Freeheel Vegan

2013 VVC Swag

May 24, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: '13 VVC, Allison's Gourmet, animal rights, Anti-Bad-Mood Sprays, Beanfields, Beauty Without Cruelty, Better Bean Co, Bob's Red Mill, Booda Butter, Coconut Bliss, Dandies, Earth Balance, Eat Pastry, Eco-Dent, Erewhon, Fabe's, Fake Meats, food, food activism, Food Should Taste Good, Glyde, Go Veggie, Good Clean Love, Hurraw!, Lara Bar, Mail Chimp, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods, Nacheez, Nasoya, Oregon, Oregon Kombucha, Pacific Northwest Kale Chips, Peanut Butter & Co, Peeled, Portland, Powbab, So Delicious, Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods, Susan Nichole, swag, Teese, Tofurky, Upton's Naturals, Veg Fund, vegan bloggers conference, Vegan Dish, Veggie Grill, Vida Vegan Con, Wayfare, Wholesome Sweeteners | 1 comment

The 2013 Vida Vegan Conference is here!

If you don’t know, this is a vegan bloggers conference. It’s my first year attending, and it’s happening in Portland, Oregon for 3 days.

It’s incredibly exciting to be around so many like-minded people who are trying to change the world for animals. This experience is all about vegan community, vegan food, animal rights advocacy, vegan products, vegan blogging, food activism, and…vegan swag!

(For people who eat such dismal diets of deprivation, vegans sure get excited about their food!)

This post is all about the swag. I had to photograph my loot ’cause I like to take pictures of stuff. I’m weird that way!

First, I received a little swag bag when I checked into Hotel Fifty. The Susan Nichole makeup/toiletry bag is gorgeous!

Here’s another view of the Susan Nichole bag with the other bags I received.

Here’s what the bags contained…

BUTTONS:

STICKERS & MAGNETS:

Better Bean Co, Coconut Bliss, Dandies, Bob’s Red Mill, Earth Balance, Tofurky, Eat Pastry

TOILETRIES:

Anti-Bad-Mood Sprays, Eco-Dent, Beauty Without Cruelty, Booda Butter, Hurraw!

SEX STUFF:

Good Clean Love, Glyde

BOOKLETS & COUPONS:

So Delicious, Earth Balance, Veg Fund, The Great Vegan Bean Book, Upton’s Naturals, Nasoya, Eat Pastry

GRAINS:

Bob’s Red Mill, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods, Erewhon, Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods

SNACKS:

Food Should Taste Good, Beanfields, Pacific Northwest Kale Chips, Earth Balance

BACON-Y & CHEES-Y:

Wayfare, Teese, Nacheez

SWEETS & MORE:

Peanut Butter & Co, Powbab, Wholesome Sweeteners

Veggie Grill, Fabe’s, Go Max Go, Lara Bar, Allison’s Gourmet

The Ginger People, Peeled, Oregon Kombucha, So Delicious

OTHER STUFF:

Fake Meats, Mail Chimp, Nasoya, Vegan Dish, Earth Balance, Go Veggie

Voodoo Doughnut (Portland, OR)

May 24, 2013 in Food Porn, Restaurant Food | Tags: Vegan, vegetarian, Oregon, Portland, soy latte, kid, Voodoo Doughnut, cream-filled chocolate donut, sugar bomb, yummy sound, Young Frankenstein, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, power breakfast, Here's looking at you, Pink Panther movie | Leave a comment

WARNING! Vegan junk food alert! Enter at your own risk…

Voodoo Doughnut Sign

Storefront

Vegan Cock-N-Balls (??)

Voodoo Doughnut (22 SW 3rd Avenue) is a place I’ve been meaning to try for a while. Please note that they take cash only. The top shelf of the spinning donut display is vegan.

The top shelf of the display is VEGAN!

Fortunately I had the 2 dollars to pay for my cream-filled chocolate donut.

Here’s looking at you, kid.

(Hee hee…Pink Panther movie reference!)

