This contest is now closed and the lucky winner is… Shannon, who is already vegan and has started cutting out processed foods and making her own granola… way to go!  Nancy! She recently switched from vegetarian to vegan (yay!) and saw a huge difference. Way to go Nancy!  FYI- the original winner never responded to my email, so I ran the random number generator a second time.

I’m a huge fan of Happy Herbivore and all of Lindsay’s cookbooks, but I have to say this is my favorite by far. All of her recipes are simple, easy, delicious and HEALTHY! I’m not always a low-fat or oil-free vegan but I definitely try to eat like that sometimes, and her cookbooks are my go-to when I want a yummy-yet-healthy meal.

One of the cool things about this cookbook is how it’s separated into different regions of the world so you can always find something that appeals to you, no matter what kind of mood you’re in. A great example is her Gazpacho, recipe below:

Gazpacho, reprinted with permission

Here are a couple of my favorites:

No-meat “meatballs” over whole wheat spaghetti (page 181)

These little balls held together really well and were very flavorful. They’d also be wonderful in a “meatball” sub or on pizza! (Note to self: Make a “meatball” pizza…)

Lentil taco “meat” (page 43)

I’m quite in love with this lentil taco meat.  It’s super quick and easy to make in the food processor and has so many potential uses. It’s the perfect (healthier) alternative to those “hamburger crumble” type mock meats.

I’ve tried a few other recipes that I didn’t photograph, including Thai noodle soup and Pineapple rice and loved them all. Bottom line, this recipe is full of recipes that will appeal to all types of eaters, both vegan and omnivore (and everyone in between!).

Here’s the recipe I promised, scroll down for the giveaway deets!

(reprinted with permission from Happy Herbivore Abroad)

Gazpacho

Gazpacho originates from Andalusia, my favorite part of Spain, and it’s traditionally vegan. The first time I ever had gazpacho was actually in Andalusia, back in 2007. Scott and I had just arrived in Seville (pronounced like “sa-vee-ya”) and dipped into the first cafe we saw hoping to find a quick bite to eat. It was fairly late in the afternoon, just after siesta, and the restaurant wasn’t yet serving its dinner menu (Spaniards eat dinner rather late at night by American standards — after 9:00 p.m.), but the waiter offered to bring us two bowls of gazpacho leftover from lunch.

The idea of a cold soup initially sounded strange to me, but I was so hungry and melting under the fierce Andalusian sun that I was willing to try anything that was cold and nourishing. After a few spoonfuls, I felt shameful for being so pessimistic—gazpacho is deliciously light and refreshing! Now I look forward to having a bowl every time I visit Spain, and it’s one of my favorite recipes to make in the summer when tomatoes are in season and overflowing in my garden.

Serves 2

• 1 slice stale or toasted bread
• 3 plum tomatoes
• 6” cucumber
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded
• 2-3 green onions
• hot sauce (optional)
• red wine vinegar (optional)
• water

Chef’s Note: For a cool and refreshing soup, store your veggies in the fridge before use. You can also add an ice cube to the mix, if necessary.

Chef’s Note: The heel of the bread is best in this recipe. Finally a use for the heel!

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulverize into a soup, adding ice cold water as necessary to achieve the right smoothness and soup consistency. If you do not have a strong blender, you may need to chop your vegetables up beforehand. Taste, adding hot sauce or red wine vinegar to taste, if desired. In Spain, gazpacho is topped with chunks of raw vegetables like Spanish onions, green bell peppers, and celery.

Per serving: Calories 118, Total Fat 1.2g, Carbohydrates 24.1g, Dietary Fiber 5.3g, Sugars 12.5g, Protein 5.7g

The Giveaway:

One lucky reader will receive a copy of Happy Herbivore Abroad!

The contest is open until Midnight (Mountain time), Monday 6/3. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day. To Enter: All you gotta do is leave a comment below telling us what changes you’ve made to your diet to make it healthier. Did you give up oil? Cut back on nut butters? We want to hear!

Contest is limited to US and Canada only. Good luck!!

*The publishers provided me with free product to review, but the opinions are 100% mine!

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Quick post today, still recovering from the weekend, ha ha! It was full of old friends, margaritas, the most delicious drink ever called a Shanghai Mule, late-night bike rides, beer and hiking. As soon as I download my pics, I promise to share, but for now you’ll just have to make due with these Hummus and Veggie Melts.

