VeganMoFo: Eat Real 2012

September 16, 2013 at 8:22 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

The Eat Real Festival in Oakland has been an annual event since 2009, but I first found out about it last year since a friend was going.  It’s a three-day event with food vendors, a marketplace, demonstrations, a beer shed, wine barn, cocktail bar, and DIY contests.  There’s a lot of meat and cheese and animal celebration going on, but if you can avoid or ignore that part it’s a great place for vegans.  All items are $5 or less, so you can try smaller portions of lots of different things.

The festival posted a list of vegetarian items on their website, and Vegansaurus posted a list from an intrepid vegan who went the first night, so I set out Saturday with an idea of what I’d like to try.

I crossed out what I wasn’t interested in and highlighted what seemed the most intriguing.   I knew it was going to be crowded though, so I didn’t set my heart on anything in particular.

I was starving when we arrived, so I got the first vegan thing I saw, a bowl from Plum.  I was dubious of how all those ingredients were going to work together, and happily discovered that it was delicious.  The vadouvan curry broth was intensely flavorful, and the fresh veggies on top kept it from being to heavy.

It was really hot outside (September seems to be the height of summer around here), so I was seeking out something light and cool for my next dish.  Luckily, we stumbled upon Miss Pearl’s, who was offering marinated black eyed pea salad.  The apple cider vinaigrette was tangy and perfect on the peas and corn.  Plus, only two dollars!

Next up were sweet potato tots with spicy mango ketchup fro Little Green Cyclo.  I think sweet potato tots were less ubiquitous a year ago than they are now, and I needed them.

I was starting to get a little full, so we headed to the beer shed for some liquid refreshment.  They had a great selection of local beers.

You pay a few more dollars for the first beer and get this adorable mason jar to drink out of and take home.  I still use it all the time!

Hodo Soy is a local tofu maker, and I was so glad to see them representing at the festival.  (If you keep up with your vegan news, you may already know that Chipotle is now making vegan burritos using their Sofritas all over California.)  I tried the Kale Pesto Yuba, which I assume is kind of a play on pasta.  The yuba was a little chewy but definitely seemed pasta-esque, and the only fault I found with this dish is that it could’ve used a little more salt.

hello, gorgeous

Before we left, I HAD to get an ice cream sandwich from Big Wheel Cookie Co.  They were running out of lots of their cookies, but luckily they still had the vegan option – dark snickerdoodles with coconut-based chocolate ice cream.  So good.  The cookies were very sturdy and nicely spiced, and the ice cream was generously portioned, a perfect end to a hot day.

Eat Real 2013 is less than two weeks away, and I can’t wait to go knowing that there will be plenty for me to try!  The only thing I regret missing last year is bao from The Chairman, and I see they’re going to be back this year.  I’ve also got my eye on Hella Vegan Eats, Homeroom, No No Burger, and Rice Paper Scissors.

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VeganMoFo: One Day in NYC

September 13, 2013 at 9:01 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last October I got a last minute opportunity to go to New York City for two nights for a work trip.  I’d been to/through Manhattan a few times but never really had the chance to spend time there and explore, so I jumped at the chance and immediately started researching places to eat.  Food was, of course, the main attraction for me.  My workplace was paying for the flights and two nights at the Hilton Midtown.  I couldn’t afford to pay for another night on my own, so I decided to take a red eye in order to have a whole day to myself before I had to begin work functions.  Red eyes are always a better idea when booking than when actually taking them; I have a hard time sleeping on planes and get pretty wiped out.  But, it was too good of a deal to pass up!

My plan was:
breakfast – Cinnamon Snail
lunch – Candle Cafe
afternoon – Champs for Dun Well donuts or Bagel Store to pick up food for breakfast to bring back
dinner – pizza from Vinnie’s, beers at Brooklyn Brewery
dinner #2 (depending on tiredness/stomach capacity) – Beyond Sushi, Lula’s

When I discovered that Cinnamon Snail’s Friday location was a 15 minute walk from the hotel, my decision for breakfast was easy.  After landing at La Guardia at 9AM, cabbing it to the hotel, and checking in to my room which was surprisingly ready already, I headed to the truck that I had heard so much about.  The weather was overcast and drizzling, but I did not care.