Since I can count on less than one hand the number of doughnuts I eat per year, you’d better believe that I enjoyed this not-so-little sugar bomb!

Cream-filled Chocolate Donut

Insert yummy sound here. (Hee-hee…Young Frankenstein movie reference!)

You’d think the sugar would be enough. Nope. I walked down the street and picked up a soy latte at Stumptown Coffee Roasters (128 SW 3rd Avenue).

Now that’s a power breakfast!

By the way…Is it doughnut or donut?

Why Dairy Makes Me Sick

May 17, 2013 in The Dairy File | Tags: animals, baby, bottle feeding, breeder, buck, business, cows, crippled, dairy, deformed, farm, goat, industry, kid, milk, mothers, pregnancies, rescue, sanctuary, sheep, sick, unproductive | 3 comments

Friday May 17, 2013

I’m holding a 3 day old baby goat. He’s absolutely precious! His cry is adorable. Of course, I’m stating the obvious. All babies are cute.

This little guy should be running and jumping and acting hilarious, like normal kids do. But, he’s not doing that because he has 4 deformed legs that won’t even hold the weight of his tiny body. He’s going to need a LOT of help. He still might not make it.

Sadly, babies are born deformed. It happens all the time. Life isn’t fair. In his case, he had 3 other siblings. He was just so cramped in the womb that he didn’t develop normally.

Here’s the problem, though…

This kid is the product of a goat breeder. It just so happens that the breeder is a “first time” breeder, but that doesn’t really matter. A breeder is a breeder. I’m talking about the dairy industry.

As I already mentioned, the mother goat who delivered this kid had 3 other babies. The breeder didn’t think this one would live. She focused her energy on the other three.

A day or two later, the breeder realized that this kid was still alive. He wasn’t going to just die.

Now what?

The breeder doesn’t have time for bottle feeding. This kid needs bottle feeding every 2-3 hours for at least a week.

The breeder can’t be bothered with a crippled goat. This kid is completely dependent in every way.

What to do? Of course: Call a goat rescue.

Yes, that’s a very good thing to do. I give her that. It’s very good that she sought help. She did the right thing by calling someone who cares about animals, and who has the experience to help.

But here’s the thing…

This kind of passing the buck (no pun intended) is completely unfair to the goat sanctuary owner. I think it really “stinks” that breeders can basically dump their little inconveniences onto the people who run sanctuaries.

I wonder if the breeder offered to pay for any of the costs that the sanctuary owner will obviously incur, to take care of this kid.

What I just described is just one of the many problems I have with small dairy farms.

But, in general, I can’t stomach the dairy industry on any level.

I can’t stomach dairy products because I can’t accept the mentality that it’s okay to bring life into this world just to turn around and take it away.

Dairy breeders for all species (i.e. goats, sheep, cows) depend on continuous pregnancies to keep all that milk flowing.

Dairy breeders on farms of all sizes are in the business of killing unwanted baby animals. This is simply the only way a dairy can make any money. Extra bodies that aren’t producing milk are a drain on the business. There are too many mouths to feed!

Male babies are killed because they won’t ever produce milk.
Female babies are killed because their numbers still inevitably become too numerous on the dairy farm. Farms only need a small number of “replacements” for their “old” and “unproductive” mothers. (Retirement = Death).

It’s really quite rare for a baby animal to get the kind of chance that the kid I’m holding in the picture is getting. But, that certainly doesn’t make it okay to continue breeding animals.

Dairy really does make me sick to my stomach.

Happiness Is As a Butterfly

May 17, 2013 in Appreciate the Critters | Tags: Bootjack Mountain, butterfly, happiness, hiking, Nathaniel Hawthorne, North Cascades, outdoors, Washington | 1 comment

“Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Butterfly at Bootjack Mountain – July 28, 2007

Sloppy Lentils Over Sweet Potato

May 3, 2013 in My Recipes, Other Recipes | Tags: Vegan, Soup, vegetarian, Crimini, mushroom, meat free, coconut oil, carrot, sandwich, mustard, onion, Sloppy Joe, lentil, garlic, wide-mouth canning jar, avocado, green pepper, tomato, sweet potato, chili powder, oregano, molasses, NSNG, no sugar no grains, processed grains, BBQ seasoning | 1 comment

It took me several tries to perfect my own version of vegan Sloppy Joe filling. The last attempt set my mouth on fire! Technically, it’s a bit too thin to use as a sandwich filling. It’s more like a thick soup. You can adjust the water quantity if you like.

