contested swing states- Missouri and Virginia. I'll be looking closely at those states- anyone else voting there? I have heard reports of long lines in VA, some places where it took people over 4 hours in line before they could vote. I only had to mail in an absentee ballot. I take off my hat to everyone who has endured any difficulties in physically voting today.

Being in England for the most heated parts of the election has been a blessing and a curse. It's difficult to feel so detached from the process back home, but such a relief to be away from the 24-hour news cycle and some of the more vicious aspects of the election.

6:44 p.m. GMT, 1:44 p.m. EST

memories...

2004: I lived in Irvine. I had no t.v. I remember going to the gym on election night to try to see a bit of news. And then, at home, I remember waiting up until all hours of the night, constantly hitting the "reload" button, hoping against all hope the the Ohio tallies would start bearing positive news. Alas, they never did. I wore black to teach the next day.

2000: I lived in New York City. I came home straight away after work, excited to watch the results. My mom and I had just voted for Ralph Nader that morning, and I remember being very encouraged that he would get the 5% of votes needed to ensure federal funding for the Green party. Then the election took a turn for the weird... at around 3 a.m. I realized I wouldn't be finding out results that night. Gore lost. Nader didn't hit 5%. Who knew then that a terrifyingly traumatizing 8 years had just begun?

one way or another, I guess I'm destined to stay up late on election nights!

8:24 p.m. GMT, 3:24 p.m. EST

Even though the presidential race seems to eclipse all the other ones, there are of course many other important races and issues that people are voting about today. One of those, an issue close to my heart, is a ballot initiative in CA that would ban cruel confinement of farm animals. (Proposition 2) This would be such a landmark law, since changes to the agricultural industry in CA, due to its sheer size, could not help but have a ripple effect. Another, which I voted against, is Prop. 8, an initiative that would seek to limit marriage only to those between men and women. What's even sadder is that 3 other states have anti-gay measures on the ballot too. (including Arkansas, which is seeking to make it illegal for gay couples to adopt children). In a world where so many children desperately await adoption, I find that last measure especially crass and mean-spirited. Here's something interesting to ponder. CA legalized interracial marriages before the U.S. supreme court. Talk about "activist judges"! Back then, 96% (NINETY-SIX!!!) of Americans were against people marrying from different races. Today, only about 50% of Americans oppose same-sex marriage. Makes you think, huh?

11 p.m. GMT, 6 p.m. EST

the earliest polls are closing now! let's get this show on the road! now it feels like something really is happening.

11:22 p.m. GMT, 6:22 p.m. EST

we just heard from a relative in Georgia. apparently, someone left a dead cat by her Obama sign. this happened to some of their neighbors too. it's gut-wrenching, and so wrong on so many levels.

12:05 a.m. GMT, 7:05 p.m. EST

Finally, the BBC has started broadcasting election news! The first results were not too surprising, VT for Obama, KY for McCain. Interestingly, MO seems to be a stalwart swing state- no one is calling it one way or another yet! My mother-in-law, in Missouri, said that they've gotten 3 phone calls and a flier, all reminding them to vote, all from the Obama campaign. The organization of his campaign is so reassuring. She also said that a worker at a local polling place was illegally demanding 2 instead of 1 form of ID, but that he was quickly booted from his job. Yay, progress!

12:21 a.m. GMT, 7:21 p.m. EST

Chris Hitchens was just on the BBC, calling the McCain campaign "cheap, nasty, sordid."

12:25 a.m. GMT, 7:25 p.m. EST

The BBC is showing people gathering in Chicago, anticipating a celebration. the sense of excitement is so palpable!
It just occurred to me how privileged Daiku and I are that all of our friends and family are politically in sync. Frankly, I don't know how I'd deal with someone close to me who saw it fit to vote for McCain right now.

12:31 a.m. GMT, 7:31 p.m. EST

North Carolina, Ohio, and W. Virginia just closed. The fact that W.Virginia is not even projecting immediate results is itself telling. Tellingly awesome.

