Friday, November 19, 2010

win free Tofutti!

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It's time for my Vegan MoFo giveaway #2 . . .

Win a free Tofutti product!

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I have FIVE coupons to give away, folks! That's right . . . the first three winners will be awarded a coupon for a free Tofutti product, the last two winners will be awarded a coupon for $1.00 off a Tofutti product. Wahoo!

How to enter:
Leave a comment on this post by midnight tonight, (CST), mentioning your favorite Tofutti product. If you've never tried Tofutti, tell us what product you'd like to try if you won! Open to those with a US mailing address only.

(To answer my own question, I always loved the Cuties -- especially the peanut butter and chocolate ones! Yum.) :)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

beans and rice: a pictorial

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Check back tomorrow for another Vegan MoFo giveaway!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Blogger Ethnic Market Tour Part the Last: Little India

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The sky was growing dark as we left Holy Land Deli and walked up the street to our final destination in our Blogger Ethnic Market Tour . . .

Little India
1835 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
612-789-8800

While I had been in Little India before, (even way back when it was called "Patel's,") I hadn't ever really bought much there -- don't know why! They have an excellent selection of Indian frozen and dry/canned goods, but an albeit meager produce section. I guess I wouldn't go to Little India for produce, (except for fresh curry leaves,) but their other departments definitely make it worth a trip!

My purchases . . .

Basmati rice, Coconut M&Ms, (weird! I had to try them!), coconut water, black salt, frozen samosas, candy-coated fennel seeds, frozen naan, mint chutney, chickpea flour, and red lentils

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WHAT an adventure! I can't believe we hit four completely different stores in one afternoon, travelling the globe just in our metro area. I also can't WAIT to use many of the new to me products I picked up! Our meals, (and consequently, my posting,) will be MUCH more interesting in the coming months. Woo!

Don't forget to check out Liz's blog to read her review of Little India, as well as all of the other places we visited.

Back to regularly-scheduled blogging tomorrow. Happy MoFo!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Blogger Ethnic Market Tour Part 3: Holy Land Deli

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After being sorely disappointed because one of the stores we planned on visiting was CLOSED, (who's closed on a Sunday these days????), we ducked in to Kitchen Window, (my former employer,) for a quick browse, since we were in the 'hood and neither Liz nor Sarah had been there before!

Drooling over kitchenwares must make a person hungry, because by the time we arrived at our third destination of the afternoon, we were all seeing a little red . . . time to eat, NOW!

Thankfully, we were at just the right place to get an awesome snack!

Holy Land Deli
2513 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
612-781-2627

Locally, the Holy Land is somewhat of a legend . . . I've been coming here to eat since college, you can buy their hummus all over the cities in co-ops and regular grocery stores alike, and they even had coverage in the New York Times not too terribly long ago! Owned by a local family originally from Kuwait, they use "Mama Fatima" recipies, handed down for generations, for many of their foods and products.

So, snack time! Liz, Sarah, and I ordered two appetizers to share -- the appetizer sampler platter, which included hummus, baba ganouj, stuffed grape leaves, and falafel, and also the fava bean puree. Loaded down with dips and pita, we went to town!

After refueling, it was time for more shopping! Dan and I frequently hit up the Holy Land for things like olive oil, dates, and our favorite -- the olive and feta bar!

Although I didn't pick anything up here this week, (I just stocked up on olives when they went on sale at the co-op, and we don't really have a "need" for feta this week,) Liz and Sarah scored some beautiful olives and pickled veggies! Yum.

I did buy a "few" other things, though!

Olive oil, pomegranate molasses, dates, lemon-roasted pistachios, whole-wheat pita, dried friuit (apricots, cherries, golden raisins, and cranberries,) pistachios, halva, somali coffee, and baklava.

Many of the items I bought are favorites at our house, but the pomegranate molasses is definitely a new ingredient -- I can't wait to try it out! Liz suggested we could even mix it with sparkling water for a sweet/sour soda. Do you have any ideas for the pomegranate molasses?

Don't forget to check out Liz's blog to read her review of the Holy Land Deli.

Check back tomorrow for the last installment of our Blogger Ethnic Market Tour!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Blogger Ethnic Market Tour Part 2: Dragon Star Oriental Foods

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Stop #2 on our Blogger Ethnic Market Tour was . . .

