Phat Fat Product Reviews

One of the few non-vegan foods Rob ever talks about is ice cream. He has been vegan for something like 20 or so years and he doesn't miss cheese and never has, but ice cream is another story. When we first started dating, he introduced me to the slim pickings in the non-dairy frozen treats department and I was pretty happy. I grew up in an ice cream eating house that is for sure, but to avoid fat or maybe it was cheaper, my mom often bough the frozen ice milk type brands so I was not put off by my first vegan ice creams due to the texture or taste. It was cold and sweet and cruelty-free and that was good enough for me. We don't often make or buy vegan ice cream these days. I prefer to eat and serve more sorbet type of treats which are just colder versions of smoothies (many of the packed with fresh local organic fruits and greens). The kids love it and they don't even ask me to buy vegan ice cream anymore. But, the other day I saw Coconut Bliss on sale at Common Ground Co-op and I had to pick up a couple containers. We tried Coconut Bliss once before and it is hands down the creamiest vegan ice cream I've bought in a store. It is really amazing. Even non-vegans will love this treat!Coconut Bliss has it texture and taste, but they also have (at least the flavors we tried) over 50% of your daily value for saturated fat. Now, I'm not a fat-free vegan by any stretch of the imagination. I believe that "good fats" (usually unsaturated and no trans fats) in moderation are healthy for most adults (unless they have health concerns such as heart or weight issues) and necessary for growing children. I love my coconut milk, shredded coconut, etc. and I'll definitely buy Coconut Bliss again, but it is something I will eat in very small helpings. I used to stock my dad's freezer with vegan ice cream and he would comment about eating an entire container in one sitting. I remember many nights when I was growing up that dad would sit down with a heaping bowl of ice cream and read the paper before bed. So that he could sit and eat an entire container is not surprising, but it can get quite expensive and not healthy even though it is vegan. I'm happy to see a container of Coconut Bliss or other vegan ice cream last our family of five for several weeks or more. If you are looking for a vegan ice cream and don't have time to make your own, I highly suggest trying Coconut Bliss (it also looks like a great company and the ingredients are impressive), but we careful with portion control!I also grew up on Miracle Whip. I shudder to think of it now, but I did so I have eaten my share of Vegenaise over the years I've been vegan. I started out with Nayonaise and converted to Vegenaise, but the kids were never big on either one which was fine by me (why get them hooked on a creamy white stuff on their sandwiches if they aren't interested). It is definitely not a health food and there are so many better condiments out there...mustard is great tasting and good for you, but fresh tomato sandwiches call for vegan mayo in my book. Since I'm getting older and I still have about 20 pounds of baby weight that didn't just fall off after Josie was born as it did with my first two children, I've been looking at my calorie and fat intake a little differently. I'm not a calorie counter and I love to eat and would much prefer to exercise more than eat less, but I don't mind cutting down here and there on oil or looking for a lower calorie/fat alternative. Again, I found a bargain at the co-op on Spectrum Light Canola Mayo which is vegan so I thought I'd give it a try. Well, it is fine and all, but it didn't blow me away. I find it pretty bland so it seems kind of useless to add it to a sandwich, unless you are just going for texture. I haven't tried making potato salad or anything with it yet, just on sandwiches. I do appreciate that there are lower fat vegan mayo alternatives available. I've heard Vegenaise is now coming out with a lower fat version as well so kudos to Spectrum for getting out there and blazing the trail. The Light Canola May has been helpful for weaning me off mayo for good (hopefully). I've always been concerned that most vegan mayo available in stores has soy protein isolate (not a whole food in my book) and/or is not organic (thus, probably GMO soy, which again we try to avoid). There are so many recipes out there for homemade vegan mayo (VeganDad, RecipeZaar to name a couple) that I've decided that is the way to go from now on. Cheaper and better for us, I'll let you know which recipe we like the best.

Movie Review

I was going to do a movie review on this movie a couple weeks ago, but it seems more timely now with the Independence holiday coming up here in the US. This year in homeschool, we studied American history and so we spent time reading books (reviews on some of them coming later), went to museums, and watched some movies. One of the movies, we found quite interesting was...

