cheese-substitute? look no further

I can't believe I haven't done a product review on Daiya yet. I am obsessed. I am typically not one for cheese substitutes, but Daiya is incredible. It is melty, stretchy, soy-free, and incredibly delicious on its own.

Daiya has recently become available in stores nationwide, in pre-shedded packs. To be honest I haven't tried the shredded Daiya, my local market sells it in blocks which is the way I prefer it.

If you are interested in trying Daiya, there is a product locator on their website, though I have an inkling it isn't completely accurate. I typed in "Eugene", and only one store popped up- I happen to know it is sold a few other places. So just look in the refrigerated aisle of you health food store.

Sooooo delicious

I am in love with Turtle Mountain, it is a local non-dairy 'dairy' company here in Eugene, but they sell their products all over the country, and in Canada and Korea too. I particularly like their like line of "So Delicious Coconut" products. This includes coconut based ice cream, yogurt, milk, even kefir.

I was most excited about the Kefir, because this is the only non-dairy Kefir I have seen. It's consistency is between milk and yogurt and it is loaded with probiotics and healthy brain fats.

We have also been into the Minis ice cream bars lately, they are the perfect summer treat.

Potato Scramble

You've heard (or read) about my love of the tofu scramble, and don't get me wrong, I really do love this dish. However, in an effort to eat less soy, I have been trying to find a substitute for the tofu. I knew this wouldn't be an easy task considering tofu is the main ingredient, and it is tofu's crumbliness that gives the scramble-like texture. But I thought of one! Well not an exact substitute, and maybe its a stretch, but it does the trick: The Potato Scramble!

I precooked the potatoes, then shredded them in a food processor. In a pan I added veggies, spices (turmeric, paprika, cumin, salt pepper, basil) and sauteed everything together.

It turned out pretty well, definitely not scramble-like though. I think in the future I will use the potato as a shell and make an 'omelet'.

a dessert

Recently I was asked to bring a dessert to a potluck...a potluck full of non-vegan, wheat-eaters. I was at a loss at what to bring because I knew that the attendees, very familiar with standard pot-luck desserts, would taste a difference in my vegan & gluten-free cookies and brownies.

So, after much debate, and having decided not to attempt a previously untried recipe, I made something up, and it worked! Its basically a nut/date crust, with dark chocolate, dairy free ice cream and fruit. Substitute the ice cream for a raw cream and the chocolate for raw chocolate and you have yourself a delicious raw treat.

Crust:

With ice cream:

With berries:

Crust:

Almonds

Cashews

Dates

Coconut

Agave

Blend together, press into the bottom of a cake pan.

Melt chocolate and drizzle a layer on top.

Then add softened ice cream, more drizzled chocolate and freeze until hardened.

Add berries and extra coconut to the top.

too busy to be vegan?

I imagine probably one of the biggest obstacles for transitioning vegans is time, or lack thereof. What does a vegan on the go do for food? Unfortunately I am an expert on this category; many days I leave the house at 7:30am and don't get home until 8pm. So, over a series of posts, I will share with you some advice and tricks I have picked up.

Vegan a go go tip #1: Make extras!

When you finally get around to making dinner, make a bit extra and right away store some in a lunch container. That way when you rush out of the house in the morning, you don't even have to think, just grab what you already set aside.

If you aren't one for eating the same thing for lunch or dinner, at least make a giant batch of quinoa. Instead of cooking up 1/2c. of grain for dinner, make a batch of 3 cups and then keep in a sealed container in the fridge. You can use it in a variety of recipes throughout the week. Por ejemplo:

• Wednesday night: homemade curry and quinoa for dinner
• Thursday lunch: left overs
• Friday picnic: Veggie stir fry with quinoa thrown in
• Saturday lunch: a large lettuce and cold quinoa salad.

Here's a photo of my lunch:

Sick?

I have this uncanny ability of detecting any sort of bug or virus almost the second it enters my system. I felt this happen on Friday, and what I should have done was go to bed early and keep warm, but I did the opposite and have now unfortunately come down with a cold

As a vegan, the whole chicken noodle soup thing isn't really an option, so what do sick vegans do?

There's Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup, which is pretty good...

But my ultimate quick-fix sickness food is Korean tofu hot pot with kimchi (hold the egg and meat). I swear this works, my reasoning behind it is: it has protein, kimchi is really healthy, and the spiciness kills whatever bugs are floating around, and gets all the gunk out of your sinuses. Plus on an excitement scale, it beats chicken noodle soup any day.

i'm back!

I have taken a long hiatus from blogging, mostly due to my crazy schedule, but also because I figured no one read this blog anyway. But, despite my still crazy schedule, I have decided to commit to reviving this blog, thanks to one special reader who sent me a lovely email. She said my posts are "great" and she wishes I would write something new...eeee!!! I feel so special.

I will restart my blog with a restaurant review, a new burger cart in town. Being vegan for almost 5 years now, most meat and dairy cravings have completely subsided; however, I still occasionally crave In n' Out hamburgers. Which is why I am always on the look out for a great vegan burger. Since going wheat free though, the search has been narrowed.

Luckily there is a great new food cart in town that specializes in vegan burgers, and get this, they have gluten free buns!

The burgers were great, fries too! The GF bun was a little too dense for me, so I think next time I will hearken back to the "protein style" In' N Out days and just get it wrapped in lettuce.

please ignore my lack of makeup and hair combing...it's eugene.