I was absolutely starving and wanted one of the breakfast platters, and opted for the 200 Year Old Frog Man Breakfast Jamboree – maple pecan waffles with cardamom butter, candied pecans & Vermont maple syrup. Served with scrambled tofu, chipotle grilled seitan, and spicy French mustard greens.  I also got coffee, and a donut to enjoy later.  It was really hard to choose from the bakery case, everything looked amazing!

There was nowhere to sit near the truck, so I walked to the nearest park, Bryant Park, which I knew or from watching Project Runway.

This warm meal was perfect to fill my belly on a chilly, dreary morning.  The waffle was incredibly sweet, and incredibly good.  The spiced butter and maple syrup ran into the crevices, and the candied pecans were a nice crunchy contrast.  The greens were pretty bitter (and I like my greens bitter), but good when eaten next to the waffle.  The tofu scramble was standard; I do remember that it had some good herbs in it.  The seitan wasn’t my favorite.  The seasoning was good, but it was a little chewy.  I was plenty full from everything else though!

The next item on my agenda was lunch, so I needed to kill some time.  I checked out Parson’s (also of Project Runway fame) just because it was close by.

I walked through Times Square just to say I saw it, then hung out in the MOMA store for a while, to warm up and buy some Christmas presents.  (They have a great selection of super cute kids books.)

I also stopped by FAO Schwartz to see the piano from Big!  Around lunchtime I was just starting to feel a little hungry, so I started the walk up to Candle Cafe Upper East Side, about a half hour by foot.

The restaurant was pretty full, so I took a stool at the end of the bar, right by the smoothie supplies.

I started with a Green Goddess juice – mixed greens, apple, lemon and ginger.

The sandwiches and daily specials all sounded good, but I was overtired and starting to not feel so hot, so I stuck with the Good Food Plate, where you choose four sides and two sauces.  I went with steamed greens, mac & cheese, grilled tempeh, quinoa pilaf, and tahini and carrot ginger dressings.  The greens and quinoa pilaf were pretty plain, which made them perfect for mixing with the sauces.  The tempeh was well marinated and had a great grilled flavor.  I honestly didn’t love the mac & cheese.  It wasn’t bad, but just wasn’t very flavorful.

I really enjoyed my lunch at Candle Cafe.  The service was quick and friendly, and the people watching was great.  I was dead on my feet for the walk back…so, so tired.  I knew that taking a nap would force me to skip a planned destination or two, but I needed sleep more than anything else at that point.

I woke up after a few hours feeling much better, and recharged with the Cherry Chocolate Pretzel Party donut that I had bought from Cinnamon Snail.  This treat was definitely a party!  Possibly a party with too much going on.  I liked the donut okay, but wished I had stuck with a more classic flavor that I might have enjoyed more.

With that, I ventured over to Brooklyn, taking the NYC subway for the first time ever.  It’s a little confusing if you don’t know exactly where you’re trying to go!  I eventually got on the right train and managed to get off at the right stop, just over the Williamsburg Bridge.  My first stop was The Bagel Store.  I wouldn’t have much time for breakfast the next two mornings, nor were there any appealing options at the hotel, so I picked up some supplies to take back.  The Bagel Store was very cool.  They had all the typical flavors plus some seasonal options, and multiple flavors of tofu-based cream cheese!

From there, I headed to Vinnie’s Pizzeria.

this guy stepped out to instruct his dog just as I was taking a photo

When I first went into Vinnie’s I thought I was in the wrong place, and actually went back outside.  Although I had done my research beforehand, I didn’t see anything about vegan options anywhere.  Plus I think I was a little intimidated by the hipster vibe.  I went back in and found the section of the menu board I had missed, stating that they had vegan slices!  I should’ve taken a picture of the selection.  The guy behind the counter was really nice, and listed out all the vegan flavors for me to choose.  I took my pizza to go, so that I could enjoy it at Brooklyn Brewery.

I was a little sketched out by walking by myself at night, and very happy to turn the corner and see the big Brooklyn logo!