I’m avoiding processed grains, so I chose to eat my creation over boiled, mashed sweet potato. This is Vegan Style NSNG (No Sugar No Grains) except for the 1 tablespoon of molasses. (The recipe makes about 7 pints, though. That’s close enough to no sugar for me.)

Sloppy Lentils Over Sweet Potato, with Avocado

INGREDIENTS:

Coconut oil

6 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
20 crimini mushrooms, sliced

dash garlic powder (I like garlic!)
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t BBQ seasoning blend (Omit if you don’t have it. I found mine in the bulk spices area of my food Co-op)
1 t salt
3 t chili powder
4 t oregano

2 cups lentils, rinsed (I like to use a combo of red and green)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes with basil
4 cups water
1 vegan broth cube

1 T molasses
2 T mustard

ASSEMBLY:

Use a large soup pot. Use about 1/2 T oil to saute the veggies and spices for several minutes on medium heat. Add the lentils, tomatoes, water and broth cube. Simmer covered for 1/2 hour. Add the molasses and mustard and simmer for another 1/2 hour, until the lentils are fully cooked. Turn off the stove and let rest uncovered for 10 minutes. Freeze in 1 pint size wide mouth canning jars. Makes about 7 pints.

Sloppy Lentils

This is heavenly with slices of ripe avocado.

Avocado

All Mixed-Up (Bend, OR)

April 28, 2013 in Food Porn, Restaurant Food | Tags: Vegan, Soup, vegetarian, coconut, non-dairy, cholesterol free, dairy free, strawberry, fruit, Bend, Oregon, dessert, sorbet, All Mixed-Up, frozen yogurt, mochi, peanuts, Oreo, chocolate cookie, blackberry, toppings, Northwest Crossing, treat land | Leave a comment

All Mixed-Up, in Bend, Oregon

I’m visiting my family in Bend, Oregon.

Ever since my niece and nephew were little, my sister has used the words “treat land” to describe dessert.

Last evening, after our dinner of homemade veggie burgers, roasted cauliflower, and baked beans, the 9 year old said she knew exactly what she wanted for “T.L.”

She suggested we all take a stroll to the frozen yogurt shop, where they offer non-dairy sorbets. Who could say no to that, on a pretty spring evening? All Mixed-Up is located in Northwest Crossing.

All Mixed-Up Business Card

Lucky for vegans, All Mixed-Up has a section for non-dairy sorbets. You can pick between two flavors or swirl the two together. Last night they had coconut and strawberry lemonade flavors. The selection changes from time to time. You can also pick some toppings. The fresh fruit, chopped nuts and a few other items are vegan. The price for your treat is determined by weight.

Non-Dairy Sorbet at All Mixed-Up

I hid some strawberries and blackberries in the bottom of my bowl and I opted for a little of each yogurt flavor. I sprinkled the coconut side with some chopped peanuts, mochi cubes and an Oreo style cookie half. Delicious!

Strawberry Lemonade & Coconut Non-Dairy Sorbets with Strawberries, Blackberries, Peanuts, Mochi, and Oreo Style Chocolate Cookie

My bowl

Final tip:

All Mixed-Up also has vegan soups.

I’ll have to go back for the soup at another time.