They’re so quick and easy, perfect for dinner (or lunch!) when you have no idea what to make and much healthier than take out. They’re simply english muffins, hummus, veggies and a dab of vegan cheese.

Toast your english muffins, then slather them with your favorite hummus. While they’re toasting, water saute a handful of vegetables with a sprinkle of powdered garlic (I used kale and orange bell peppers). You don’t need to cook them all the way, just soften them up. Add them to your muffins and top with some vegan cheese and stick under the broiler until the cheese melts. That’s it!

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Since moving to Denver I’ve felt lucky to be surrounded by so many vegan dining options. Some are hidden gems, and some, like Root Down, are pretty well known within the vegan community. And why wouldn’t it be? Just look at that menu, plenty of “vegan by request” options on there. And really, doesn’t seeing the word “vegan” on a menu just make you all squishy inside?

Root Down has been on my dining wishlist for nearly 2 years, I just never quite made it there… Until now. I went with a small group and although I was the only vegan, everyone was more than happy to eat plant-based with me, and (most importantly) to let me eat off their plates 😉

Before we get to the food though, let’s just talk about the restaurant itself. It resides in what used to be a service station, and has a really great vibe.  A little trendy, a little industrial, and  very comfortable and inviting.

Garage doors from when the building was a service station

And now, the food. First up was the Sweet Potato “Falafel”, topped with an Israeli salad, sesame seeds and chile oil:

They were crispy, and the sweetness of the potatoes went perfectly with the chile oil. I could’ve eaten 3 more, honestly.

Next we tried the Veggie Burger Sliders:

You see that red sauce in the background? Jalapeno jam, thankyouverymuch! I dipped everything in that sauce, the sliders, the sweet potato fries and possibly even my spoon, ha ha. The sliders themselves were tasty and perfectly cooked. If only all restaurants served handmade veggie burgers like this!

I also sampled the Stir Fry Tofu which was served over this mushroom risotto cake that I’m not sure I can even accurately describe:

It was literally a cake of risotto, all crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. I don’t know if they fried it or baked it or how exactly they got it that way, but it was divine! There were also tons of veggies including carrots, eggplant, anaheim peppers and garlic, and it was all topped off with a coconut cream and spicy date sauce. This was seriously delicious. The tofu itself was cooked the way it was meant to be (in my opinion), it was crispy on the outside and soft, almost flaky on the inside. In a way it reminded me of breaded fish, although it tasted nothing like that of course.

And finally, there was dessert….

Confession time… I don’t really remember exactly what this was. It was strawberry sorbet with oats and sweet celery. I think maybe it was deconstructed apple pie, but I might be wrong. I didn’t take notes because I rely on the menu to help prompt me, but it was a special that night and so it’s not listed. All I can say for certain is that it was delicious, hope that helps, ha ha.

Okay, so now we’re going to switch gears and talk about the bathrooms. You might think it’s a strange thing to talk about during a food review, but the bathrooms were just so cool that I can’t not mention them!

What makes a bathroom cool? Smart sinks!

 Did that make sense? Or do you need something a little more visual?

Yes, that’s a sink above the toilet! You wash your hands, and then the next time someone flushes, the toilet refills with my used sink water. Brilliant!

Want more Denver-area restaurant reviews? Check out my Mile High Vegan Eats page!

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These Agave Roasted Red Potatoes are a simple yet delicious side dish suitable for any meal. Literally! You could serve these alongside some grilled tofu and a kale salad or as part of a fancy dinner party. Heck, these would be great for Thanksgiving too! They’re sweet, but not too sweet (thank you, chili powder!), and you can make them as crispy as you like.

So, this is pretty cool. About a month ago I was walking along a trail (I’m not going to say where, the reason for which I’ll explain in a minute) when I glance up into a tree and happen to see an owl. A great horned owl, to be precise. I can’t even remember the last time I had seen an owl, let alone in broad daylight, so I stood there for at least 10 minutes just watching him from a respectful distance. He was awesome.

I didn’t spot him again until 2 weeks later, this time he was with his mate! Great horned owls mate for life, which is really neat. I’ve actually become a bit of an expert on these amazing birds. For instance, did you know that their average life span in the wild is only 13 years, yet in captivity they can live for more than 28 years? It’s very sad that up to 86% of GHO deaths are caused by mankind (shooting and trapping, hit by cars, electrocuted by high power lines).

