Easter

This year for Easter, my family decided to skip the traditional turkey/ham dinner, and have a fantastic vegan brunch! We made a bunch of waffle “sausage” and cheese Panini’s for the main course. I bought Tofurkey Sausages (Sundried Tomato are my favorite). My mom made her famous biscuits with almond milk, and we made a delicious fruit salad. My brother cooked up some free range scrambled eggs for the non-veggies of the house, and we drank it all down with an orange juice spritzer. It was delicious! My grandfather even approved of his first tofu sausage…Yay!

It was actually really nice to celebrate in the morning, with flowers and the sun shining. It felt so appropriate for Easter.

Also on Easter weekend, my friend and I went out to a Chinese restaurant and we both ordered the vegetable curry on rice. It was spicy and tasty. Definitely something I would order again.
And, when we went to Tyson’s house, his family bought me some meatless chicken for supper, and for dessert I had Pillsbury turnovers (I know…they’re vegan!) I’m so lucky that I have family who welcome the veg lifestyle and accommodate me. I always feel welcome :)

New Website

I love the Farm Sanctuary and their website. Recently they have created a side project/ website called Plate to Planet.
www.platetoplanet.org

It has some great information about becoming veg and the negative impacts of factory farming. Below is a short video from the website, voiced by actor Jason Schwartzman.

Green Machine

Attempt #1 to make a green smoothie!
I decided to make Kris Carr’s “Green Guru” smoothie from her book Crazy Sexy Diet. Ingredients:
Cucumber, Avocado, Romaine lettuce leaves, Dash of agave nectar, Dash cinnamon or cocoa and Coconut water or purified water

It actually smelled delicious, and I was really excited to try it. But....the taste was very bitter. I couldn’t even take 2 drinks from it. Owell, maybe some more sweetener would do the trick? I think drinking this as a juice would be a lot better. As a smoothie, it was just too thick!!

But hey, it looks pretty right? :)

Food Fix

I’m a pretty healthy vegan overall, but sometimes I just need my junk food fix! Here are some things that I’ve tried in the past month…
Last week, I bought some Tofurkey products at the health food store. I know any processed food (whether vegan or not), isn’t the best thing to eat EVERY day…but it’s great for a weekend, or a last minute meal.

There are multiple types of Tofurkey pizza, and they even have their own cheese substitute on top. We tried the Italian Sausage and Fire Roasted Vegetable Pizza. I compared it to a frozen mini pizza with extra toppings. I still prefer homemade pizza, but I will probably buy this again.

I also purchased Tempeh Curry in a package. We fried up some peppers, onions, carrots and garlic and then added in the tempeh. We put this mixture on top of brown rice, and voila—tempeh curry! Tempeh has such a great texture and it is very easily digested. The only thing about this packaged stuff it that the creamy mixture the tempeh was marinating in just got soaked up during the cooking process. So, our stir fry ended up being a bit dry and we needed to add some soy sauce to the mix! One night, Tyson made some yummy homemade potatoes skins. Talk about delicious! He first cooked the potatoes, then fried the slices, then topped them off with vegan cheese, green onions and simulated bacon bits—then baked them again! Vegetarian Chili is still one of my favorite meals. It’s full of different beans and tons of vegetables. But, topped off with Tofutti Sour Cream, Vegan Cheese and Green Onions…watch out! This tasted like a dip, so I ate it up with some whole grain tortillas.

New Places To Eat Veg!

I’m so happy that more and more awareness is out there about the vegetarian lifestyle. I’m even more excited that more restaurants are opening up that focus on a veggie based diet. Even the regular restaurants have more veg options on their menu, or are willing to cater to your needs.
Tonight, my friend Haley and I went to Nirvana, a new wellness center in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Not only do they have a yoga studio, they also have vegetarian food options and a wide selection of fruit and veggie drinks.
Nirvana is a warm and welcoming resto juice bar and yoga studio in the heart of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Our goal is to serve nutritious and delicious raw and cooked foods, as well as provide a serene and spacious studio to practice yoga.
Tonight, we had the veggie sushi and shared a veg falafel. For dessert there was chocolate avocado tart. Everything was delicious! I’m disappointed I forgot my camera though… Also, we’re both big fans of Kris Carr and her healthy drinks, so we were excited to hear that they also offered wheatgrass juice. This stuff is insanely healthy for you. It was somewhat of an acquired taste. Well, who am I kidding—it did taste like grass! But the benefits are undeniable. We are going to back this weekend to try out some yummy smoothies! I have a feeling I will be visiting this place a lot :)

In Pictou County, Baked Food Café has also opened. They are located on Provost Street in New Glasgow. They are committed to offering local, seasonal, healthy food while remaining environmentally friendly. They do offer some vegetarian options, and they are delicious! Last time I visited, I ordered the Ratatouille on millet. It was such a tasty warming dish. Mom ordered the pumpkin bread with homemade hummus. We also took some vegan granola bars for the road. They were soft, chewy and had a great vanilla flavor. Also, I hear that their bean burger is amazing.

It’s a great thing when these options are available for vegetarians and vegans, but it’s even better that people who aren’t vegetarian, are also enjoying these places! They are making a plant based diet a part of their lifestyle, and are enjoying the food!