John Adams
The kids didn't watch the entire epic, but I would be happy to watch it again in all its length. Rob and I both thought it was very well done. The acting was quite good for a mini-series and best of all it sparked interest in all of us to learn more. Really what more can I ask? I love books, but sometimes it is hard to picture certain aspects of history and a movie brings it to life in a different way. I appreciate the raw realness of this film. There is an option on the DVD to have what I will call "fact pop ups" appear throughout the film. I enjoyed watching with this option on and highly suggest it, but it may distract from the viewing for younger children. Of course, there are parts which may be particularly hard for some children to watch. One such scene for my kids involved a man being hit by a cannon ball while John Adams was sailing to Europe and hit ship was attacked by the British. The man's leg has to be amputated and all does not end well. There are also some historical inconsistencies, which is to be expected, listed here. Overall, I would say it is well worth the hours of viewing and timely for those celebrating on July 4th.

Pizza, Coconut, and Tempeh

It was sooo incredibly hot a week or so ago and everything was drooping. We don't have A/C and it was so humid, I didn't really feel like cooking or moving for that matter. The clothes wouldn't dry outside on the line despite the sun because of the humidity. My father-in-law, Mike, came out for a visit Father's Day weekend. He is from NC and grew up without any electricity in the NC heat, but even he couldn't take our Illinois heat wave and he left a day early. I felt like everyone and everything was suffering...then I looked up at my porch and my happy little hanging plants and thought, "At least something likes this weather!". So I took a picture with my iphone. Luckily, it has been unseasonably cool this week and I am loving it!
Speaking of Father's Day, I was going to do a brunch with Rob's dad in town and have my dad, sister, and brother over, but it was so hot I wanted to do something simpler. For my sister's birthday, June 7th, we had my family over for vegan pizza. It was so good, Rob and I decided to do it again for Father's Day. Probably not the smartest thing since the house was warm enough, the oven baking pizzas didn't help one bit, but it was yummy. Rob made his wonderful whole wheat crust (he mostly follows the recipe in Nonna's Italian Kitchen by the talented Bryanna Clark Grogan), homemade sauce, and we did the normal toppings (kale, carrots, kalamata olives, capers, sweet peppers, mushrooms, fresh pineapple on some, and since I picked up some Follow Your Heart vegan cheese on sale we added a little of that as well, but I really prefer pizza without it).There is nothing better than homemade vegan pizza. I felt guilty that Rob cooked on Father's Day, but he said he waned too and there are issues between Rob's dad, Mike, and me so it is better for Rob to cook. Family stuff is complicated to say the least.
I did make a Coconut Lemon Bundt Cake from Veganomicon. But I waited until midnight when the kitchen had cooled down a tad. I bought a gallon of blueberries from the farmer's market and actually was able to freeze few this time. We topped the cake with Coconut Bliss ice cream (on sale at the co-op recently) to cut the sweetness (for you Steel Magnolias fans).
Last Friday night we rode our bikes to Ricky and Catharine's for dinner. It is about 4.5 miles so long enough for Dema to fall asleep. We made a stop at Strawberry Fields on the way and Dema was snoozing and Josie was asking for an apple (that is a ball in her hand not an apple) and doing her sign for eat and saying "eat" over and over. Parker was on the back of my Xtracycle because we still don't have a light for his bike. I don't think of it until we are going somewhere and will need a light on the ride home. He really needs his own lock and lights. Dinner at Ricky and Catharine's was tempeh fajitas, rice, beans, guacamole, and pasta for the kids (although Parker ate two large plate full of pretty much everything). It was yummy and fun as usual. The kids soaked each other all evening with the hose and we enjoyed the weather chatting on their porch.Speaking of tempeh, I've revised one of our favorite tempeh dished from Vegan Dad's blog, Peanut Tempeh with Noodles. In the past, I've blogged about it as Sunbutter Tempeh with Noodles. I've changed it up enough that I'll share my version, but I highly suggest checking out Vegan Dad and cooking it his way too. I just can't ever leave well enough alone. This dish is so good, we rarely have leftovers. It is also great for people looking for a protein punch (most of us get plenty and it is not something people lack in their diet veg or not, but some people are big on protein) with the nutbutter, nutritional yeast, and tempeh it is a protein powerhouse.