This past Sunday I was meandering by and saw the one adult owl, and as I was admiring him I saw movement just below him, where I then saw two owlets! Baby owls! So cute! This is a terrible picture that I snapped with my iphone:

It’s terribly fuzzy but you can see how the two babies are snuggled up to each other. The one on the right kind of looks like a puppy, haha.

I went back last night with my “big girl camera” (this is the dramatic part of the story)… I saw one of the adults, but no sign of the juveniles. I stayed quite far from the tree the adult was in, assuming the owlets were in the same one. I was circling it, looking for them while keeping an eye on Mama (or was it Daddy?) when allofasudden I look up and right in front of me is one of the owlets! It was so close I almost could’ve touched it! But I’m not crazy, and I saw the wings start to flap so I turned and crouched and got the heck out of there as quickly as I could. I don’t want any owl talons in me! And I felt horrible for inadvertently disturbing them. I would never have gotten so close if I realized where the birds were. From now on, I’m staying on the path!

I did manage to snap a picture though! Isn’t he beautiful!? Not sure how how old he/she is, but it’s definitely a juvenile so it must’ve been born earlier this spring.

Here’s Mama/Daddy. You don’t need to be an owl mind reader to know what he’s thinking…

In case you’re wondering why I made a point of not sharing the location of this trail, it’s because of idiots like this. You suck, Gazette.

Agave Roasted Red Potatoes (4 side servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb red potatoes
• 1/4 white onion
• 3.5 Tablespoons agave
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon+ chili powder (more to taste!)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• a couple pinches of freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tablespoons vegan butter, melted

Directions:

1. Wash the potatoes and cut into large bite-sized chunks. Chop the onion as well, somewhere between a dice and a chop (a large dice?) and set both aside.
2. In a medium bowl mix the remaining ingredients together until completely blended. Add potatoes and onions and mix until coated.
3. Spray an 11×17 baking dish with non-stick spray and pour in the potato mix. Bake at 375 until the taters are tender, 30-40 minutes, stirring two or three times during. Give another sprinkle of sea salt before serving.

Enjoy!

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I stole the term “joyful vegan” from JL, but other than that tiny little detail I have really come to own the term. To make it mine. To live and breath it.

I had started to let things bother me. From angry omnivores (and rude party guests) to the mundane stresses of daily life, I was letting things get under my skin. Then I had a total meltdown on a new neighbor who didn’t deserve it. A woman who, as I later found out, has much bigger problems than I, and who – of the two of us – was the only one with the right to a meltdown! I’ll spare you the details because I’m not proud of them, but the silver lining is that it gave me a wake up call. A few days later my father passed away, which also taught me a few lessons.

As I thought about it, I knew I didn’t want to be the person who got angry when someone took her parking spot, when someone cut her off in traffic, when things just plain didn’t go her way. I want to be the person who takes a deep breath and rises above it all with a smile. I don’t want to judge those who make different choices than I do, I want to be kind to everyone and have more than enough love to go around. I don’t want to snap at the people I love just because they can’t read my mind. I don’t want to be angry at myself for falling short of expectations and goals that don’t really matter. And I don’t want to be weighed down by disappointment, regret or frustration.

I want to be a joyful vegan!

I’ve learned a few things in my 30-something years on this earth, and one of those is that the best way to make changes in your life is to, for lack of better phrasing, pretend you’ve already made them. Sort of like… ‘fake it till you make it’, I guess. Want to eat healthier? Pretend (to yourself) that you’re someone who eats healthier! Then, when faced with the old cookie vs. apple dilemma, you know which choice to make because you’re already thinking like the healthy eater. Want to start going to the gym more often? You gotta get yourself into the mindset that you are that person who goes to the gym, even when she’s sleepy/lazy/doesn’t feel like it. See?

In my case, I’ve decided that I am a joyful vegan. And when I start to see behavior or emotions that run counter to that fact, I simply whisper to myself “Joyful Vegan”, and I’m reminded of who I am and who I want to be.

A joyful vegan.

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If you’re here for the the Virtual Vegan Potluck, welcome! Add some of the Vegan Bacon and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms to your plate before they’re all gone, ha ha!

And if you’re not here for the potluck, well welcome anyway! And may I also suggest that you head over to Vegan Blogs Unite to check out the entire event from start to finish. I think you’ll find plenty to eat salivate over.

