vegoftheweek

Inside The Oven: Why a leek’s bite is better than its bark. Week Links: Black Owned Restaurants Go Vegan In South L.A. Our very first vegetarian spider.

Fresh is always better, right? Actually, not always. Take tomatoes, for example. Research shows canned varieties contain more of the antioxidant, lycopene. And lycopene has been shown to reduce the risk of all sorts of maladies, including cancers and macular degenerative disease.

While I like to think of the many benefits of lycopene being the reason behind me buying canned tomatoes for cooking, usually I’m just plain lazy and don’t want to bother chopping and dicing. Of course, there’s also the bonus of buying them already seasoned. I don’t know how many recipes have called for garlic or basil and I’ve easily grabbed a can of Muir Glen versus attempting the mountainous and annoying task of peeling garlic. Yes, I know there are gadgets for that, but I’m convinced that any pain involving using whole garlic cannot be eased with something from Kitchen Contraptions.

To me, leeks are like big dogs with no bark or bite. Get recipe for Canned Tomato Leek Couscous and find out why leeks don’t bite after the break… Read the rest of this entry »

PETA likes to have a lot of contests, including sexiest celebrity male and female vegetarian and Cutest Vegetarian. Leonard Sun, a sophomore going into Film Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, decided on a whim to find out how cute he was. After over 3,500 entries and 50,000 votes, Sun was crowned the cutest male.

VOTW: On PETA’s website, you said that all you really need to be happy are “some tunes, a cup of coffee, and a good book. Can you name some books you like, what kind of coffee you drink, and what you’ve read lately.

Sun: There’s a band called Fear Before The March of Flames and I think they’re heavily underrated for how long they’ve been around. Ore Ska Band-they’re an all girl ska band from Japan…Right now I’m reading a book called, “You Suck,” by Christopher Moore. It’s about a conflicting love story about this guy whose girlfriend turns into a vampire. And then there’s a book called “Choke,” by Chuck Palahniuk. He’s basically goes to fancy restaurants and chokes himself. (And for coffee) Allegro Brand Coffee. It’s fair trade certified, organic. It tastes pretty good.

On Vegetarian fare on and around The University of Colorado Campus:
The dorms, depending on which one you go to, they’ll have vegan pizza and you can get pasta. They’ll have a random vegan dish everyday. Sometimes it’ll be like some tofu dish. They always have Gardenburgers available, which are vegan. And there’s always a salad bar. There’s a vegan fast food restaurant (off campus), which is pretty cool. It’s called V.G. Burgers.

What he’s eaten for the week:
I made spaghetti with a whole bunch of vegetables in it. I made these vegan chocolate chip cookies, which my friends thought were pretty good. I make a lot of fruit smoothie things. And cereal.

Learn what Leonard is addicted to and whether he prefers tofu or tempeh after the break…

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Inside The Oven: When is it okay to trust bears? Week Links: Paul McCartney surrounded by leather-no, it’s not what it sounds like. And vegan dog that finds other pets tasty.

A little note of excitement. We have been widgeterized!

No, that doesn’t mean that I or anyone else who reads this blog for that matter, will received a free wand complete with sparkle dust, shiny gown, and goofy looking cone hat. Although that would be an interesting giveaway if I become rich like Oprah and am able to give my audience cars and things of that sort. Which would you prefer? A Honda or Wizard powers?

What I meant was that I have taken advantage of some widgets in WordPress and now have the “Recent Comments” showing in the sidebar. Now, it’s easier than ever to find out what Joe just said about his vegan mac and cheese and for you to bicker among yourselves about the best substitute for Kudzu root starch. Go ahead, make a comment. Start a revolution, an argument, or at least some interesting discussion.

Zen Soy vegan pudding makes me want to cuddle up with panda bears. This may seem like a bad idea at first because panda bears are…well, bears! But if one were offering me some of Zen Soy’s pudding, I might just have to get friendly with it. Learn why Zen Soy is great vegan pudding after the break… Read the rest of this entry »

Inside The Oven: What To Do With That Tempeh You Made 3 Months Ago. Week Links: Crab-Less Crab Cake Helped Citizens Bank Park Earn Most Veg Friendly Sports Venue Title.

Ahh…What to do with that tempeh you made 3 months ago.

While trying to think of a title for this creation, I switched between Seedy Avocado Tempeh Temptation and Sunflower Avocado Tempeh Temptation. I needed to find the right name to capture the meaning of the recipe. So I thought for awhile and asked myself questions such as, “What does it mean to be a “sunflower” sandwich? Where do you get a “seedy” sandwich? From a deli in a rough part of town? (Where there are establishments designed to bring on…ahem..temptation?) I hope you appreciate my deep philosophical efforts as much as my cooking ones.

I decided on Sunflower Avocado Tempeh because “sun” gives connotations of happiness (emotions you’ll feel when eating this), and summertime (August is hot isn’t it?). It’s also what my focus group decided on. I won’t tell you all the demographics of my focus group, but one member is a cat…who loves carbs…more on that for another post.

So you probably remember the story of how my friend and I decided on a restaurant that would suit both her carnivorous and my veg desires (well, mainly mine, but it always looks good to pretend to compromise). I told  you I found an eatery with marinated tempeh on a sandwich, but I only gave you the recipe for the marinated tempeh. It’s part of my suspense tactic. Get recipe for Sunflower Avocado Tempeh after the break… Read the rest of this entry »

Eggless Coconut Macaroons (Eggless Cooking)

Coconut Corriander Chutney (Myrandap)

Tofu Coconut Curry (Celestiae.net)

Green Beans And Tofu In A Thai Coconut Sauce (Food Goodness)

Tempeh And Vegetables In A Spicy Lemon Coconut Broth(Superspark)

Inside The Oven: One of my favorite frozen food lines. Week Links: Everything you ever wanted to know about a semi-vegetarian. That’s right. A detailed published report.