12:40 a.m. GMT, 7:40 p.m. EST

It is so weird to be watching an election without a t.v. and without American news! Apparently, U.S. networks are calling W. Virgina for McCain, but the BBC, in its imminent conservatism, is holding out. Calm and measured. At least we get to hear Rick Gervais talking about Obama here- a definite plus!
Ohio is especially close to my heart. We have friends from there who were election monitors in 2004, and the stories of voter fraud and disenfranchisement that they tell are bone-chilling. Let's right that wrong, OH!

12:57 a.m. GMT, 7:57 p.m. EST

how weird that the NY Times (top) is saying Obama is leading in SC while the BBC (bottom) is calling SC for McCain?...

huh...?

1:04 a.m. GMT, 8:04 p.m. EST

PA for Obama!!!!

1:23 a.m. GMT, 8:23 p.m. EST

well, here's something you don't see every day! (I know, I know, it's ephemeral, but let's revel in the novelty, shall we?)

NYTimes Map, projecting an Obama lead (!!) in TX

1:36 a.m. GMT, 8:36 p.m. EST

bazu rides the Tube, London, November 2008

1:52 a.m. GMT, 8:52 p.m. EST

was it just me, or did the BBC anchor just refer to New Hampshire as North Hampshire? Ha- it's late at night, we'll give him a pass.

2:36 a.m. GMT, 9:36 p.m. EST

I don't know how much longer I can stay awake! I'm still biting my nails over VA and MO- so far it doesn't look like Obama will win either. That will be a bummer for many of my family and friends! Ohio for Obama, though! Yessss. Louisiana just went to McCain. Sad and telling. How sad that the Republicans helped wipe New Orleans to the ground, and now the state goes to the GOP, once again.

According to a commentator on the BBC just now "fundamentally, America remains a center-right nation." That is truly sad. Somehow, as good as this looks for Obama, this is not shaping up to be the landslide that many of us had dared hope for. It seems that things are too entrenched for real surprises over any given election cycle. This is sad too. Very bittersweet evening.

2:47 a.m. GMT, 9:47 p.m. EST

I just had a mini-meltdown, brought on by sleep loss. I incorrectly though I saw that CA had passed its ban on gay marriage and I freaked out: "Oh noooo! I can't believe CA banned gay marriage! I can't believe it! Ellen and Portia are null and void! Ellen and Portia had a vegan wedding!!! Noooo!" Fortunately, I was wrong, but hopefully that gave you a glance into my addled brain right now! There is still hope. Come on, CA.

2:52 a.m. GMT, 9:52 p.m. EST

as I live and breathe: I just saw the BBC anchor shut down John Bolton, because he was "chattering away as [they were] trying to talk to people in Florida. Suck it, John Bolton! Seriously, though, Bolton is a huge symbol of the Bush years, someone who took the W administration's bellicosity to the United Nations, to our country's great shame. I'd like to see him, like GW, like the trauma of the last 8 years, disappear. Being smacked down by the BBC is a good start!

2:57 a.m. GMT, 9:57 p.m. EST

Obama just pulled ahead of McCain in VA!!! Go, VIRGINIA!! And he's also ahead in FL! GOBAMA!

3:12 a.m. GMT, 10:12 p.m. EST

Just saw Erica Jong and Eddie Izzard praising Obama on the BBC... the evening is getting surrealer and surrealer! Erica Jong used a very interesting term to refer to Obama "coolth" - talking about the aura of calm that he projects, that we are probably unconsciously all responding to. I understand that no politician, especially a mainstream politician, will be ideal, and we will have opportunities to become disillusioned with Obama in due time, but for now, I'm with much of the world in believing in him, and believing in the opportunity that he covers the U.S. and the world.

3:20 a.m. GMT, 10:20 p.m. EST

John Bolton continues to make an ass of himself, lashing out at the BBC, yelling like a cornered animal. He needs to get off the world stage. Now.

historian Simon Schama (left), trying not to punch John Bolton (right) on the BBC

3:31 a.m. GMT, 10:31 p.m. EST

What does a vegan eat while nervously watching election results? A delicious potato-spinach dip, inspired by a Yellow Rose tester recipe. I just recently finally found nutritional yeast here in the U.K., and I'm taking full advantage of it. There is some champagne* chilling in the fridge. Life is good.