So, mushrooms. Glorious, delicious, oft-maligned mushrooms. Personally, I love ’em. They’re perfect in salads, in stir-fry’s and on pizza. And when you have some vegan cream cheese and bacon that you just need to stuff into something, well mushrooms can’t be beat!

I made a hilarious (to me) joke about mushrooms in the last virtual potluck, and although I wont repeat it here, just know that I’m laughing to myself as I type this. I may or may not have snorted, I’ll never tell.

But, in all seriousness make sure you continue along the blog chain, whether you’re going in order and are on your way to visit my girl Bex at Vegan Sparkles or if you’re a renegade who is making your way backward and are about to hit up Saving the World One Bite at a Time – either way, you can’t lose!

Bacon and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 8 slices vegan bacon (I used Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh from Tofurky)
• Smoked applewood sea salt
• 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
• 1 dash powdered garlic
• pinch chili powder
• 16 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and de-stemmed (save the stems!)
• 4 oz vegan cream cheese
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• S&P
• Green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon per package instructions, sprinkling with just a bit of the applewood sea salt. Remove from pan and chop. Set aside.
2. Water saute the onions with the garlic and chili powder over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Chop the mushroom stems and add to the pan, leaving over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat to low and add the cream cheese, nooch and chopped bacon. Taste test and add salt and pepper as needed. Place mushrooms on foil covered baking sheet and stuff with cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. The filling should be hot and the mushrooms should be soft! Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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How far is too far to drive for a delicious vegan meal? Well, on a recent weekend my friend Jamie and I decided that driving 3.5 hours to Aspen to eat at the Pyramid Bistro was perfectly reasonable and so we did just that.

The most disappointing sign EVER

Unfortunately, the owners of Pyramid decided to close before the end of the ski season and didn’t see any need to post that very important bit of information on their website, but we didn’t let that get us down! We still had tons of fun including some delicious vegan sushi, drinks at the historic Hotel Jerome, and a very educational tour of the Wheeler/Stallard Museum. We’ll be going back this summer because I’m dying to get my hike on, but for now I wanted to share one of the highlights: The Ashcroft Ghost Town!

Colorado is filled with ghost towns, but most of them are just grassy meadows with a sign pointing out where buildings once stood. Not very thrilling.

Ashcroft on the other hand is full of buildings, fifteen in fact, many of which you can still go into – Including the old two-story hotel! A must-see for any history buffs or families traveling through Aspen… and as the pictures below show, it’s actually appropriate for kids of all ages!

It was snowy, but we powered through… and mostly stayed on top of the snow.

Here’s a close-up of the hotel. See all the ornate woodwork at the top? Amazing!

This is the view from the second story windows:

Visitors are allowed into many of the buildings…

… and of course you couldn’t keep me out of them!

Finally, this was (obvs!) my favorite building of all, the old saloon! Like the outhouse out back?

After getting our socks nice and wet we headed into Aspen for some beer and some sightseeing

Our flight at Aspen Brewing Company- they don’t serve food which means that DOGS are allowed in the bar!

View from our table at Aspen Brewing Company

All too soon the trip was over, and it was time to sit in the traffic on I70, but luckily we had some of my new favorite snack with us: Bobo’s Oat Bars!

Have you tried these? They’re handmade by a local company in Boulder and are delicious. Also they’re gluten free which doesn’t matter to me, but I know that’s pretty popular with a lot of people these days.

So far my favorite flavors are Maple Pecan and Cranberry Orange. They’re ridiculously good and you must try them. They sell them all over the place, and you can even buy them directly from the website.

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I found the original tofu recipe on Pinterest, but of course had to change it up a little bit. Perhaps you remember my Korean BBQ tacos? Or the Korean BBQ pizza? They both included Sriracha pineapples (as mentioned in the LA Weekly a while back), and I knew that my version of the Korean BBQ Tofu would have to include some of those as well. And as expected, they combined perfectly! This was my first time making Korean BBQ with tofu (I’ve always used seitan in the past), but it wont be my last. By using the extra firm and pressing it for an extra long time, you ensure the tofu will have a nice firm texture. The BBQ sauce is just a little sweet (and you’ll definitely want to use Korean, not American, BBQ sauce!) which adds a wonderful balance to the spiciness of the Sriracha pineapples.

