in praise of gluten and other yummy things.

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?

in praise of gluten and other yummy things.

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

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)
  

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

the UK 100

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???

the UK 100

pizza crust- yet another v. v. important debate

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?

pizza crust- yet another v. v. important debate

the great tofu scramble debate

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.

VS

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???

the great tofu scramble debate

the vegan 100

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!

the vegan 100

my little veganmofo tradition

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...

my little veganmofo tradition

a debate of great importance

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!

celery, PB, and...

• raisin! obviously
• chocolate! duh

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

a debate of great importance

you know what's awesome?

...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 know what's awesome?

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

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

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

I'll admit it- I love salad!

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!

I'll admit it- I love salad!

vegan 100 in da house!

Behold! The Vegan's 100 list compiled by the awesome Hannah of Bittersweet Blog fame. As you guys know, I'm nuts for lists, so the idea of compiling a list of the 100 foods that every vegan should eat at least once in their lifetime is quite intriguing to me. You can participate too! Just go to Hannah's blog for the original list, and then follow these directions:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (edit: I've also added a big X next to them for greater visibility)
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!

1. Natto I've heard tons of stories about this scary fermenty Japanese specialty, but I've never tried it. I have promised myself that I will once I get myself to Japan, though!
2. X Green Smoothie Baby spinach and spirulina powder are my smoothie greening agents of choice.
3. X Tofu Scramble Oh god yes. I like tofu scrambled any which way, any which day.
4. Haggis I have not tried vegan (or non-vegan!) haggis yet, but I'll be much closer to its birthplace in a couple of weeks, so who knows...?
5. Mangosteen I've come close! I've had dried mangosteens and bought some fresh ones in Paris which turned out to have gone bad. This fruit sounds so good by all descriptions, that I can't wait for a trip to southeast Asia, to finally try some fresh ones.
6. X Creme brulee I have had this in vegan form in a number of restaurants, but have yet to try making any at home.
7. X Fondue Yes! Fondue is too fun not to have tried.
8. X Marmite/Vegemite I have tried both, and Vegemite is a kitchen staple in our house, to give a savory, "meaty" taste to lots of comforting dishes.
9. X Borscht Yes. Again, I've had yummy veggie borscht in restaurants, but have never tried it at home. Why not? This goes on this Winter's to-do list!
10. X Baba ghanoush Heavenly stuff. Fire-roasted eggplant, tahini, and plenty of garlic, what's not to love? We have this frequently at our house.
11. X Nachos Yes! For Daiku and me, Friday nights are fun nights for dinner, which often means a big plate of nachos.
12. X Authentic soba noodles I can't live without soba noodles. I have them about once a week.
13. X PB&J sandwich
14. X Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart I will not rest until I can say that I have!
16. X Boba Tea
17. X Black truffle
18. X Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. X Gyoza
20. X Vanilla ice cream
21. X Heirloom tomatoes
22. X Fresh wild berries
23. X Ceviche Yes. =)
24. X Rice and beans
25. X Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper - I don't know if I've ever had a raw one!
27. X Dulce de leche
28. Caviar I don't remember, but I don't think I have.
29. X Baklava Mmmm hmmm.
30. X Pate veggie pates kept me alive in Paris.
31. X Wasabi peas
32. X Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi It's funny- I don't actually know if I've had one since becoming vegan!
34. X Sauerkraut
35. X Root beer float
36. X Mulled cider
37. X Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly *adds to must-try list*
39. X Gumbo
40. X Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans I'm so intrigued by these, can't wait to come across some
43. X Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk I don't think I have had this!
45. X Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. X Stroopwafle good god they're tasty.
47. X Samosas
48. X Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut - hmmmm. Come to think of it, all the vegan donuts I've had have been cake-style rather than glazed! This must be rectified!
50. X Seaweed
51. Prickly pear - it's about time, though!
52. X Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey I've had lots of Tofurky products, but never the actual big roast.
54. Sheese England, here I come!
55. X Cotton candy
56. X Gnocchi
57. X Piña colada
58. X Birch beer
59. Scrapple sadly, I've never made or tried one. I will soon, though!
60. X Carob chips
61. X S’mores
62. X Soy curls
63. X Chickpea cutlets
64. X Curry
65. X Durian and I liked it!
66. X Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake - again, I'm not sure that I have had vegan versions! Weird...
68. X Smoked tofu
69. X Fried plantain
70. X Mochi
71. X Gazpacho
72. X Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. X Absinthe
74. X Corn on the cob
75. X Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. X Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake - Oh god, I'm such a PPK failure... I've never gotten around to making these!
78. X Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. X Jerky
80. Croissants It seems really bizarre, but I can't remember whether I've had vegan croissants or not- crazy!
81. X French onion soup
82. X Savory crepes
83. X Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79 Does Candle Cafe count?
85. X Moussaka
86. X Sprouted grains or seeds
87. X Macaroni and “cheese”
88. X Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. X White chocolate
91. X Seitan
92. X Kimchi
93. X Butterscotch chips
94. X Yellow watermelon
95. X Chili with chocolate
96. X Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk No, but I'm duly intrigued
98. X Polenta
99. X Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. X Raw cookie dough