Dragon Star Oriental Foods
633 Minnehaha Ave W
St. Paul, MN 55104
651-488-2567

Now, I do frequent the Asian grocery store close to my house, but I had heard wonderful things about Dragon Star -- essentially, that it is "so much better" than my usual haunt. Well, truthfully, I can't see myself hauling ass to St. Paul once or twice a month just to pick up a few things, but I do agree -- Dragon Star is the best Asian market I have been to yet! The produce is all gorgeous, and they have a very wide selection of fruits and vegetables. The store is clean and extremely well-organized -- their layout "made sense" to my brain, unlike my usual store, in which I can't ever seem to find anything. They also seemed to have more brands to choose from, and finding little things like miso WITHOUT bonito made me happy!

My haul:

BACK: 6 boxes of ginger candy (hey . . . they're hard to find!), 3 packs of tofu, what I think are dried goji berries, dumpling wrappers, 3 kinds of curry paste, rice vinegar, inari, dried shiitake mushrooms, kimchi for Dan, miso, mochi variety pack, rice noodles
FRONT/PRODUCE:
cilantro, dragonfruit, pomegranates, Asian pears, persimmons, lemongrass, green onions, and bean sprouts

I think we were starting to get hungry at this point in the afternoon, because Sarah broke open the package of mochi she bought as soon as we got out to the car:


It's mochi time! Yum!


Don't forget to check out Liz's blog to read her review of Dragon Star.

Check back tomorrow for Part 3 of our Blogger Ethnic Market Tour!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Blogger Ethnic Market Tour Part 1: El Burrito Mercado

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Blogger Ethnic Market Tour? YES! While chatting about Vegan MoFo with Liz from Food Snobbery is my Hobbery last week, she suggested we do some sort of co-posting extravaganza in honor of Vegan MoFo, which I thought was a fantastic idea! After a flurry of emails back and forth, we settled on our best idea -- bloggers tour local ethnic grocery stores and blog about our finds! Woot! Today was the day, and after I hopped on the bus to meet Liz (and her friend Sarah) in downtown St. Paul, we headed to our first location:

El Burrito Mercado
175 Cesar Chavez St.
St. Paul, MN 55107
651-227-2192

(I'll apologize once, now, for the poor quality photos throughout these posts. The weather was gray and lousy, and I was just too busy shopping and looking at everything to take many pictures!)
El Burrito is located on the east side of St. Paul, an area of the city heavily populated by folks from Central- and South-America, and El Burrito is definitely the place to get the weekly family shopping done. The store was PACKED! While we were probably kind of annoying, getting in peoples' way while we wandered and browsed with our overloaded baskets, I took the bustle as a good sign -- this is a well-shopped store with high turnover. The produce all looked excellent, the store was well laid-out, organized, and clean. Besides the usual groceries, they have a full deli, (including a huge salsa bar -- see Liz's post for a photo!), tons of grab-n-go prepared foods, (including three different kinds of house-made refried beans, and tamales of all varietes, including veggie!), and a cafe/restaurant! The street entrance of the store is beautifully decorated with bright yellow paint, tiles and mosaics, but unfortunately, we entered off the parking lot, so we only got a drive-by glimpse of the gorgeousness. The employees all seemed friendly and helpful, and we were able to find everything we needed . . . and then some! What did I buy?

BACK: GOYA jumbo green olives, corn husks (I WILL make tamales!), masa harina, 7 g of saffron for 99 cents!, annato seeds, horchata concentrate, house-made tortilla chips
MIDDLE: GOYA Sazon, queso fresco (totally hiding in the photo,) canned tomatoes, canned chipotles in adobo, 3 different darling soup pastas (ABCs, stars, and mini wagon wheels,) GOYA guava paste
FRONT/PRODUCE: bell peppers, garlic, avocadoes, limes, jalapenos, cilantro, red and yellow onions, and a mango

After wrapping up our purchases and heading back out to the car, Liz decided she HAD to crack open the salsa she had purchased from the deli:

I think a salsa tailgate might be my favorite kind!

Don't forget to check out Liz's blog to read her review of El Burrito Mercado.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of our Blogger Ethnic Market Tour!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

breakfast and groceries

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It's always a little surreal the first time each year when you wake up and there's snow on the ground! Today, I woke up, and there was a LOT of snow on the ground -- wet, sloppy, gloppy, slushy snow, and tons of it! The snow has been coming down all day, and it's finally starting to peter off. Yuk!

What to do when you have no plans and the weather is disgusting? Make French toast, of course!

