soy icecream

at one of my favorite places in Kyoto- Arashiyama. I got the black sesame flavor, they also have a black soybean which is just as tasty

finally!

my first vegan restaurant experience in kyoto!
Cafe Proverbs was just what I needed. The flavors were fantastic and the service great. But perhaps what excited me most about my visit was the fact that i could have ordered anything off the menu. There have been too many experiences where my options are limited to one item, and I am certain I have eaten/drank meat unknowingly. So to walk into a restaurant and know that I could point to anything on the menu and eat it was such a wonderful feeling. after 20 minutes of debating, i had the satay and taco rice.

sorry no food photos, i was so excited to eat i forgot about the camera

from kyoto

for those who still check my blog, i am apologize for the lack in posting.
for those who don't know, i am in kyoto.
why am i not blogging about all the wonderful japanese food?
because it is so hard to find anything vegan in this town! in the land of tofu, all restaurants use meat/fish in some form. but the tofu, soymilk ,soy ice cream that i have had are fantastic, and i will make more of an effort to blog about those.

sorry for such a lame blog these days.


caitlin

We don't have any vegan babies yet, and probably won't for another few years, but I can't help wanting to buy this book prematurely! Just the cover makes me so happy, what great illustrations!

Sunday I wanted to make a nice dinner for our 1 year anniversary, but we had limited time and no groceries. I was going to make our typical quinoa dish, but instead I threw together something really delicious! I don't remember everything I put in, but I will try my best. I think this post is more for me to remember and so I can go back and rework the recipe. I would like to switch the zucchini for eggplant (sorry no photos, we ate it too fast)

Sautee onions in olive oil until golden, add garlic and tempeh. Add red wine and let simmer for a bit. Add zucchini and beets, then a can of diced tomatoes (with sauce). Add salt, pepper, and fresh basil. More wine to taste, and some balsamic vinegar too. Cover and let simmer for half hour.


Serve over quinoa and rice.

raw sushi

I was so excited to make raw sushi because I could finally use my Nama Shoyu! I won Nama Shoyu in a blog contest. Nama Shoyu is a sort of 'raw' soysauce. Aged for years and imported from Japan.


So sushi....

For the Rice
head of cauliflower
agave
salt
rice wine vinegar

Combine ingredients together in a food processor

For the filling
obviously anything, we had limited veggies so we used cucumber, chard, lettuce. I recommend avocado, carrot, mung bean sprouts.


ps. isn't my plate great! I got it at the lonely pot sale for $10

i recently found out that gum has aspartame! I was shocked. Firstly because I read labels on everything just for sheer curiosity and somehow this has slipped my radar the past few years.; and secondly because I chew gum religiously, or did anyway.

Aspartame is so so so bad for you, anyone who drinks diet soda needs to stop. And if you know aspartame is bad and still drink diet soda, shame on you. It is linked to cancer, neurological damage, memory loss, etc. What irks me most about diet soda is that it is most Mormon's drug of choice (given the whole no coffee and tea thing[herbal is ok]). We Mormon's are lucky to have the Word of Wisdom, basic guidelines to keep you healthy and clear-minded, and we should embrace the spirit of this decree. Yet many members see the Word of Wisdom as restrictive and try to skirt the guidelines... so instead of drinking of coffee they drink soda (although I bet if soda existed in the 1800s it would be included in the WofW). Our bodies are gifts and should be treated as such.

Anyway, so apparently all sugarless gum has aspartame, anyone know of a good substitute?