I bought some tokens, got a beer, and dug into the pizza.  I went with an eggplant parmesan slice and a bbq chicken slice, and they were both outstanding.  The crust was crispy even after walking ten minutes, and all the toppings were very flavorful.  They did have the Vegan Mac Attack available (topped with macaroni, ground beef, two cheeses and hot sauce), but I skipped it since I’d had mac with lunch.

As for the beer, it was great.  We used to drink Brooklyn Lager pretty often when we lived in Florida and can’t get it in California, so it’s a treat whenever we can have it.  The brewery is really cool place, it’s a big industrial style room with long picnic tables.  Groups of people were having lively discussions or playing games.  I didn’t mind being there by myself, I sipped my beers while reading a local paper and playing on my phone, and listening to conversations.  After a few beers I was getting really tired, so I gave away my last token and headed back to the hotel.  Despite wanting to go to Lula’s reeeally bad, there was no way I was doing anything else that night.

I had planned to rise early the next morning and run in Central Park, but that did not happen.  I was still on west coast time, and got up just in time to get ready and eat breakfast.

I sliced open the everything bagel from The Bagel Store with a plastic knife and spread on the jalapeno tofu cream cheese, and it was SO GOOD you guys.  I know everyone thinks it’s a joke when people say “New York bagels are better”, but they really are.  I can’t even explain why it was so good, but it was dense and chewy and crispy and light all at the same time, and the jalapeno cream cheese was the perfect complement.  I didn’t really take into account that the whole reason I was there was to talk to people all day…I chewed a lot of gum…

I had to be at my table from 10 to 3, and could only sneak away for 15 minutes and eat what they had available for lunch, which was a plain green salad and a sad veggie sandwich with the cheese taken off.  It was at least enough to get me through the day, along with a good amount of coffee and sparkling water.

After the forum was over I had to pack up and move hotels, since the hotel I was at was booked full for the second night.  The new hotel was right by Koreatown and I needed a quick early dinner before heading out to meet friends, so I checked out Woorijip.

It’s a buffet style, not vegetarian but offering plenty of vegetarian options.  Clockwise from bottom left: rice noodles with kimchi, greens, mung bean sprouts, bok choy and eggplant, seaweed salad, inari, veggie sushi, and tofu with vegetables.

That evening I went to watch the Gator game at a bar in Tribeca (whose name I can’t remember), which was surprisingly filled with fellow Gators!  After taking the subway back it was pretty late, and I needed to pack.  Believe it or not, I was hungry again, so I sought out anything nearby and found there was a Whole Foods a few blocks away that was still open.

Veggie wrap, salad roll with peanut sauce, Sweet & Sara S’more, and a beer.  Good packing fuel.

After a few hours of sleep I was up and getting ready to leave.  I enjoyed the last of my New York food, a pumpkin spice bagel also from The Bagel Store.  It was moist enough to eat on its own, with a cinnamon sugar topping.  A perfect way to end the trip!  I really enjoyed my short time in New York, and would love to go back sometime soon.  Beyond Sushi is at the top of my wish list for next time.

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VeganMoFo: Zachary’s Pizza

September 12, 2013 at 8:45 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , ,

Zachary’s Pizza is a well-known pizza joint with four locations around the bay area.  My boyfriend Dave remembers it fondly from his college days, and it was one of the first restaurants he told me about when we moved here.  Out of curiosity, I e-mailed them in early 2009 to inquire if their crust was vegan.  They replied very quickly that, unfortunately, it contained a small amount of butter.

Fast forward to December 2011, almost three years later.  A Zachary’s manager e-mailed me out of the blue to let me know that they now offered a vegan option, the whole wheat crust and Daiya cheese, and they wanted me to be one of the first to know since I had previously inquired.  Talk about customer service!

About a year after that, I finally got the chance to try Zachary’s one random Friday night when Dave and I decided to get pizza on the way home from work.  Their pizzas aren’t cheap by any means, but they’re substantial and you can tell they’re made with quality ingredients.  One or two slices of the “stuffed” Chicago style pizza is easily an entire meal!

I went with the spinach and mushroom pizza, and it was ridiculously incredibly good.  They don’t skimp with the fillings; lots of veggies, melty Daiya mozzarella, and chunky, herby tomato sauce.  You can taste the fresh basil.