I used the last six slices of sandwich bread we had on hand, dried them out in a warm oven, soaked them in the "Fronch Toast" custard from Vegan with a Vengeance, (to which I added a tablespoon of agave nectar and a half-teaspoon of Penzey's Baking Spice,) and fried them up in a little Earth Balance in my cast iron. Ta-da! An excellent breakfast on a dreary and gross Saturday morning. (We had coffee and clementines, too -- caffeine and vitamins are also requirements!) I would absolutely make this recipe again! The chickpea flour and cornstarch lended a nice thickness to the custard, without the weird "egginess" I associate with traditional French toast. (I am a L/O vegetarian, but really don't care much for eggs, so I don't use them often. Hooray for vegan baking and cooking!)

After breakfast, Dan had a wild idea -- he suggested we go OUT in the slop! So out we went. We walked to the library, took the bus home and dropped off our books, then hopped back on the bus to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After enjoying some (free!) art for a little over an hour, we walked over to "Peninsula" Malaysian restaurant for a wonderful lunch! After lunch, we walked some more . . . all the way over to the Wedge for our weekly haul! This week's vegan grocery cart:

BREAD:
Rudi's Organic 100% whole wheat sandwich bread
BULK:
local maple syrup
locally-roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee
local, organic rolled oats
GEN MERCH:
Preserve razor refills
HERBS & SPICES:
kava kava root
PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic, vegan Worcestershire sauce
organic canola oil
Good Earth original herbal tea (coupon!)
Lemon Zinger tea (coupon!)
Knudsen's ginger ale spritzer (coupon!)
organic dark chocolate (coupon!)

Why so little in our grocery cart this week? Well . . . 'cause I'm not done with the shopping! Stay tuned for a mystery grocery shopping adventure, happening tomorrow!

and the winners are . . .

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Thank you to everyone who entered my Earth Balance soymilk giveaway yesterday! And the winners are . . .

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

2
4

Timestamp: 2010-11-13 14:20:16 UTC

HayMarket8 and Ali! Congrats, you guys! I'll be in touch via blogs/email to get your coupon to you!

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Back soon with breakfast!

Friday, November 12, 2010

win free Earth Balance soy milk!

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Giveaways are fun! Here is my first in a series of two Vegan MoFo inspired giveaways.

Win a free carton of Earth Balance soy milk!

I am giving away two coupons for a free half-gallon of Earth Balance soy milk! The milks are vegan and organic, and come in original, vanilla, chocolate, and unsweetened varieties.

How to enter:
Leave one comment on this post, mentioning your favorite type/brand of milk or alternative milk. I will accept comments until midnight tonight, CST. will choose two winners at random tomorrow morning. Please make sure you leave your email address or blog URL in your comment, so I have a way of contacting you! Open only to those with a US mailing address.

Good luck! Free stuff is fun!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

restaurant review: Everest on Grand

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I typically schlepp myself to and from St. Paul on the bus 5 days a week, but Dan kindly picks me up from work usually about one night per week. On those nights when he picks me up, we often go out for dinner, usually somewhere in St. Paul, so we don't have to sit in rush hour traffic! Even though I had every intention to cook tonight, it just didn't happen. :)

When Dan picked me up, I was TOTALLY craving pizza . . . and then Dan suggested we go to Everest on Grand! Nepali and Tibetan food really isn't anything at all like pizza, but well, Everest has momos!

What are momos? They are delicious steamed dumplings, (the vegetarian ones are stuffed with spinach, cabbage, and other wonderful veggies,) served with the most amazingly spicy, curried dipping sauce. Oh momos, how I love thee! I didn't have my camera with me, so I wasn't able to catch a picture of the momos, but if you go to Everest's website, there is a nice picture right on the front page.

The other nice thing about Everest? They have an entire half-page of vegetarian curries, and ten of those curries are explicitly vegan! Even though matter paneer is my most favorite thing EVER, I ordered a vegan curry, in the spirit of Vegan MoFo!

Here are my leftovers:

I ordered "Ramtoria," which is fried okra with tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and herbs. I was delighted with this dish! I have weirdly been craving okra lately, and despite the "fried" descriptor, this curry was delicate, light, and not at all greasy. I'm so glad I tried something new -- I will definitely order this next time! I ordered my curry "medium" spicy, and my only regret was that I had chosen "medium-hot." But the okra was so delicious, I didn't even care! :)

If you live in the Twin Cities or plan to visit St. Paul, Everest is a must-go, in my opinion!