*cheap sparkling wine from Tesco

Other exciting election results I'm watching: Elizabeth Dole is gone! Her dirty campaign apparently did nothing for her. It looks like Al Franken is in the lead for the senate seat in Minnesota! That is amazing. Losses for negative campaigns all around.

3:36 a.m. GMT, 10:36 p.m. EST

Is this a mistake...? This is the map of Utah on CNN right now... pure science fiction!

in what universe does Obama beat McCain in Utah 50%-48%??

3:41 a.m. GMT, 10:41 p.m. EST

This is looking really good in Virginia! Come on, VA, we're rooting for you! 2% lead for Obama, around 50,000 votes.

click on image for a bigger, clearer, picture

3:59 a.m. GMT, 10:59 p.m. EST

Looking down to the closing of the polls on the West Coast, and cinching this thing for Obama. I am, however, saddened that it looks as if anti-gay and anti-abortion measures seem to be passing in several states.

Dennis Kucinich on the BBC, talking about a new economic reality to come with Obama's presidency

4:01 a.m. GMT, 11:01 p.m. EST

lovely london blogging ladies

2008-10-31T19:32:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it's the last day of VeganMoFo! This will be my 20th post for the month, meaning I barely eeked by with the minimum number of posts! (I did better last year, managing to blog every day for MoFo) It has been really fun, especially getting to read all of your blogs. And after this month is over, I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be blogging about being in England, traveling, eating well, and of course meeting awesome bloggers from all over the place. And today's post is dedicated to just that, 2 meet-ups with fellow bloggers that I've been very fortunate to have in the past week.

First up is Isil, of Veggie Way. I've always loved reading about her life as a vegan and a parent here in the U.K., and getting to see her lovely daughter Defne growing up.

She was such a cutie-pie-and she loves her veggies!

Isil suggested going to Wagamama, which made me very happy, because this chain of noodle shops is one I've always wanted to try, having heard about its awesome vegan food options. Above, you see Isil's soba ramen, which came in a big bowl packed with veggies and yummy broth.

And here's my huge plate of noodles- soba with a spicy chili sauce and veggies. This dish actually had a kick- I have to remind myself not to order spicy foods the first time I meet someone, because my nose has an embarassing way of running when I do...

Fortunately, we had our juices to soothe our mouths. Isil had carrot juice, and I had a mixture of apple, ginger, and passion fruit.

Afterward, we walked over to Covent Garden, over to Neal's Yard Salad Bar for vegan dessert!

This mostly vegetarian and vegan restaurant makes homemade vegan ice cream- ahhhh! The day's flavors were mango and chocolate, and since we couldn't decide between the two, we got them in swirl form. The chocolate was good, but the mango was divine! So fresh and tangy. I'll be sure to go back to this restaurant again, to take advantage of their vegan English breakfast offering and the veganized Brazilian specialties on the menu.

Then yesterday, I got to hang out with KathyF of What Do I Know? fame. Kathy has been so helpful to me, helping out a fellow vegan American get adjusted to life in England. Finally getting to meet was so fun! As you can see from the above business card, we had lunch at Rootmaster, a double-decker bus converted into a lovely vegan restaurant!

I kid you not.

The restaurant makes its own rustic bread, served here with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip.

Kathy had the chickpea fritters (in the back of the photo- I went about things backward, didn't I?) served with a side salad.

I had this mezze platter with guacamole (yum!), hummus (very smoky and good), bread, roasted veggies (courgette and red capsicum), sun-dried tomatoes, and last but not least, the prettiest olives ever. These babies were mild, buttery, toothsome,

...and pretty much the most technicolor green that I've ever seen on an olive. These were lovely and fun to share.

Before we finished our satisfying lunch and took a stroll through the National Gallery, I got to capture this money shot: a blogger's photo of a fellow blogger taking a photo. Ahhh, life is good.

I want to thank Isil and KathyF for taking the time to show me around London and for filling my tummy with exciting vegan foods! There is nothing like a bloggy meet-up to make you feel like everything is right with the world.

random eats

2008-10-30T18:20:00.004-04:00

Q: what do you get when you mix some noodles with some peanut sauce and spices, a whole lot of veggies and herbs,

and these really tasty VegiDeli brand Thai Style cakes?