Blurry closeup of the deliciousness.  I officially declare that Zachary’s is delicious, worth the price, and awesome for caring about the vegan citizens of the East Bay!

edited:  Dave has requested that I add this picture of Jake, taken right after he ate some of Dave’s pizza.

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VeganMoFo: What I Ate Wednesday

September 11, 2013 at 9:58 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Since I missed blogging yesterday, you get a twofer today!  I follow many blogs that participate in What I Ate Wednesday but have never done it myself, and since most of my MoFo posts are reaching into the past as far back as a year ago, here is something current!

I got up at 5:30 this morning to do 30 Day Shred, a routine I began recently.  I am not a fan of getting up that early, nor of working out first thing in the morning, but I’m already feeling positive changes after one week so hopefully it’s worth it.

After a quick shower, I had a post-workout snack (first breakfast, if you will) – an Oat Snackle.  Snackle is a very cute word I think.  The recipe is from Let Them Eat Vegan, but I found it online here.  It’s kind of a mix between a cookie and a muffin, and it feels very healthy but not too healthy.  It sits in your tummy all happy, giving you nutrients from all the wholesome ingredients.  I’ve been struggling with finding a good post-workout snack since starting the workout program, and these are a great solution – just slightly sweet from the applesauce and raisins, and easy to grab and eat in three or four bites.

My “real” breakfast was enjoyed in the car on the way to work.  This smoothie had almond milk, canned pumpkin, banana, Vega One natural flavor, kale, blackstrap molasses (for the calcium and iron), cinnamon, and ginger.  I’m not ready for the “everything pumpkin” bandwagon yet since it’s been hot around here lately, but I ran out of frozen fruit and resorted to the pantry.

Mid-morning snack of strawberries (I ate half the container) and a few walnuts.  Yes, I am like a baby and have to eat every few hours.  I find that it’s better for me to eat smaller amounts of good foods throughout the day in order to maintain energy levels.  I also tuck my vitamins in the small container, which has backfired on me once.  A small iron pill got caught in the crevices of a walnut half and I bit into it.  In case you are ever wondering, iron pills do not taste good!

packed up for lunch

looking a little prettier for dinner last night

Lunch!  I found the recipe for this Limnian Style Imam Bayildi (eggplant and zucchini stew) on pinterest.  Mine wasn’t quite as nice; I skipped the steps of salting and sauteing the veggies first, and while they were cooked through and tasted good, there was a lot of liquid on the bottom of the pan and not nearly enough sauce.  It was delicious though, so I would definitely try the recipe again when I have time to follow all the steps and double the sauce.  Also shown is whole wheat spaghetti and chickpeas with lemon and red pepper flakes.

Afternoon snack of Trader Joe’s Eggplant Hummus and Persian cucumbers.  I have veggies and dip almost every afternoon, and I particularly like this hummus.  It’s lower in calories than other hummi (plural for hummus), and tastes great.  I take the container to work to eat straight out of it and just cut fresh vegetables every morning.

After work I went for a run, and after that run I ate a banana.  No picture, you know what a banana looks like.  I wasn’t planning to have another snack but I was famished after running and it was going to be a while before dinner.

And what a dinner it was!  Buffalo soy curl wraps with sauteed onion, Daiya swiss, a salad of shredded cabbage, celery, carrot, tomato and dill pickle, and Sanctuary Dressing from Appetite for Reduction.  Sauteed mushrooms with soy sauce in the back.  I’ve had buffalo on the mind since seeing SpaBettie’s Buffalo Jack Sliders earlier this week and this was a great way to satisfy the craving while keeping it light.  Frank’s RedHot Sauce is pretty awesome and I plan to henceforth use it on as many things as possible.

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VeganMoFo: Dyspepsia Diet Stage III

September 11, 2013 at 7:58 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

As I mentioned in the first post about my dyspepsia diet, I stayed in Stage II a bit longer than originally planned, because I didn’t feel ready to move on.  By this point in the plan I was feeling much better and had the inflammation/acid issue under control, so it was more about adding healing and soothing foods like miso, lemon, turmeric, root vegetables, and fruits.  I was able to reintroduce most foods at this point except the major culprits.  I also started taking papaya enzyme and artichoke leaf extract since they are supposed to help with digestion.