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Check back tomorrow for my first in a two-part series of Vegan MoFo giveaways! Night night!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

vegan gadgetry

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When you think about it, there aren't too terribly many gadgets out there that one would explicitly label "vegan." However, this guy is one of my favorite things in my kitchen and gets weekly (at least) use!



Yesssssssss . . . that is a Soyabella soy milk maker! Now, I know what Alton Brown says . . . "never own a unitasker." Well, this isn't a unitasker, people! You can also make nutmilks in the Soyabella, and that's actually my favorite thing to do with it! Although I enjoy homemade soy milk, I find nut milks, (specifically almond milk,) tastier and even faster than running the soy milk function.

How easy is homemade almond milk, really? Well, I soak about a half-cup of almonds in water for at least six hours, drain and rinse them, and put them in the "milk screen." I add water to the line, run the mill function five times, and, voila!

A quart of freshly-made almond milk, costing next to nothing, creating no packaging waste, and taking almost no time! (I like to add about a tablespoon of agave, a half-teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of salt to my milk, too, but it's pretty tasty on its own.)

The Soyabella is quite expensive, but I was able to score mine at a deep discount when I worked at the kitchenwares store . . . and it's been SO worth it! I definitely think it's paid for itself twice over in the years that I've owned it, and it's still kicking strong!

Now, as much as I love my Soyabella, you can make nut milks without one -- you just need a blender and some cheesecloth or a mesh bag to strain the milk through. Combine the soaked almonds with about a quart of water, blend away, and strain! Easy enough! I think soy milk would be a little harder, though, so if you prefer that, the Soyabella would totally be the way to go!

What is your favorite "vegan gadget?"

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

product review: Nate's Meatless Meatballs

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I can't even begin to imagine the last time I've had spaghetti and meatballs! I've been a vegetarian for years, and I "went off" beef long before I quit meat all together. I've never been a huge meatball eater, and spaghetti and meatballs just wasn't something I grew up eating, I guess!

BUT . . . when I noticed that Nate's Meatless Meatballs were on sale at the co-op last month, and I discovered a coupon in my co-op quarterly, I figured it was about time I gave another thought to spaghetti and meatballs! I had also read good things on others' blogs about these meatless meatballs, I think when the product was first introduced, so I was excited to give them a try! I picked up a package of the "zesty Italian" flavor, and started cooking!


I topped some whole-wheat spaghettini with homemade marinara, (that I made over the weekend,) and a few of the meatless meatballs. Results:

Doesn't that look enticing? My overall opinion of this product is extremely favorable -- Dan and I both agreed the meatless meatballs have good flavor and texture, and I loved that they were INCREDIBLY fast to prepare! Like, if you didn't count oven-preheating/water boiling time, I had dinner on the table in fifteen minutes tonight! Yahoo! We won't be buying these often, since we really just don't do too much processed food, but they will definitely hop in our shopping cart on occasion, to meet a "meaty" craving for Dan or for a quick and easy dinner. Yum!

Have you tried any Nate's products?

Monday, November 08, 2010

split pea soup

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As a child, split pea soup never really appealed to me -- I HATED green peas, (and they are still not my favorite vegetable,) so, in my young mind, I decided that split pea soup must taste like mushy, overcooked, canned green peas. Ew!

BUT, to my surprise and delight, that is NOT the case! Split green peas cook up soft and smooth, similar to red lentils, (although they don't fall apart as much,) and take on many of the flavors you add to the pot. Probably why split pea soups are usually made with ham, a flavorful, but very NON-veg ingredient!

What's a split-pea lovin' veggie to do? Make Smoky Split Pea Soup!

This is an excellent recipe as is, especially since it does NOT contain carrots, my least-favorite vegetable. (But I do love love love sweet potatoes! Great swap, VT!) I like to semi-puree the soup with my Bamix, which gives the soup a thick, hearty, velvety texture, but you can definitely leave it brothy if you prefer!

For some reason, I always seem to crave biscuits with split-pea soup:

Tonight, I made vegan, half-whole-wheat "buttermilk" drop biscuits to go with my bowl of soup. Mmmmmmmmm! Recipe:

Combine:
3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup non-dairy milk of your choice

Combine:
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup AP flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soday
1/4 tsp salt

Cut into flour mixture:
1/2 cup (1 stick) non-hydrogenated vegan margarine

Stir milk mixture into flour/marg mixture just until everything is moistened. Drop by scant 1/4-cupfulls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 450 about 16 minutes, or until bottoms are well-browned. (Keep in mind that whole-wheat baked goods will brown a little more than white ones.) Remove to a cooling rack, but serve warm if possible!