A: A really satisfying faux-pad thai dish. Daiku and I both loved these noodles!

speaking of satisfying, talk about comfort food! heeding a serious craving for mashed potatoes, we decided to make this huge batch colcannon, the Irish dish of potatoes mashed with kale. To up the comfort-y factor, we were really generous with the margarine, and topped everything with a generous sprinkle of chopped chives. This was dinner- nothing more needed!

Here's a local Kentish specialty: cob nuts! These are grown right here around Canterbury, and nowhere else. (Or at least that's what the guy at the market said!) We picked up a bunch at the Eurofest that I blogged about earlier in the month...

... and then proceeded to realize that meant that we'd need to buy a nutcracker!

But it was totally worth it to get at these little suckers- cob nuts taste like a milder, sweeter fresh hazelnut- very addictive, and even better when roasted a bit. Yay for local food finds!

Finally, I couldn't resist posting this last photo, even though it's totally non-food-related. Even though we're in the U.K., Daiku and I both mailed in absentee ballots for next week's U.S. election. Here I am giving a "terrorist fist jab" to a giant sculpted fist in the British Museum, in case anyone had any doubts about who I'm rooting for for president...

swedish good eats: countryside edition

2008-10-29T10:46:00.006-04:00

After spending 2 days in Stockholm, my uncle took Daiku and me to his cabin in the woods, a couple of hours to the southwest. This was so fun! The cabin is big and beautiful, but also very rustic. It felt so good to sit around the fire the night we got there, getting warm and cozy while the temperatures outside fell.

That night, as Daiku and Daii (daii is the Farsi word for uncle) sat down to a dinner of various kinds of pickled herring and gravad lax (cured salmon) with potatoes, I constructed the most delicious sandwiches- tomato, potato, and avocado on whole grain bread. Now I know there's nothing remotely seasonal or Swedish about avocados (or tomatoes for that matter!), these sandwiches really hit the spot. Besides... we would more than make of with lots of local food shortly.

The next day, we headed outside into the crisp fall air to tend to the garden and grounds and help close them up for the winter. However, we were surprised to find that the garden had kept growing in the previous weeks! There were 3 giant zucchini, which had amazingly survived the cold.

Green beans galore!

Potatoes to be dug up!

Daiku found a whole field of chanterelles growing beneath some trees!

There were even some young garlic and onion buds still to be had!

Here we are getting all the last apples off from the apple tree- there were so many! We left some on the low branches in case any animals were to wander by and want to munch on them...

With all that surprise garden bounty, we made a feast of a meal, something that really hit the spot after a day of working outside. (Well, Daii worked outside while Daiku and I took frequent breaks to come in the house and warm up! We aren't acclimated to the cold temperatures as well as him!)

Here you see: green beans, blanched with a few onions and dressed simply with vinaigrette, zucchini, sauteed with some olive oil and tomatoes, and potatoes and peas (peas that my uncle had picked from the garden in the summer and frozen) cooked with chanterelles. We couldn't get enough of this meal!

Even dessert was local and home-grown- these sour cherries came from daii's tree over the summer- he froze these for us, knowing how much we love sour cherries!

It was such a cool experience to be eating this sumptuous meal, in a cozy warm cabin, with great company, even though outside, the world was getting ready for its long winter nap.

salt licorice

2008-10-27T19:02:00.002-04:00

a unique Swedish treat: salt licorice. this stuff is... hard to explain. at first, you get an intensely sour taste sensation, like a sour patch kid on crack. then, you get a mild and tasty black licorice. but, the second one you bite into has a distinctly... ammonia-esque flavor to it. and the third one, well there is no third one because the second one freaks you out too bad.

has anyone ever tried salt licorice? what do you think of it??

satisfying veggie eats in Stockholm

2008-10-25T17:36:00.005-04:00

as you walk through Stockholm, there are a lot of food stands, many selling grilled items like hot dogs, burgers, and falafel. many also have veggie dogs and veggie burgers- woo! just make sure to ask them to leave the creamy sauce off the veggie burger, and the yogurt sauce off the felafel, and you have a quick and tasty vegan snack as you're walking around.

my uncle had scouted this wonderful veggie restaurant for us, the Légumes Vegetariskt Matcafé on Hornsgatan, in his neighborhood of Södermalm.