I welcomed acidic fruit back into my life in the form of kiwi, on yogurt topped with Nature’s Path cereal.

Oatmeal is good for the stomach all the time, so I made a savory oatmeal bowl with tempeh, greens, roasted mushrooms and Oh She Glows’ Butternut Cheese Sauce, which I loooove.  I usually use canned pumpkin instead of the butternut, just for ease.

I had some fennel from the CSA to use up, so I sauteed it with carrots, peas, and chickpeas and seasoned it with ginger and turmeric.  Served over Caulipots from Appetite for Reduction.

Asparagus was in season at the time, so I used some in the Asparagus and Spinach Soup from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons, subbing kale for spinach.  The soup also contained wild rice, mushrooms and summer squash, and was light yet hearty at the same time.  On the side are Cheese and Herb Corn Muffins from the same book, which are quite good and freeze well.

To use root vegetables and lentils, which are supposed to be good for the stomach lining, I made the Red Lentil and Root Vegetable Dal from Appetite for Reduction.  I really liked the texture of this dish, but the flavor was a little off for me.  The recipe calls for parsnips and turnips OR rutabaga.  I went with rutabaga, and I think the root vegetables were a little sour when combined with all the spices.  I love turnips, so I’m sure I would like the dish more that way.

Stage III eating was very similar to how I usually eat, just without the more acidic/irritating ingredients like vinegar, mustard, tomatoes and pepper.  It wasn’t difficult to find delicious food to eat in this stage, and by the end I was feeling much better!  Afterward, I incorporated ingredients I had been avoiding very slowly back into my diet, and I am happy to say that in the six months since then I haven’t had any tummy troubles!

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VeganMoFo: Dyspepsia Diet Stage II

September 9, 2013 at 10:04 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Stage II of my dyspepsia diet allowed me to add certain foods back in, like high-fiber foods, beans and seeds.  I still had to avoid the big aggravators like caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods and fatty foods, as well as the more acidic fruits and veggies, but there was a lot more freedom of choice than stage I.

I was missing cruciferous veggies after a few days of not allowing them in stage I, so I doubled up with this Soba Slaw from Quick-Fix Vegan.  In addition to soba noodles, it calls for cabbage, carrot, cilantro, ginger and peanuts.  I left out the scallions, and substituted raw red bell pepper and plain yogurt for the vinegar and oil called for in the dressing.  I also added shelled edamame and blanched romanesco to make it a nicely filling meal that was gentle enough on my stomach.

I had a bunch of random vegetables to use up, so I made this melange of brown rice, kidney beans, mushrooms, celery, spinach, zucchini and parsley, with sprouts and avocado.

Baked tofu sandwich with a tiny smear of reduced-fat Vegenaise, lettuce, and sprouts, with pan seared (no oil) squash and zucchini.

Since most of the foods in stage I had been soft, I was missing some crunch in my life.  I tried these Kettle Bakes chips, which were a new product at the time.  I really like them!  You get the satisfaction of a salty munchy snack without all the fat, and the texture is nice and crisp.

I was also missing my morning pick-me-up, so I tried dandelion tea.  It didn’t trick me into thinking I was enjoying anything close to coffee, but in its own way it was good.  The closest thing I can think of to compare to its flavor is toast.  So yes, toasted bread tea.  This was what I had instead of my precious caffeine.

Lastly, the reflux cookbook Dropping Acid had said specifically that beets were good for those with too much acid in their bellies, so I got a can of ’em.  Just cooked beets, not pickled!  They went well alongside this chickpea salad with carrot, celery, and a yogurt-based dill dressing.

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VeganMoFo: Vegan Dyspepsia Diet Stage I

September 6, 2013 at 2:37 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Stage I of my vegan dyspepsia diet was all about foods that were easy to digest, in order to give my stomach a break as much as possible.  This included soups, porridges, smoothies, juices, cooked veggies, soft fruits, and carbs such as white bread and mashed potatoes.  Think baby food, but for adults.  In addition to the things to avoid for the whole plan (spicy, fatty, caffeine, alcohol & chocolate), in this stage I avoided high fiber foods, cruciferous vegetables, nuts & seeds, and beans & legumes.  If you look at my regular diet it’s pretty much founded on those four categories, so it was not easy!  Luckily, this stage only lasted two days.