Do you have a wonderful split-pea soup recipe to share? I'm always up for trying another version!

Sunday, November 07, 2010

ode to VCON

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It wouldn't be Vegan MoFo without Chickpea Cutlets, right? :)

I like making a big Sunday dinner, and tonight's was no exception! Using practically every pot and roasting pan I own, I managed a whopper of an ode to Veganomicon -- "Chickpea Cutlets," smothered with "Mustard Sauce," with sides of oven-roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli, and "Saffron-Garlic Rice." Since we ate dinner kind of late, Dan had two full plates of food! Yowza! Despite all of my efforts there are hardly any leftovers; in my opinion, that's just the mark of a great meal!

Saturday, November 06, 2010

throwing things in a pot

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I've been nursing a cold this week, and food is just not all that appealing . . . I still have an appetite, but it sort of comes and goes, and even though I'm hungry, nothing sounds good! Waa!

For today's lunch, I just sort of threw a few things in a pot, heated it up, and voila! Had a black bean soup I actually wanted to eat!

I was pleasantly surprised by my combination of leftover refried black beans, a few splashes of water, a couple spoonfulls of salsa, a couple dashes of cumin, a healthy dash of chili powder, and a few dashes of Cholula. Nice and spicy, but still comforting and tasty. I think the saltiness of the refried beans and salsa helped the soup taste so good to my diminished palate -- not an every day kind of meal, but it hit the spot today! And I seem to always be able to eat black beans, no matter what -- I think they might be one of my favorite foods!

What have you tossed together recently that you were pleasantly surprised by?

Friday, November 05, 2010

vegan grocery cart

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I think the secondary title of this post could be, "how to eat healthfully without going broke and losing your sanity!" :)

Regardless of your diet, consuming tons of fresh produce, (mostly organic,) can get costly -- especially when you are trying to feed a couple of pretty active adults!

I have a few tips that have helped me stay on budget and still cook largely whole foods from scratch on a near-daily basis . . .

1. Meal plan. Really. It might sound limiting, but I spend a lot less time at the store and a lot less time thinking about what I'm going to fix for dinner when I plan out our week's meals ahead of time, and shop once weekly. I try to fix a few meals per week that yield leftovers, (like soups, baked pasta dishes, curries or stir-fries, etc.) so we have plenty of food on hand to pack in lunches and for nights when one of us doesn't have time to cook. Leftovers aren't always the most exciting meal, but they work in a pinch, and are definitely more affordable than picking up take-out!

2. Make a list, and stick to it (for the most part!) As I make our meal plan for the week, I sit with the grocery list next to me, adding items as I go. I also use coupons when I can, take advantage of my member discounts at my co-op, and watch for sales on items we use frequently, and then stock up! Here's my listing for this week:

I organize the grocery list by sections, (produce, cold/frozen, bulk, and other,) and make a seperate list for the weekly meal plan.

3. At the store, stick to your list! Dan and I are very careful about our grocery budget, but do allow each other one "treat" per week, as long as that "treat" is under $5 each. What was in our vegan grocery cart this week?

BULK:
local, organic, whole-wheat pastry flour
locally-roasted, fair-trade, organic coffee
local "Evening in Missoula" tea
FROZEN:
organic orange juice concentrate from a local company
PACKAGED GROCERY:
unrefined peanut oil
non-GMO cornstarch
organic chunky peanut butter
"Just Blueberry" juice
organic diced tomatoes
organic crushed tomatoes
organic whole-wheat spaghetti
organic pitted kalamata olives
organic whole kalamata olives
PRODUCE:
local, organic broccoli
organic celery
organic cucumber
organic grapes
organic lemons
organic tangerines
organic garlic
organic Yukon gold potatoes
local, hydroponic lettuce
local, hydroponic upland cress
organic sweet potato
local apples
organic red cherry tomatoes
REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
"Pumpkin Spice" Silk Nog (a treat for my coffee!)
Earth Balance buttery sticks (in honor of Vegan MoFo!)
organic 3-grain tempeh
Vegenaise (also in honor of Vegan MoFo!)