This casual restaurant allows you to pick from among a lot of options, to assemble a plate to your taste. Out of about 20 different dishes, only 2 were vegetarian, all the rest were vegan. On my plate above, you see brown rice, a stew made with potatoes, aubergines, tomatoes, and peppers, some soy beef in a spicy sauce, a couple of stuffed grape leaves, and some salad. This was so satisfying! Unfortunately, I was stuffed after the first plate- I say unfortunately, because you can go back and get refills if you want. Daiku and my uncle both took advantage of that option!

More Swedish foods to come!

some swedish things

2008-10-23T18:12:00.003-04:00

we got to stay with my uncle, who lives in Stockholm, when we visited Sweden. I love staying in someone's house rather than in a hotel when traveling, because you get to experience some everyday things that way, my favorite among them being shopping at supermarkets and getting a sense of regular local foods.

the first would be blåbärssoppa, or blueberry soup. this is a bit of a national dish, I take it, and it is simply a sweetened and slightly thickened blueberry soup! it is really tasty. we also tried strawberry kråm, which is the same concept (fruit soup) but much thicker. these were good for breakfast, but after long walks around the city, they are especially rehydrating and refreshing.

one pregan item I miss a lot, that Europe is an especially good place for, is keffir, which is a a thinner and drinkable yogurt. I found perhaps the best vegan version of keffir when I tried these little Oatly smoothies. They are so good and tangy!

I can't speak very much Swedish at all, but I can work out that this label says "oats + chocolate = good!" and I wholeheartedly agree:

Oatly's chocolate milk is one of the best I've ever tasted, with a subtle and not-too-sweet flavor and satisfying rich texture. I really wish that Oatly would start exporting all their products (like their oat cream, perfect for cooking and baking) to the U.S. already!

Finally, one of my favorite things about the Swedish supermarkets I visited: behold an entire WALL of crispbreads! It's like crispbread heaven up there, I'm telling you. (you have to click on this photo to enlarge it. =)

I'm a bad mofo! And survey

2008-10-22T05:26:00.007-04:00

I've been such a bad mofo! Daiku and I went to Sweden last week and I took the laptop along, fully intending to keep up a regular schedule of blogging... but then life got in the way! Is it just me, or is it difficult to travel-blog? Anyway, everything will have to be moved up a week: my drawing (and in my guilt, I'll draw two names instead of one!), my reports from Sweden (one word: yum!), and everything else mofo. I hope you guys forgive me!

As a quick jump back into blogging, I thought I'd do this survey, created by the fabulous Jess of Get Sconed!

1. What was the most recent tea you drank?

I just finished a cup of Clipper Originals Fair Trade (black) tea with soymilk.

2. What vegan forms do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!

I post (probably way too much) on the PPK, as bazu. I also follow some vegan groups and people on LiveJournal, but I'm not very active there. My LJ name is thebazu, only because bazu was already taken- huh?

3. You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?

Tofu meatballs and spaghtetti and marinara sauce! Although I've been craving lasagna lately, so maybe lasagna with tofu ricotta.

4. How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?

Wow. It used to be about 50-60! Right now, I'm lucky if I can visit about 5 a day.

5. Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?

I read Jess' blog to get this survey, obviously! Before that, I read Luciana's Kitchen, and I got the link to that from Have Cake Will Travel, because I just have to know what those fabulous ladies are up to. And can I just give a shout-out to Vegan Noodle- hasn't she been doing the most awesome mofo posts ever? Wow!

6. If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do?

Like Jess, I would love to hang out with Urban Vegan in Philadelphia! Also, I'd love to hang out with Celine and witness that magic that goes on in her kitchen all day long! I'm very excited that I will get to meet up with Mihl very soon in Germany! I've been so fortunate to meet bloggers in real life, and it has been a blast every single time. I want more!

7. If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?

tempeh, tempeh, tempeh.

(just look at all the nommy things that come up if you go into my flickr and search "tempeh")

8. If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?

I don't get this question... but I guess if I squirted silken tofu into your hair during a fight, you'd have a pretty hard time getting it out, right?

9. Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!

3 meals with silken tofu? Hmmmm... some sort of spinach/artichoke/nutritional yeast bake.

the lima bean-dill crostata that Daiku made for Thanksgiving last year was so good.

and of course, some chocolate mousse- maybe orange-chocolate or chili-chocolate.

10. What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?

oh, way too many to name. and my current kitchen resources are pretty limited!

11. Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?

a bunch of shirts from Herbivore, Peta, etc. I love my "cow hugger" shirt a lot! The awesome Trac also knit me these kick-ass gloves that say "harm none" on them- aren't they cute?

12. Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh)

no! not yet.

13. What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?

I first went vegan on my 18th birthday. Unfortunately, it didn't stick. Then I went vegan again when I was 24 and haven't looked back since!

14. What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?

I honestly can't think of any bad vegan meals. Who knew I was such a glass-half-full kind of person? Even when the food is underwhelming, I'm usually so grateful to have something to eat, you know?

15. What made you decide to blog?

Vegan Lunchbox and Urban Vegan, and my love of documenting my eating and its evolution. There's a definite anthropological urge behind blogging, isn't there?

16. What are three of your favorite meals to make?

I love a good big salad. My most recent was a take on a Lebanese salad: mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, spring onion, avocado, red capsicum, cilantro, and toasted whole wheat pita with a lemon-olive oil dressing. Ahhh.

I also love making waffles- I only recently got a waffle maker and now I don't know how I lived without it!

Finally, I'll have to go with potato salad. I just love a good big dill-y potato salad.

17. What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?

Either apple cinnamon buns (a new recipe I've been dying to try), or a nice loaf of sourdough bread.

18. Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?

I haven't ordered it very frequently, but I love the tempeh reuben at Sacred Chow.

19. What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?

I'll give American answers here, since I'm no expert on British chains yet! I am always grateful for Subway on long road-trips. Less frequently, I love California Pizza Kitchen and P.F. Chang's. I don't dine at chains too often, but am always satisfied at those places.

20. My kitchen needs ………

me in it! I miss it so much! But let's see... I need a good half-sheet cake pan, a potato masher, and a vitamix would always be nice...

21. This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen…..!

There is no vegetable not allowed in my kitchen!

22. What's for dinner tonight?

I actually have to figure this out right now! Hmmm, I have a lot of noodles on hand...

23. Compose your perfect vegan sandwich, right now.

Hmmmm. I'll take a pepperoni/avocado/tomato/mozarella panini, with lots of extra virgin olive oil, please!

24. Add a question here!

I'd love to hear your takes on this survey- leave me a comment to let me know if you fill it out!

blog action day (poverty): mofo with no fo

2008-10-15T15:11:00.005-04:00

Tonight's mofo will have no fo- no food, that is. It's because today is Blog Action Day, and this year's theme is poverty. In the past year, as food prices rose in many parts of the world, a lot of us began taking a second look at the relationship between food and justice. As many vegans come to realize, issues of ethics and justice are inextricably bound up with what we choose to put on our tables and in our mouths. However, many of us feel powerless to truly affect change in the global problems that so many face- poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, and the plethora of other challenges brought on by the lack of food. I don't pretend to offer a sweeping solution. Just a small suggestion. Fasting. I have never really fasted before, for any reason. Growing up in Iran, I saw adults all around me go without food or water from sunrise until sunset for the month of Ramadan, but I never took the plunge myself. For an entire month, you are supposed to go without food or water when the sun is out. You are supposed to pray. You are supposed to make charitable donations. You are supposed to keep your mind and your thoughts pure and filled with good thoughts. This year, Ramadan was in September. While I didn't fast in the religious sense of the word (I am not really a religious person at all), I did experiment with fasting fully for a few days. I decided that, leaving religious dogma aside, I would fast for those days to get closer to the purpose of Ramadan as I understand it- to feel empathy for fellow human beings who are not fortunate. And you know what? Fasting is a powerful form of meditation. When you take yourself out of the daily ritual of food (what am I making? what am I eating? what am I buying? what am I preparing? what recipe am I using? what am I blogging about?) you free up a lot of brain space to instead think about what all those acts represent. You begin to see how incredibly fortunate you are that you get to be picky about what brand of soy milk or bread you buy, and what kind of water you like better. We are so fortunate to be able to eat not just to nourish our bodies, but also for fun, for health, for entertainment, for learning.

