Vegan MoFo 2012, VM's Pasta Salad- Slightly Enhanced

VM makes this really delicious pasta salad with corn, onions, carrots, string beans, tomatoes, and pimentos in a vidalia onion dressing.  This time she used one of my favorite pastas, gemelli, but it was very heavy in the salad.
 

Even though it was already loaded with veggies, this is where my giant head of kale came in to save the day.  By mixing it in, I not only lightened (and stretched) the salad, but we were able to get our greens on!

89 is not this well behaved; she is only resisting because I am teaching her to ignore people with food and the torture training device (a coffee can filled with rocks*) is- where else, on the coffee table in front of me. 

* for sound, not to beat her with.

Eating Clean(er)

Remember the cleanse?  I'm still trying to forget.  But most of my friends and fellow bloggers eat extremely clean, so I've been trying to do so too.

raw, dijon marinated, green and purple kale salad

They say you pick friends based upon traits you covet; I pick the blogs I read regularly the same way.  Take Andrea's Easy Vegan Cooking, for example.  I never could have pulled off entertaining a group of non-vegans without knowing how (seemingly) effortlessly she and her family pull together gathering feasts.

mushrooms, red onion, kale (cooked!), wild rice

Foodfeud is probably the healthiest eater I "know".  Whenever I find myself eating something particularly healthy I think, "Foodfeud would eat this!" and I feel slightly better about the fact that I'm much less inclined to partake in the other healthy foods she enjoys regularly- such as green juice and raw desserts.

roasted brussel sprouts

So, I'm making a concerted effort to "eat cleaner", which for me means eating more real food that exists in nature- including actual fruits (!)- and less, um, ketchup flavored potato chips (Istillloveyou).

There have been many a green salad.

mixed greens, 3-bean salad, beets, peppers, onions, sunflower seeds

Including with curly kale's less popular cousin, dino kale.

And less white flour and sweets (boo hiss).

I've even been trying to eat things that I normally wouldn't.  This yogurt didn't kill me.

But this apple almost did.

I've really been enjoying my Irish oats (once I was schooled in how to prepare them properly- thanks, MS).

with maple syrup and raisins

And when the weather really started to heat up I dove into chia pudding.  Well, I dove into the idea; the actual "pudding" not so much.

Chia is an awesome egg replacer- specifically in noodle kuegel, which really requires extra stickiness.  But truth be told, it looks totally gross.  Add in some soymilk and it looks even grosser- especially if your ratios are off.  I couldn't choke this down.  When I can convince myself to try again, I'll approach this recipe with significant fruit modification.

Always a successful snack: kale chips.  Brad's are my FAVORITE!  I like the heat in the raw kale chips, but the taste is a bit too earthy for me.  However, the naked (plain vegan cheese) raw leafy kale chips are the best.  Rest assured: the leaves are destemmed, so no worries about unfortunate, gum-impaling incidents.

I was thinking about carrots the other day (Easter bunny association?), so Choosing Raw's recipe for almond chickpea filling really caught my eye for use as a dip.  It was ridiculously easy to make, but definitely needs to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours in order to for all of the flavors to successfully combine.

It's rather rich, so I decided to use the leftovers in an unapologetically rabbit food sammie: whole wheat wrap, dino kale, carrots, and spread.

Fear not; I'm not turning over a new leaf.  Think of it more like preparing myself you for the spring onslaught of holiday meals and goodies that are right around the corner.

Coconut Cake and a House Made of Kale

A great friend of mine was expected this past weekend to take a break from her busy life and come see the fruits of my labor renovation money.  When we were planning the day in advance, she promised that she had "dessert covered" and my mind raced.  You see, she is a very good friend.

I was excited for her impending visit all week and, that day, was awakened by a surprise phone call that there was a delivery waiting for me.  Always happy to accept an unexpected delivery, I raced down the stairs, in my pajamas, to retrieve what turned out to be this beautiful fruit arrangement.

I don't love fruit, but I couldn't help but to be impressed by the presentation of this creation.  Yet no sooner had I closed the door on the delivery man did a dark thought cross my mind.  Had my friend sent this in advance of her impending arrival?  "Oh, hell no," I thought.  You see, I am rotten to the core.

Within a matter of minutes I had rationalized all of the reasons my kind, thoughtful, and intelligent friend would not have promised dessert and then presented me with fruit, but it wasn't until she this box arrived that my mind was put at ease.

Aaaah.

Oooh.

I'm not embarassed to tell you that as we enjoyed enormous slices of the fluffy-creamed, dense-caked, coconut decadence we had the nerve to discuss living healthier and more positive lives.  Days later, I'm still stuffing my face with glorious cake but I am trying to be less negative.  Or, at least, roll my eyes less and not curse at parked cars.