Tempeh Mushroom Taco Filling

April 20, 2013 in Food Porn, Other Recipes | Tags: Vegan, vegetarian, soy, cholesterol free, dairy free, meat free, organic, coconut oil, soybeans, non-GMO, tempeh, carrot, onion, fermented, garlic, cumin, red pepper, tamari, chili powder, oregano, fajita seasoning, jalapeno, apple cider vinegar, steam, Turtle Island Foods, taco meat, Yves Meatless Ground Taco Stuffers, Soyrizo, whole food, rhizopus oligosporus starter culture, mold, Tempeh Mushroom Taco Filling, wide mouth freezer jar, liquid marinade, crimini mushrooms, tomato paste | Leave a comment

I created this dish as a healthier alternative to the packaged vegan taco meats that I’ve used in the past (like Yves Meatless Ground Taco Stuffers and Soyrizo). For sure, they are delicious (YUM!), but they’re also highly processed (BOO!). I’m striving to use more whole foods.

Tempeh is a fermented, whole soy food. My favorite brand is Turtle Island Foods. The Organic Five Grain flavor contains (organic) non-GMO soybeans, millet, brown rice, sesame seeds, apple cider vinegar, and rhizopus oligosporus starter culture.

Tempeh can have a bitter edge, so it’s best to cut and steam the pieces of tempeh for about 10 minutes before using. I like tempeh best when it has a chance to soak up flavors from a liquid-based marinade or sauce. The black spots are molds that are supposed to be there.

Steaming the tempeh.

Chopped steamed tempeh.

INGREDIENTS

1- 8 0z “block” or “cake” tempeh, thawed, steamed and chopped

20 crimini mushrooms, chopped or sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
1/2 red pepper, chopped

Dash garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2-1 t chili powder
1 t oregano
1 t cumin
1 1/2 t salt-free fajita seasoning blend (contains paprika, onion, garlic, black pepper, oregano & cumin)

2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T tamari
1/4 C tomato paste
3/4 C water

Chopped Crimini Mushrooms

ASSEMBLY

While you’re steaming the tempeh, chop the veggies. Keep the mushrooms separate, but you can combine the garlic, onion, carrots, jalapeno, and red pepper in a bowl. Combine the spices. Combine the wet ingredients (vinegar, tamari, tomato paste & water.) After the steamed tempeh cools, chop it.

I used 2 large saute pans, each on medium heat with a little coconut oil.

In the first pan, saute about half of the veggies, half of the spices and all of the mushrooms.

Sauteed crimini mushrooms, veggies & spices.

In the second pan, cook the other half of the veggies and spices with the chopped tempeh and wet ingredients. The liquid marinade will soak into the tempeh. Cook down some of the liquid, but not all.

Tempeh, veggies, spices and liquid marinade.

Finally, combine the two. Portion in 1 cup sized wide mouth freezer jars. Makes 6- 1 cup servings.

Tempeh Mushroom Taco Filling

Eat this filling with your favorite taco fixings, in tortillas or as a salad.

Don’t forget the Pinto Bean Dip!

Bird-Friendly White Bean Burgers (GF)

April 18, 2013 in Burgers, Food Porn | Tags: Vegan, vegetarian, bind, cholesterol free, egg free, dairy free, meat free, Gluten-free, chicken trucks, celery, parsley, onion, savory, nutritional yeast, garlic, sunflower seeds, tahini, salt, poultry, GF, oat flour, tamari, paprika, thyme, mushroom gravy, parchment, white kidney bean, Bird-Friendly White Bean Burgers, great northern bean, cannellini bean, chicken, turkey, sage, rosemary, pepper, barbecue sauce | Leave a comment

Bird-Friendly White Bean Burger (GF) with barbecue sauce.

Well, this is #3 in my bean burger series. When I discover a formula that works, I go with it!

Burger #1 had a Mexican flavor. Burger #2 had an Italian quality.

Now, burger #3 has seasonings that most people associate with poultry (i.e. dead chickens and dead turkeys.)

In December 2008, I was newly vegan but the rest of my family was still eating animals. My niece was 4 years old. While preparing dinner for Christmas, my sister made a comment about the “bird” in the oven. A few hours later, my little niece sat down to eat and said,

“But mommy, I don’t want to eat a bird.”

I’ll never forget that. Fortunately, that was the last turkey that my niece had to eat. My family no longer cooks birds. We have Vegan Holiday Meals.