Of course, I am not saying that food is bad, or that those with ready access to food are bad people. What I wanted to point out was how easy it is to become detached from our place in the cycle of food and justice in the world- to forget the roles we play and can play. On one of the days I was fasting, we were holding a birthday celebration for my grandmother. I made and decorated a cake for her. And when the sun went down and I broke my fast by sharing a slice of cake with her, I was reminded of how powerful food truly is.

brunch: what's your pleasure?

2008-10-14T16:51:00.002-04:00

Most of you probably already know that brunch is my favorite meal. The main reason is because brunch breaks down the barriers of what a "proper" breakfast or lunch should be- the possibilities are wide open. Testing recipes for Isa's upcoming brunch book has broadened the horizons even more- if there is one thing this book teaches us, it's that the only limits for brunch are those set by your mood and your appetite. Do you perhaps want something mildly sweet (like the cardamom and apricot coffee cake, above), or something more decadent like the pain au chocolat (phyllo pastry baked with a chocolate and banana filling, below)?

Or maybe you're more traditional and old-school- how about an omelette filled with mushrooms and caramelized onion, below?

Feeling more adventurous? Daiku and I are huge fans of the chesapeake tempeh cakes with remoulade sauce, below. The tempeh cakes are a perfect mix of crispy sea flavors, while the sauce adds the right spicy kick.

Or perhaps, my favorite. Being in England and passing by fish and chips shops is so much easier because I know that Isa has invented, no exaggeration, the world's best beer batter recipe. In the below photo, you see beer-battered tofu. As any Alton Brown fan knows, a perfectly fried food is light and crispy- not heavy and greasy. The beer-battered tofu (or you can beer-batter whatever you fancy with the recipe) is light, flavorful, and lip-smacking.

So what will it be for brunch for you?

a taste of kent

2008-10-13T15:57:00.005-04:00

The last weekend in September was a bright and sunny one here in Canterbury.

It was perfect timing for Eurofest, a festival and market held right near our house, designed to celebrate regional foods from here in Kent, and farther afield in France and Italy.

It was a great opportunity for Daiku and me to become more familiar with some of the goodies grown and made right in our backyard.

Such as chutneys made from local fruits and spirits. Plum chutney with English rosé wine? Yum.

Some fine Kentish beer made with some fine Kentish hops.

this beautiful locally-grown russet apple. (a little taste of home and apple picking!)

along with some other local produce: pears and bramley apples.

from abroad, we had delicious and colorful produce from France, such as these blood-red tomatoes,

these plums, fresh of the tree with their bloom as proof,

artichokes the size of my head,

bunches and bunches of lavender (I've loved learning the subtle scent differences between English and French lavender),

possibly some of the best marinated olives and mushrooms I've ever tasted (including "pistou" olives marinated in basil and garlic- yum!

a range of mustards that would make even the most hard-core mustard lover swoon, and nuts and dried fruit as far as the eye can see. It has been really fun getting to know our local landscape, and getting to try out all the wonderful produce that is grown here in Kent and all of the yummy foods prepared with it as well.

and then... they had kitchen equipment

2008-10-12T18:50:00.004-04:00

*cue heavenly music*

so by our second week here, Daiku and I finally sorted out the kitchen situation- and got a bunch of basic equipment! I'd never been so happy to see ordinary pots and pans before. and what was the first thing we cooked after living off of packaged and convenience foods for so long? if you know me, it should come as little surprise that the answer involved: brown rice! lentils! and greens! I could probably eat some version of this meal every day. the brown rice and lentils were cooked together, and on top went a mixture of greens sauteed with garlic and olive oil, topped with raisins, sultanas, and balsamic vinegar. heaven on a plate.

ATTENTION: For those who generously made donations for my sky dive last month, I will be holding the long-promised drawing on this blog in the next couple of days. Watch for your name! If you win, I'll need you to email me about the prize (and your postal address, of course!)