Hope you enjoyed the Missy interview. If you get a chance to see the petite Australian lady control the stage with her big vocals, guitar and keyboard, please do so. I did, and the concert was definitely one of my favorites.

You don’t have to have 2 albums out and be on tour to have something interesting to say. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan doing something exciting and would like to be featured, please use the contact form on the top of the home page to get in touch. Of course I’ll ask you private questions like what’s in your pantry and whether you like tofu or tempeh, but if you’ll excuse my voyeuristic nature…

Where would we be without our frozen staples? They get a lot of flack sometimes from ultra pro-healthy foodies due to their sodium content, but there are frozen items to be admired for their attempt to combine health and taste for under $5. I’m looking up to Celentano a lot these days.

New Yorkers, veggie or carnivore, get really excited about this brand name and the company’s headquarters are also there. They have an incredible line of vegetarian and vegan Italian products that are easy for you to send your non-veg friend/spouse/partner to pick up for you. The reason being? Color coordination. Green boxes are for vegan entrees and white contain dairy. With this thoughtful and brilliant packaging, there will never be a moment of you anticipating your favorite Eggplant Parmigiana, running to the door to meet your love one, and discovering you’ll have to settle for stir fried tofu once again for the 4th night this week. Not that there’s anything wrong with stir fried tofu. Find out what other Italian dishes Celentano makes and why I think someone’s been meddling with their recipe after the break… Read the rest of this entry »

Singer Missy Higgins kicked off her U.S. tour last week. When I spoke with her over the phone a couple of weeks ago, she mentioned it was going to be hard to stay green with her tour bus since only a couple of cities she was traveling through offered biodiesel fuel. But that doesn’t stop this vegan from doing all she can to help the environment as you’ll learn below. And is it just me or does she sound like Edie Brickell of the New Bohemians when she sings, “Peachy.” Just take a look at her Myspace and listen to it in the player. For those that don’t remember Edie Brickell, she was the one who was not aware of too many things, but knew what she wanted if you knew what she meant…Well, never mind, just go to Edie Brickell’s video and compare the two. Vocal twins? I think so.

What she’s eaten for the week:
I go to the farmer’s market every Saturday and stock up on a lot of yummy fruits so I’ve been eating some yummy local fruits and berries. And I’ve been eating a lot of raw foods because I’ve lived near raw restaurants. Last night, I had some tabbouleh and tomato and basil soup. A couple of days ago, I made a dish with coconut milk (and) raisins in it. And I’ve been drinking ginger juice lately too. My friend works at a juicer and she thinks it’s the wonder drug-so she’s been giving me shots. And I’m really into hemp milk at the moment.

Tofu or Tempeh: Tofu because it’s more hearty and I like the idea of the soybean being in the earlier stage than what tofu is. I feel like it’s better for you.
Roasted Red Pepper or Baba Ghanoush Hummus: Anything other than red bell pepper is good. I have a thing with peppers and cilantro-they are the 2 things I just can’t eat and the two things that are in absolutely everything.
Peanut Butter or Almond Butter: Well, I’ve got almond butter in my cabinet so I’d have to say almond butter. Although I do love peanut butter. Peanut butter and sliced banana on toast is one of the best things ever.
Seitan or Texturized Soy Crumbles:I’ve never had texturized soy crumbles, but they sound delicious!

On Being Stuck In A Food Monotony:
It’s really hard to eat vegetarian and vegan on tour. I make a real point of sourcing out nature marts or vegan restaurants or co-ops in every city that we visit beforehand. But some of the cities…they have no concept of any sort of vegetarian dish. So I end up just eating raw veggies and dip from the supermarket every night because the only other option is fries or beans and rice.

Learn what Missy wouldn’t mind eating over and over again and how her father gave her “the talk” after the break…

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Chickens who escape from Kentucky Fried Chicken hold grudges sometimes. Moby’s “Disco Lies” Video illustrates this.

Inside The Oven: Delicious Tofu Lettuce Wraps thanks to Chinese 5-spice seasoning. Week Links: How would you react if someone “slipped you the shrimp?”

For a good time…

Try naming all 5 spices that go into Chinese 5-Spice Seasoning the next time you go to the grocery store. I attempted this and failed, but it was still a Saturday morning mental exercise to enjoy.

I was browsing through the spice section and noticed the 5-Spice Seasoning was missing from the rack. After summoning a worker, who verified they were out, we both tried to come up with the 5 spices I would need to make it myself.  After estimating the price to do this versus just going elsewhere where Chinese 5-Spice was in stock, I decided the latter was a better option no matter how much of a good time I would be promised if I mixed it myself.

Star Anise could have brought me a million dollars if that was the million dollar question. We both had no problem naming cinnamon.  For this reason, I think cinnamon is the number one response that will get you the most points on Family Feud when people are polled and asked their favorite Chinese 5-Spice ingredient. If you and your family are ever on the show and get that question, please remember who to thank. Get recipe for Lettuce Wraps and learn what the other ingredients are in case there’s a Family Feud question you’ll need to answer after the break…   Read the rest of this entry »

• Spinach Ricotta Manicotti (Vegan Verve)

• Capanota-Sweet and Sour Eggplant (The Veggie Table)

• Double Tomato Tartines (Cottages Small Holder)

• Italian Roasted Squash (Thrifty Fun)