Whew! 80 out of 100... I just squeak by with a B- ! Well, now I've got some clear goals set out before me of foods to try. Try this fun meme yourselves- I can't wait to read your lists!

vegan 100 in da house!

classic desserts, vegan twist

Ok, I'm almost done catching up to my June travels! I promised myself I'd have them all posted to the blog before the end of July, and I'm coming in right under the wire. We flew from the Virgin Islands to D.C. to stay with my mom for a few days before coming back to Syracuse. I took that opportunity to hop up to New York City for 1 day to take a class at the Natural Gourmet Institute. Inspired by Emilie's posts, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a class with Fran Costigan. Here's the description- mouth-watering, right??

# 79 Classically Elegant Vegan Cakes Deconstructed
hands-on

Are you already confident about vegan dessert basics and eager for your next challenge? Come spend the whole day with dessert wizard, Fran Costigan, who will take you through every stage of three complex and elegant desserts. In its original version, each of these beauties is loaded with cream, butter, eggs, and refined sugar. But, under Fran's expert guidance, you will give each one a glorious vegan makeover. As sumptuous and sensational as the originals, these updated classics are truly desserts to swoon for! You will de- and then re-construct: Opera Cake: Hazelnut Cake, Chocolate Espresso Filling, Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling, Hazelnut Cream & Coffee Syrup, Candied Hazelnuts, and Gold Leaf; Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Gateau): Chocolate Sponge Cake, Cherry Cream Filling, Shiny Cocoa Glaze, Poached Cherries in Optional Red Wine, and Cherry Granita; Mango-Coconut-Lime Torte: Mango Mousse Brûlée, Agave Candied Coconut, Coconut Sorbet, Lime Gelée, Mint Syrup, andCrunchy Wheat-Free Cookie Batons. (Some optional alcohol will be used.)

When I got to the class, I was so happy and relieved to see familiar faces. Danette (on the left), whom I'd met up with previously in NYC and who is an NGI veteran, and Summer (on the right), with whom I have some friends in common but had never met before. When I found out we would be in a team together, I knew this would be an awesome day.

What I enjoyed most, apart from Fran's expert instruction and getting to taste the sweet results, was just getting to work in a commercial kitchen environment. The convection ovens! The fast pace! The aprons! I was in foodie heaven all day. And here are photos from that day:

My group's assignment- a German black forest cake with cherry crème, chocolate-cherry ganache, topped with chocolate-covered cherries, truffles, and chocolate shavings.

Here is a different presentation we made with the cherry crème, using a vanilla cake, poached cherries, and one of the huge hits of the day, the fresh cherry granita. So good!

Here you see the delectable opera cake- hazelnut cake, espresso mousse, rich chocolate ganache, and gold-leaf dusted hazelnuts. This cake was beyond decadent!

Here is a refreshing presentation with mango mousse (extra intense mango flavor because of the use of dried mango), coconut sorbet, candied coconut, lime gelée, and mint syrup. Perfect summery flavors.

With the extra time we had, we used some leftover ganache to make truffles- here you see them in various flavors: coconut, hazelnut, cocoa, and clove-sugar. Yum.