(Click here for the full plan.)

For breakfasts I cooked up a big crockpot full of porridge.  The mucousy nature of porridge is supposed to be good for the stomach lining.

I don’t remember the exact grains that went in to this, but I’m sure it contained at least amaranth and quinoa.

I topped a small serving with unsweetened applesauce, almond milk, and cinnamon.

I had to really brainstorm for smoothie ideas, since the berries, mango, and pineapple I usually use were too acidic for this stage.

Yogurt is pretty much always good for digestion due to the probiotics, so I started with Trader Joe’s cultured coconut milk, which was a new product at the time.  To the yogurt I added pumpkin puree, banana, hemp protein powder, and stevia.  This was very tasty, filling, and easy on my stomach.

For snacks, I bought a jar of pear halves.  I actually really like canned pears but never buy them, so this was a good excuse to have them.  I rinsed them off before eating, since grape juice was off limits.

For the first night’s dinner, I made a big pot of vegetable soup including potatoes, green beans, zucchini, carrots, and swiss chard, being sure to cook the veggies well.  Although I was supposed to avoid onion and garlic, I figured using vegetable broth would be okay since the solids were strained out.  I knew the soup alone wouldn’t be enough to keep me full, so I got a loaf of white Pugliese bread from Trader Joe’s.  I don’t have white bread very often, so this was kind of a treat.  The bread was soft and fluffy and soaked up the soup perfectly.

To avoid eating soup every meal for two days, and to have something to actually chew on, I made this meal of white rice, dry-fried tofu, and steamed carrots.  It was weird to not add any seasonings, but despite the plainness it was a tasty meal!  Much like the white bread above, the white rice was kind of a treat since I usually only eat brown, and the carrots were a nice sweet contrast to the tofu.

For beverages in this stage, I stuck to water and chamomile and ginger teas.

Now, let’s talk about the real issue with this plan:  caffeine withdrawal.  When the doctor told me I needed to avoid caffeine in order to get better, I knew I was in trouble.  I was addicted to caffeine and honestly didn’t have a problem with that since I only have about two cups of coffee or tea per day, but I knew I was going to go through withdrawal.  The first day wasn’t too bad, I got a headache, but nothing that put me out of commission.  Second day was the same.  The third day, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  It was a Monday and I was at work.  I got a headache in the morning, and as the day went by I became cranky and irritable to the point where I couldn’t stand being around anyone or anything.  It was probably the worst mood I’ve ever been in in my life.  I left work early, went home, and just laid down for the rest of the day.  On the fourth day I was really un-energetic but better, and it improved from there.  Truthfully, even after a month my energy levels never recovered. I never felt like I had a good level of natural energy upon waking, and I always knew that I’d go back to caffeine as soon as I could, and I was okay with that.  I have great admiration for people who quit caffeine for good!

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VeganMoFo: Dyspepsia Diet

September 5, 2013 at 9:19 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , ,

To me, VeganMoFo is supposed to be a happy time to post about delightful vegan things, and it’s not delightful to post about being sick.  But, I hope that this can be a useful resource to someone else who goes through the same thing, and ultimately it’s all about healing.

As a long-time vegan who eats a ton of fiber daily and just about every type of food and cuisine, I like to pretend that i have an iron stomach.  So when I woke up one Monday morning in February with a mild tummy ache I didn’t think much of it and assumed it would pass.  It did go away, but after my morning snack of fruit and nuts it came back.  Again, it went away and came back after eating lunch, along with feeling a little dizzy and “out of it”, for lack of a better phrase.  My first thought was that maybe I had developed a sudden intolerance to something.  I’ve never had a problem with gluten so I didn’t think it was that; I realized I had eaten a lot of nightshades (eggplant, tomato, potatoes, peppers) in the preceding days, so I cut those out for a few days to see if it helped.  It didn’t.  I continued to get a mild stomach ache after eating anything, even just an apple.  I never felt like I was going to vomit, but was feeling tired and weak and it was definitely affecting my ability to work.