In our defense, we did set the attractive fruit arrangement on the table as we cake-feasted, but alas only a strawberry was consumed between us. 

The following day Two days later I decided to give the healthier eating a try and I began to dissassemble the fruit concoction in order to pack it up into work-suitable containers.  Mid-way through I spied something familiar; was it kale?

Lo and behold, it was.

And, once all of the fruit was removed, I was left with a house made entirely of kale.  How cool is that?

I guess my local supermarket isn't the only place that thinks kale is best used for garnish.  A kale gift arrangement; now that would be something.

Surprise kale notwithstanding, let's just say that the cake is gone.  But I will note that so too is the fruit!  Perhaps not coincidentally, another friend has since sent me the "fatify" app... as if I'm not doing a good enough job of that on my own.  

Cooking For Non-Vegans

Now that I am (just about) settled in my new home, it's time to entertain.  I tested the waters with a few (vegan) friends and then decided to invite the co-workers who have been so patient, supportive, and helpful during the past year of my whining renovation.  The invitation was essentially for a tour and what I described as a "light meal".  At that point I wasn't yet sure what the menu would be, but I wanted to be sure they realized it wasn't going to be steak.

The pressure was on; I didn't want to make any vegan cliches, so- no hummus, chips & salsa, or tofu.  I also didn't want to serve anything unusual or dishes that would be deemed too convoluted to duplicate.  I also wanted to be able to prepare it ahead of time so that I could actually enjoy my company rather than spend the evening in the kitchen- all this in an effort to impart both the accessablity of healthy and delicious vegan food, as well as the ease with which you can eat compassionately.  With all of these rules in the back of my mind and the input and encouragement of many vegan friends, I settled on the following menu.

Freshly baked sun-dried tomato bread,

using Jim Lahey's My Bread recipe for basic bread and adding as many sun-dried tomatoes as I felt like cutting (I did not rehydrate them).  Note to self: guests are really impressed by homemade bread.

To accompany, Christine Waltermyer's lentil walnut pate.  You can find the original on her website (preferred), but there is a slightly different version in her cookbook, The Natural Vegan Kitchen.  This is my variation; you need only whir it all up in the bullet:

2 cans cooked lentils
1 bunch fresh parsley (florets only!)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
2 tbsp white miso
2 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos
4 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp agave
6 tbsp filtered water

I'll admit this pate gives my bullet a run for its money, but don't be tempted to add too much liquid or it will wind up runny.

always reserve some parsley for garnish

Of course, a raw kale salad with dijon dressing: my take on Sacred Chow's dijon marinated kale.

6 tbsp dijon mustard
6 tbsp evoo
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp water
3 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika

Simply whir it up in the bullet and massage into torn, de-stemmed, firm, curly kale leaves.

And, a chilled tri-color quinoa salad with toasted cashews, currants, chick peas, and diced red onion (next time I'd add more raw veggies for added crunch and color).  I deferred to my Horizons New Vegan Cuisine cookbook for a cumin-lime dressing.

I was incredibly nervous that the group of omnis wouldn't like anything, but their reaction was positive from the start.  They weren't frightened by the presentation of unfamiliar foods (kale and quinoa were new to some) and each took healthy helpings of each dish.  They seemed to be enjoying their meal while they independently asked questions about nutrition and ingredients.  I wasn't entirely sure if they were being polite or if they were really interested.  And then, just when I was about to clear the table, one of my guests decided she was going for seconds...and all of the others followed suit!  By the time they were done noshing they all asked for recipes.  I would call that a raging success, no?

I'm not as much of an activist as some, but a little education accompanying a pleasant introduction to vegan food goes a long way. 

My wall of truth doesn't hurt either.

Kale vs. Collards (Team Kale here)

A few friends and I have been having an ongoing kale vs. collards debate.  A group of us is particularly infatuated with kale (raw kale salad especially), while a small, super-fit few are all about collards all (most) of the time.  I'm obviously no nutritional wizard; the sole basis of my being a member of Team Kale is taste.  So I'll let them wax poetic about the health benefits; let's have some fun.

I admit it; there was a time in my life when I didn't even know what kale was.  Now I have my whole omnivorous family eating it: raw salad, baked chips...even in soup (cannelloni bean concerto)!  With no end to the debate in sight, I feel like I should be a public advocate for kale.  What better way to do it than with an Eat More Kale t-shirt?

Besides being rad, by supporting this small business you are not only advertising a superhero vegetable, but you are also standing up for a little guy who is being bullied by a giant, non-vegan company.  Read all about, support Bo, and let big business know that you're not having it.  TEAM KALE!!

You want more kale?  You got it.  Guess what I recently gifted all of the friends involved in the kale vs. collards fiasco?  Kale propaganda!!