On our lunch break, my team walked over to Bonobo's, a raw foods restaurant that I had not tried before. I got the salad sampler platter that you see above- filled with steamed kale and 7 different salads, each of which was SO delicious. It was fantastic to give my palate a break from all the sugar of our class, and to energize my body for a few more hours of baking! At Bonobo's, I also got to sample durian for the first time (in pudding form)- and guess what? I liked it!

I learned a lot about techniques and ingredients from this class- I look forward to taking more classes at the NGI! If anyone ever gives you grief about the possibility of being vegan, healthy, ecologically/ethically aware, and decadent, please show them these photos! So there you have the last of my June adventures. After getting home at the beginning of July, Daiku and I have been playing a catch-up game- not just working and teaching, but also trying to rent our house and get packed and ready for our move to England, which is only (gulp!) 6 weeks away! That explains the infrequency of my blogging, but I hope to catch up and visit all your blogs over the course of this week!

Restaurant Info:
Bonobo's Vegetarian
18 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
212-505-1200
eatraw1@aol.com

classic desserts, vegan twist

st. john, st. thomas, and the british virgin islands: the food

image courtesy of: http://www.here.vi/Islands/

I've been trying to figure out how to blog about eating in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, where I spent a week last month. There's only one small problem- the Virgin Islands are really, really vegan-friendly! It's so easy to find good food that I have too many photos and stories on my hands. So after trying to find a way to fit all the culinary goodness into a post, I've decided to go with the simplest: just posting photos of the food, and linking to the restaurants where we find them. In my next post, I will show off some of the fabulous drinks that I tried while down there- and maybe throw in some photos of the cute animals from the islands!

(Note: we spent the majority of our vacation on St. John, 2 days in St. Thomas, and 1 day in the BVI)

West Indian tofu curry at Sweet Plantains restaurant.

Breakfast tamarind from a tree!

One of the many purveyors of Ital food on St. John. Ital is a huge help to vegetarians and vegans, since many Rastafarians follow vegetarian diets of varying degrees.

Fresh gazpacho and house-made lentil burger at Shipwreck Landing.

Some yummy groceries from the Starfish Market: different flavors of hummus, whole wheat bagels, ginger beer.

Produce from roadside stands: coconut, plantain, yucca.

Organic micro-greens from Josephine's- she grows them right on the island!

Spicy and delicious in hummus wraps.

An awesome invention at The Beach Bar: cesar salad dressing that uses portobella mushroom paste instead of anchovies! (Make sure to ask for the salad without cheese)

Red beans and rice, hold the sausage, at Vie's Snack Shack.

Fancy food at Asolare restaurant: spicy tofu and soba salad. (This was only an appetizer, but Asolare allows vegetarians to replace any protein on the menu with tofu, and the chef makes a different vegetarian/vegan dish (to order) every night.)

Less fancy, but every bit as enjoyable (if not more!) food from an Ital street vendor at the Cruz Bay market. Tofu chunks, stewed veggies, plantains, coleslaw, and rice, with an energizing sorrel drink. I got excited every time I saw this stand at the market- he wasn't there every day, but I could eat his stuff all the time.

Platter of island goodness at Miss Lucy's full-moon party: rice, plantains, squash, sweet potatoes, corn pudding and bread.

A tasty veggie burger at Sidney's Peace and Love bar and restaurant on the island of Jost van Dyke.

A humongous, meal-worthy serving of guacamole with fresh-made tortilla chips at Duffy's Love Shack in Red Hook, St. Thomas.

Just some of the signs of veggie-friendliness from all around the Virgin Islands.

And, the obligatory Bazu eating fruit shot. I found this mango on a ledge under a mango tree while walking around Charlotte Amelie in St. Thomas and couldn't resist. Sweetness, thy name is a mango tree.

Conclusion: vegans and vegetarians will be hard-pressed to find a travel destination more suited to their needs. From fancy restaurants to street food vendors, dive bars to tourist attractions, supermarkets to road-side stands, you will never lack for a variety of fresh veg. food in the USVI or BVI.

Next post, drinks!

st. john, st. thomas, and the british virgin islands: the food