I made an appointment with my doctor, and after ruling out anything more serious she diagnosed me with dyspepsia, which is basically a medical term for an upset stomach or indigestion.  We traced the issue back to the weekend before, when I had indulged in a good amount of wine one night, then ate too much Chinese food the next day.  She explained that my stomach lining had become inflamed and hadn’t been able to heal on its own.  She gave me a prescription for an antacid, saying that it wasn’t that I was producing too much acid, but by lowering the regular amount of acid it would help my stomach to heal.  She instructed me to avoid caffeine, alcohol, fatty foods, spicy foods, and chocolate until I was feeling better.

I was a little perturbed at a diagnosis that seemed so generic, but she is the one with the medical degree, so I resigned to try things her way.  However, I felt like cutting out the five things she mentioned wasn’t quite enough.  If I was going to heal myself, I was really going to heal myself in the best way possible.  So I did some research and put together a plan using information I had learned during Natural Chef training at Bauman College, a reflux cookbook named Dropping Acid (clever, eh?), and what I could find online.  There was plenty of information on the basics to avoid while healing from dyspepsia, but nothing relating to a vegan diet.  Here is the plan I came up with.

Click here for full size pdf of Vegan Dyspepsia Diet

I initially planned to do the first phase for two days, the second for five, and the third for seven (for a total of two weeks), but I stayed longer in both the second and third phases because my stomach didn’t feel ready to move on.  So, if you follow this plan listen to your gut (literally) and don’t move forward too quickly if you’re not ready.

See what I ate while following this plan:
Stage I
Stage II
Stage III

Please note:  I am not a medical professional.  This is just what worked for me to heal what was diagnosed as dyspepsia.

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VeganMoFo: Seitan Hot Dog

September 4, 2013 at 8:14 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , ,

I love veggie dogs, any brand really, but they’re very much the definition of processed food, which I try to avoid.  I also really like seitan or soy sausages like Field Roast and Tofurky, but they tend to be a little calorie-heavy for what I want in one sandwich.  So when I saw the Seitan Hot Dog recipe on My Vegan Cookbook, I knew I’d be making it for tailgating season.  I really enjoy My Vegan Cookbook’s recipes; he doesn’t post very often, but when he does you can tell he’s put a lot of work into perfecting the recipe.

The dogs steamed up perfectly, with a firm but smooth texture.  The beans and wheat germ make them more tender than sausages made from just wheat gluten, and the nutritional yeast, liquid smoke and other seasonings give it a nice savory flavor.  They don’t taste quite as hot-doggy as the commercial variety, but they do taste great!  When I make them again, my one change will be to leave out the Old Bay.  I love Old Bay in general, but the celery seed flavor didn’t jive with everything else in my opinion.

with ketchup, mustard, relish, and grilled onions & peppers

They grill up beautifully, and freeze very well.  For tailgates I would take one out of the freezer in the morning and put it in the cooler.  By the time it was time to cook it would have thawed just enough.

As suggested in the recipe, I used the rest of the beans to make a chili dog (bowl), scooped up with toast points because we ran out of buns.

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VeganMoFo: Sweet & Sour Chickpeas

September 3, 2013 at 8:47 pm · Filed under Food, vegan ·Tagged , , , , , ,

I was ready to get back to cooking right away after moving into our new house.  What felt like weeks of eating takeaway while packing, cleaning, moving, unpacking, and more cleaning left me craving healthy, homemade food.

At the same time, there were still boxes everywhere and I only had access to about half of our kitchen equipment and some of our pantry ingredients.  A nice looking package of pineapple led me to these sweet & sour chickpeas, which could be accomplished with what was available to me.

To start, I water sauteed onion, garlic and fresh ginger, then added sliced mushroom and red and yellow bell peppers and let them cook down.  (You could certainly use oil for more caramelization.)  I added a can of chickpeas, fresh pineapple, and baby spinach and cooked just long enough for the spinach to wilt.  Lastly, I poured in this sweet & sour sauce, plus a tablespoon of soy sauce and a dash of sriracha.  It was served with pre-cooked brown rice (from Trader Joe’s) and garnished with green onions.

I enjoyed this dish even more than expected.  The mushrooms gave it enough earthiness to keep it from being too sweet, and it was hearty and filling.

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