I also finally got around to buying a bottle of vegan kimchi. I had looked for it last spring when I first got on my ‘Korean Cooking Kick’ (TY, Shawna!), but all the brands I found had some sort of fishy nastiness going on.

Not sure why it never occurred to me to check Whole Foods. I’m a bit slow sometimes.

Anyhoozle, I finally did and I got me a bottle of Zuke kimchi which is some of the best kimchi I’ve ever had. First on my list of things to make with it was Kimchi Fried Rice. Shawna is always talking about how yummy it is, so I had to try it.

And she was right. The rice had so much flavor! I know that not everyone loves the taste of kimchi, but it wasn’t overly strong in this dish.

If you’ve never tried kimchi, it’s fermented pickled vegetables. The veggies are crunchy and the flavor is a combination of sour and spicy. It also has a very pungent odor. It’s delicious, but for many is an acquired taste.

And now, the recipes!

Korean BBQ Tofu with Sriracha Pineapples (serves 2 hungry vegans)

Adapted from averie cooks

Ingredients:

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 3 hours
• 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
• 1+ Tablespoons Sriracha
• 1 cup Korean BBQ sauce (I always seem to use Bibigo, or make my own)
• Aluminum foil and non-stick spray

Directions:

1. In a small tupperware, combine the pineapple and Sriracha. Cover and shake until all the pineapple is covered with sauce. Taste, and add more Sriracha as needed. If you added too much, you can rinse the pinapple and start over again! 🙂 Set in the fridge until you’re ready to add it.
2. Slice the tofu into 8 strips, then place in a bowl with the BBQ sauce, stirring until coated. Let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, although the longer the better.
3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with the non-stick, then lay out the slices of tofu. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then flip and put back in for another 15. Sprinkle your Sriracha pineapples over the tofu and place under the broiler for just a couple minutes, and then you’re done!

Easy Kimchi Fried Rice (serves 2 as a side dish)

If you have some, you should definitely use leftover rice that is a day or two old. If you don’t (I didn’t), just whip up a batch of brown rice, it’ll still work!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup diced sweet onion
• Sprinkle garlic powder
• 1 cup kimchi, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 cups brown rice
• Handful of chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Water sautee the onion (with garlic powder) 2-3 minutes, then add the kimchi. Stir well and let sit over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the soy sauce and rice and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Ideally you want the rice to get a little crispy, but if it’s fresh it probably wont.
3. Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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This contest is now closed and the TWO lucky readers are… Debby D. who went vegan as part of a complete life overhaul (I’m so impressed!) and Michelle D. who says her vegan life has saved her!

The first email I received from the producers of May I Be Frank really struck a chord with me. It referenced a man with hepatitis C and a weight problem, and how a change in his diet saved his life. My father had hepatitis C and a weight problem and I knew I wanted to share this documentary with him. Unfortunately I didn’t have time, but I feel like it can hopefully still help other people, and to that end I’m excited to announce that we have TWO copies of the documentary to give away!

Here’s a little more background on the film:

From the website:

Ex-addict Frank Ferrante is a 54-year-old Sicilian-American from Brooklyn with hepatitis C and some bad habits. He also wants to fall in love one more time before he dies. MAY I BE FRANK documents Frank’s transformation as he stumbles into the aptly-named vegan Cafe Gratitude, and, over 42 days, begins a life-changing journey during which he is coached physically, emotionally and spiritually by three twenty-something staff members on the path to enlightenment. Challenged by years of addiction, fatigue and family dysfunction, Frank’s quest for a healthier lifestyle is both tense and touching. Through Frank’s metamorphosis, we witness the powerful effects of change upon one person’s life, and the potential we all have to find the most important love of all – love of ourselves.

Although Frank does adopt a vegan diet as part of his new lifestyle, food really isn’t the focus of this film. It’s much more about his personal and emotional growth. And, honestly, his BMs. Frank is hilariously honest and open about everything he goes through (especially his BMs, ha ha), and the parts where he interacts with his ex-wife and daughter were especially moving for me.

Read more at MayIBeFrank.com

The Giveaway:

Two lucky readers will each receive a copy of May I Be Frank on DVD.

The contest is open until Midnight (Mountain time), Sunday 5/12. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day. To Enter: All you gotta do is leave a comment below telling us what changes eating vegan or vegetarian has made in *your* life.
Contest is limited to US only.

Good luck!!

*Cinema Libre Studio provided me with free product to review, but the opinions are 100% mine!

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