Here is a savory burger that you can enjoy without causing chickens and turkeys to die.

I’d like to stop seeing the chicken trucks regularly, when I drive to work.

Bird-Friendly White Bean Burgers (GF)

WET INGREDIENTS

2 C (or 1- 15 oz can) white beans (Cannellini (white kidney) or Great Northern beans)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/3 C chopped onion
1/3 C chopped celery
2 T tahini
1 T tamari (GF)

DRY INGREDIENTS

1/2 C oat flour (GF)
1/4 C ground sunflower seeds
1 T nutritional yeast
1 t EACH: dried parsley, thyme & sage
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t EACH: ground *rosemary, celery salt & black pepper
dash garlic powder

(*I grind dried rosemary to a fine powder using a coffee grinder)

ASSEMBLY

Use a small food processor to puree the wet ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine the wet puree with the dry ingredients.

Divide the burger “dough” into 4 balls or 4 portions. You can do this right in the bowl using a spoon, or you can pour a drop of olive oil on your hands to handle the balls manually.

The burger dough will be very sticky and soft- don’t panic! Create 4 patties (see the other burger recipes for pictures of this phase). If you want to keep your hands clean, just spoon the dough balls right onto parchment paper and flatten them there.

Refrigerate the patties on parchment for at least 30-60 minutes before cooking. The time will allow the excess moisture to soak into the oats, which will bind the burgers. Trust me!

Cook the patties on medium heat in a saute pan using the oil of your choice (I use coconut oil). It should take about 10 minutes per side. Shake the pan periodically to make sure they aren’t sticking.

Try these with some barbecue sauce or mushroom gravy.

Thank YOU for caring about birds of all kinds.

Kauai Chicken – May 8, 2011

Chinese 5 Spice Gingerbread (GF)

April 14, 2013 in Food Porn, Muffins | Tags: Vegan, vegetarian, milk, non-dairy, vanilla, cholesterol free, egg free, muffin, dairy free, garbanzo bean flour, oil free, cinnamon, Mori Nu, firm silken tofu, coconut oil, Gluten-free, ginger, maple syrup, fennel, coriander, GF, Once Again Sunflower Butter, millet flour, quinoa flour, brown rice flour, oat flour, rolled oats, nutmeg, clove, molasses, unsweetened coconut, flax seed, gingerbread, Chinese 5 Spice, apple cider vinegar, cardamom, star anise | Leave a comment

Chinese 5 Spice Gingerbread (GF)

This gingerbread is delicious and “just sweet enough.”

For this, I started with my Sunflower Butter Energy Bar (GF) recipe. My original goal was to create a gingerbread-flavored version. However, I decreased the seed butter by quite a bit, and I added some baking soda and vinegar. This resulted in a fluffy “cake,” rather than a dense “bar.” The tofu and molasses create a moist sponginess.

I also wanted to use some Chinese 5 Spice that I’d been neglecting. It contains a blend of star anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel, and pepper. It smells heavenly!

Don’t use it for meat and poultry!

WET INGREDIENTS

1 box (12.3 oz) Firm Silken Tofu (Mori Nu)
1/4 C maple syrup
1/4 C molasses
1/4 C Once Again sunflower seed butter
1/2 C non-dairy milk
1/2 t apple cider vinegar
1 t vanilla extract

DRY INGREDIENTS

1/4 C EACH: quinoa flour, millet flour, brown rice flour, garbanzo bean flour & rolled oats (GF)
1/2 C oat flour (GF)
2 T ground flax seed
3 T fine shred unsweetened coconut
1 t baking soda
1/2 t EACH: Chinese 5 Spice, cinnamon, ground ginger & cardamom
1/4 t EACH: salt, coriander & nutmeg

ASSEMBLY

Puree the wet ingredients in a food processor. Combine with the dry ingredients. Grease a square glass pan with coconut oil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. (You can also try baking in muffin liners for 23 minutes. I’m going to do that next time!) Cool on a wire rack before cutting.