Really, how cute are these pins?  They are from Sick on Sin, a company that offers all kinds of adorable pins and magnets and stuff: the vegan/animal themed are only some of their many offerings ("I love kale" is design #45).

Besides their adorbs merchandise (vegans love pins), the folks at Sick on Sin were incredibly kind as well as efficient.  When I placed my order for multiple pins of the same design, they wrote to confirm my order and still shipped the very same day.  So even though I'd waited until the last minute to order, it still arrived in a flash.

After having explained the friendly kale vs. collards debacle in the email conversation regarding my order, guess who weighed in on my packing slip?  Yep, another member of Team Kale!  Very cool.

"P.S. I vote kale too!"

Think that's all the kale I have for you today?  Think again.  Look what I found at Herbivore: a thumbs-up kale belt!

as modeled by My Vegan Gut

It too was a gift and now I'm wondering why I didn't get one for myself- especially since it seems they are out of stock.  Kale belt buckles FTW!

And, finally: if you're afraid of offending collards if your kale-ness isn't ready to be represented so tangibly, perhaps stickers are more your speed.  For a small donation, there's always the sizable Eat More Kale sticker to get your point across.

Most importantly, eat some kale!

And, to my friends (the collard sympathizers) who have been trekking through Nepal: welcome home!

Let's go get some kale?

Bagged Kale?

The kale pickins have been awfully slim around my neighborhood, so I recently resorted to buying bagged kale from Trader Joe's.  It looked fresh and the quanity seemed equivalent in price to a loose bunch, so I figured I'd give it a try.

The first thing I noticed was that it wasn't organic.  The last organic bunch I'd bought was filled with- well, you know, so I wasn't too upset about that.  But then I noticed that it said "greens for cooking" and "cut, cleaned & ready to cook".  Why no raw love?  Perhaps because the kale leaves had been chopped with the stems?  Nevertheless, I washed the leaves thoroughly (only one or two cootified pieces per bag) and made my salad using Domestic Affair's dragon dressing, as recommended by Food Feud.

The stems are hiding; they know they're not wanted.

After the first two bites containing stems I knew this wasn't the solution to my kale drought.  And, even after I'd picked out the stems, the leaves were still inexplicably, overly bitter- despite my mildly sweet dressing.  I couldn't face another lunch of bitter grossness so I unpacked my prepared lunch portions, picked out the zillions of stems, and cooked the pre-dressed kale with chick peas, raisins, Braggs, and lots of Garam Masala.  Then I re-packed my lunches and hoped for the best.  It was nervy expecting cooked kale to be tasty at room temperature, but compared to the previous day's atrocity it was a gourmet meal.  There was still something off about it- it was too tough and sat in my stomach like a boulder, but as long as it was edible I didn't want it to go to waste.

Perhaps the bagged kale would be convenient for cooked recipes, but I'm still not sold on the taste; I'm going to stick with the fresh variety, de-stemmed.  Please note: try this at your own risk.  Sharing is not recommended; this kind of kale could turn someone against it for good!  I wonder if I am the only one who has had such a negative experience with bagged kale, or am I simply the only one who has ever purchased it?

Vegan MoFo Day 25: The Last Day of the Cleanse!

So, the last day of the cleanse was yesterday.  I admit that I was completely over it and ready to move on, not putting much effort into my eats.  I had crisp, cool celery and zucchini for breakfast.  With the thermometer holding steady at 43 degrees, I would have much preferred something warm, like oatmeal, or at least something room temperature.  Let's be honest, Starbucks wouldn't have hurt.

With the previous night's dinner I'd finished what was left of my produce; per usual, this led to an inability to pack a lunch.  I decided to head over to Whole Foods, but nothing I wanted was cleanse-appropriate.  I wound up splurging on deydrated, raw, kale chips.

In spite of the tendency towards crumbs rather than large pieces, I like Brad's the best (no pointy stems).

I hadn't tried this flavor before, but one bite and I decided it's my new favorite variety.  It's just like my previous fave, the cheese, but this one has the added bonus of delicious, jalapeno heat.

I wouldn't say "nasty" hot, but, rather, "appropriately" hot

While I was there, in anticipation of my post-cleanse munching, I cleaned them out of Almond Bites.  No, really; I did.  The cashier was asking me if they were good (no doubt prompted by my bounty) and I talked them up so much that she said she was going to buy them.  Then I had to break the news to her that I'd bought all they had.  Don't judge me; it's every man for themselves when it comes to Almond Bites.

For dinner, leftovers of the fantastic fennel and yellow split pea soup, which was even better a day later.

Are you snoring yet?  Because...

Ladies and Gentleman, that officially concludes my 21 day cleanse!  It's been a long, hard road...for you as well as for me; thanks for putting up with it!

Please stay tuned, as MoFo still has six days to go and I have a lot of eats to make up for; let's see how I fare, shall we?