Between sale items, our memeber discount, BYO bag discount, and a couple of coupons, we saved $14.62 this week! This helped us come in nearly $35 UNDER budget for the week! Whoa.

4. Last but not least, my final tip happens when you get home from the store -- spend a few hours on the weekend doing as much prep work ahead of time as you can. I try to block off some time on Saturday or Sunday to get my baking done for the week, including making granola, (this also saves energy, since I can take advantage of an already-hot oven,) make a batch of almond milk, and prep any little odds and ends I can to make weeknight dinners that much speedier! For example, this week I need to make a batch of almond milk, wash and tear up lettuce for salads, make a quick batch of pasta sauce, wash and chop broccoli into florets, and make the base for some Chickpea Cutlets. This will only take me a couple of hours tomorrow morning, but will simplify so many things this week!

What are your tips for eating healthfully and still staying on a budget?

Thursday, November 04, 2010

veggie vites

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For today's Vegan MoFo post, I want to write about vitamins -- supplements, specifically. Now, I have always been more of a "get your vitamins from food" kind of person, but I also believe that taking a multivitamin can't HURT, and it can be a good insurance policy for days when I don't eat as healthfully as I'd like to, for whatever reason.

Many vegetarians have difficulty sourcing vitamins and supplements from "traditional" drugstores, because many commercially-produced, inexpensive supplements contain gelatin or other non veg-friendly ingredients. Because of this, I've looked at the vitamins from my co-op, and frankly, the prices make me CRY! WHY does being healthy have to be so damn expensive sometimes?

Or does it?

Nope! Enter Vitacost! This is one of my all-time favorite websites, and a place I frequently order huge amounts of stuff from. (Really. Like I even by toilet paper from Vitacost, because it's cheaper than buying it at the co-op, and buying recycled TP is important to me.)

Here's what I take:
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I have been taking this once daily multi for several years, and am quite happy with it. Vitacost keeps it affordable, at 40% off the retail price, and it has a nice balance of vitamins and minerals, with the all-important calcium, iron, vitamin D, and B-12, four of the hottest vitamins for upper-midwestern women (and vegetarians,) if you ask me! However, I like that there's only 20% of my RDA of calcium and 33% of my RDA of iron, because I do feel I get these nutrients from my foods, too. (Insurance policy, right?)

Recently, I've also started taking this:
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I had a helluva time finding a vegetarian omega-3 supplement! While we do use largely olive and canola oils in our house, (and I do add flax oil to salad dressings, and ground flax seeds to our granola,) I'm still not sure we get enough omega-3s. Dan takes fish oil, (since he's not a veggie, since fish oil is much cheaper, and since he has high cholesterol -- needs to take more than I do, with my low cholesterol,) but I have added this supplement to my daily routine, and have been very happy with it! It isn't nearly as awesome a deal as the multi I take, (this product is only 10% off retail,) but I seriously haven't seen it in a single retail store, and I order so much from the website anyway, the $4.95 flat shipping rate usually pays for itself in the first couple of items!

So, what's your take on veggie vites? Do you supplement? Why or why not?

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

step-by-step Thai curry

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Thai curry is one of those meals that we make at least once a month -- it's fairly quick, fairly simple, and an easy way to use up odds and ends from the vegetable drawer. :)

You will need . . .

3 tbsp peanut oil, divided
1 pound water-pack firm or extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 30 minutes
1 onion, sliced
equal amounts garlic and ginger, grated or minced (about 2 tsp each)
2 tbsp curry paste (red, yellow, or green -- your choice!)
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 can coconut milk
VEGETABLES! (Tonight I used eggplant, winter squash, broccoli, red bell pepper, carrot, green beans, green onions, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms)

Step 1:

Heat your wok over medium-high heat, and add 1 tbsp peanut oil. Fry half the tofu. Remove the tofu to paper towels, and add another tbsp oil and fry the second batch.

Step 2:

Add the last tbsp oil to the wok, and fry the onions, ginger, and garlic until beginning to brown.

Step 3:

Add the curry paste, and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until the paste sort of "melts" into the onions.

Step 4:

Add the coconut milk, 1/2 a can of water, soy sauce, agave, the tofu, and any long-cooking veggies to the wok. Bring the curry to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until your veggies are tender.

Step 5:

Fold in the remaining veggies, and cook about 5 minutes, or just until crisp-tender.

Serve over rice!