Crazy Sexy Diet

I definitely recommend reading the “Crazy Sexy Diet” by Kris Carr. It’s a book about igniting your spark of life, eating vegetarian/vegan and feeling great.
Kris Carr is this amazing woman who was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2003. But, that didn’t stop her from changing her life. She decided to take control, and changed her lifestyle and diet for the better. After becoming vegan, exercising more and meditating, she began to fight off her cancer cells. She has never felt better and she looks amazing!
If your interested about her journey through cancer, she made a documentary called “Crazy Sexy Cancer”. I signed out the DVD at my local library.I love her book because she is so motivating and funny. She has such an original take on everything. You will learn about her famous green juice and smoothies, meditation, eating right and living an everyday positive life.
You can join her online community at http://www.crazysexylife.com/.
You get access to special messages and videos from Kris Carr, as well as advice from other CSD fans around the world.

Definitely check it out!

Below is Kris Carr and Dr.Oz drinking her famous green juice!

Kindness

I check out Alicia Silverstone’s blog The Kind Diet almost every day. Recently she had a guest blog about kindness and its relationship to veganism. His name is Ari Solomon. Here is his blog. If you want to see her whole website click here: http://www.thekindlife.com/

Our Innate Kindness
By Ari Solomon

When Alicia asked me to blog for The Kind Life, I was thrilled because there's been something I've been meaning to explore for some time now, and I think this is just the place. It goes something like this:

Are human beings innately kind? Is kindness our default, or, if we don't consciously practice kindness (as we would any other skill) do we revert back to being some sort of monstrous Conan the Barbarian?

I realize that to fully investigate a question like this, it would probably take a dissertation versus a blog, but there's a specific, common human response that gives us strong clues.

A few weeks ago, I was watching a talk show that shed light on how animal-based foods are produced. But, before footage from inside the slaughterhouse was shown, the host of the show warned the audience that the images were going to be graphic and upsetting. In fact, she cautioned that if viewers had children present, it might be best to escort them out of the room. Of course, such warnings are not unique to this talk show; you always hear them before footage like this is aired.

But this got me thinking. If we're supposed to be eating things like meat, dairy, and eggs, why do we find slaughterhouse footage so disturbing? Certainly no one would ask us to emotionally prepare ourselves before showing a video of people harvesting broccoli, or picking apples. If eating animals and their "by-products" is so natural, what's with our revulsion to blood and gore?

Here's something else to ponder: About a year ago, during a routine trip to the vet's office, I was sitting in the waiting room while Animal Planet played on the TV. It was one of the shows documenting big cats in Africa. When a lion hunted and brought down a gazelle, I noticed the faces of the other people in the room around me. People were groaning and averting their eyes. One woman actually spoke out loud, "Ugh, isn't it awful?"

Now, I'm not an anthropologist, but I'd venture to say that these instinctual responses tell us all we need to know about how we should treat animals, and consequently, what we should be eating. If we can't bear to watch animals being slaughtered or hunted, and if we have to lie to our children about where our food comes from, perhaps we should meditate on that, instead of doing what most people do: numb themselves to the truth.

Sure, a butcher might tell you that he/she has no problem slicing and dicing animals, and a hunter may wax poetic about the thrill of killing. But, I'm pretty certain this is what comes only after some process of desensitization takes place. When you ask kids what they want to do when they grow up, very few respond, "Kill animals."

Harvey Diamond famously said, "You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car." Indeed, I think that when it comes to animals, kindness is undeniably our default.

Tasty Snack

My friend Haley told me about this great recipe for banana ice cream.
It’s TOO easy!
Just unpeel a banana, cut it into pieces and put it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then, take the frozen banana pieces and put them in a blender or a food processor. Blend until smooth.
VOILA! Creamy, delicious banana ice cream! We added some peanut butter in the blender as well. And, Tyson topped his off with some chocolate sauce. It’s unbelievable how good this is! It’s a great way to make the boring banana exciting again :)

Shopping Online

My new addiction is to browse on Etsy.com. It’s like going to your local artisan’s market online with a LOT more vendors to choose from. There are listings for just about anything, and most of the stuff is homemade and crafted by people who have their own unique shops. Shipping and handling isn’t a lot (differs from shop to shop), and there are just so many neat things to look at! I was having trouble finding vegan purses (among other things), when I stumbled on this site that has EVERYthing. It’s also great for special occasions or holidays when you want to find something unique. Check it out!

Spring has Sprung!

Even though it snowed last night, Spring has not left my spirits! I have lovely fresh flowers around the house to try and brighten up the place and I am hoping for sun. Don’t get me wrong, as a Canadian I love the winter, but I think we’ve had enough snow already :P

Yesterday I decided to make some new recipes from a book called The Vegan Cook's Bible by Pat Crocker.I made a hearty Potato and Chickpea Casserole in Cashew cream with a delightful side of Coconut Rice with Cauliflower. For the casserole, I also added an oatmeal nut topping after it baked for a bit. Overall, this casserole wasn’t too great. It was kind of dry, and the cashew cream didn’t bring anything flavorful to the dish. If you enjoy coconut dishes, you will love the coconut rice recipe beloq. I found it even better the second day and ate it as leftovers with some spring rolls.

Coconut Rice with Cauliflower

1 can (14oz/400ml) coconut milk

1 cup short grain brown rice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 piece of candied ginger, finely chopped (I didn’t use this because I obviously didn’t have any laying around!)

2 cups finely chopped cauliflower

½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a saucepan over high heat, bring coconut milk to a gentle boil. Stir in rice. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 40 minutes. Do not remove lid during cooking. Stir rice, which will be very wet and soupy. Increase heat and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until rice is tender and creamy.

Meanwhile in a deep skillet, heat oil over high heat. Stir in onion. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until slightly softened. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and cook, stirring frequently, for ten minutes or until tender and fairly dry. Stir in bread crumbs.

Add cauliflower mixture to rice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I didn’t have the short grain rice, so I just used the 10 minute brown rice and just reduced the timing for everything. It still worked out great!