Nutbutter Coconut Tempeh with Rice Noodles:
1 package rice noodles
3 - 4 cloves of garlic minced
1 block of tempeh crumbled (I find that even people who don't like tempeh will like this dish)
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional - I've been cutting back on oil a lot lately, more about that in another post)
1 - 2 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos or tamari
1/2 cup water (plus a couple tablespoons if you don't want to use much oil)
1/4 cup nutbutter (your choice, but I assume you are using a nut butter with just nuts in it...no salt nor sweetener)
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 can lite coconut milk (you can use full fat and I've heard that lite is only full fat with added water, but lite is what I have right now so if you use full fat, I would use only half a can and maybe up the water)
2/3 to 1 teaspoon red curry paste (we like things hot so you may want to try half this amount at first)
1 teaspoon coriander
1 package frozen peas or fresh sweet peas or green of your choice
red pepper flakes for garnish (optional...I told you we like things hot)
fresh chopped cilantro for garnish (optional, not shown, but it great if you have some on hand)

Soak the rice noodles according to directions on the package. While the noodles are soaking, heat a large saute pan or wok on medium heat. Add the olive oil and saute the garlic for a couple minutes, but do not burn. Crumble the tempeh into the pan and saute. Add a tablespoon or two of water if it starts to stick. Put the nutbutter in a bowl with the water, blackstrap molasses, tamari, nutritional yeast, coriander, and red curry paste and mix it all together with a spoon and then pour the mixture in the pan with the tempeh. Heat, stirring occasionally for about ten or fifteen minutes then add the peas and coconut milk and stir. Make sure not to boil after the coconut milk is added. Heat through until peas are thawed and noodles are done. Add the drained noodles to the mixture and stir. If it is still too wet for you, add a little more nutritional yeast. Serve with red pepper flakes and/or fresh cilantro.

Sun Tea and Sexist Shoes

This picture is from April when I made our first sun tea of the season. Our preferred drink around here is water, but it is nice to have cold herbal tea on the really hot days. I'm also trying to work through our stash of organic herbal teas so I can order some tea from an old high school friend who just opened her own business, but it is somewhat slow going. We have a lot of tea and I'm very sensitive to caffeine. Even decaffeinated tea effects me so I have to drink it moderation. I've also read that tea can block the absorption of some nutrients, specifically iron, so I try to only drink tea between meals. It is a nice once in a while treat though. Thanks to Jen for the great gallon glass container which is perfect for making tea. I fell in love with these containers and now store some of my bulk foods in them (thanks to Thomasanna for picking up a case on one of her many trips to Amish country). Usually, we store our bulk nuts in recycled glass containers of all sizes (tahini, jelly, nut butter, etc. containers we've used and then cleaned out), but it is nice to have some gallon containers for things like rice and whole wheat pasta. I put 20 pounds of brown rice in four of the gallon jars.

When Rob and I first started dating, I was in my early twenties and he was in his early thirties. I knew pretty early on in our relationship that Rob was the "the one". After more engagements than I want to admit, I was really sure this guy was a soul mate and different from the others. But, he wore these ridiculously ugly shoes. I loved clothes and shoes back then and in my early twenties naivety I was sure I could convince my new beau to give up his Birkenstock clogs. I mean really. Instead a year later, maybe less, I was sporting my own Birk sandals. I fell in love with non-leather vegan Birks and wore them for years. Then I got pregnant, had a baby and started babywearing (carrying extra weight). I don't know if the pregnancy has something to do with it, but my feet changed and I started having heal spurs. I tried some exercises and did some reading and decided it was time for different shoes. I bought non-leather Keens and I was in love. No more heal spurs and my feet had never been happier. I even wore them in the winter so it was no surprise to me when a couple weeks ago my original Keen shoes were on their last legs. I stopped into Heal to Toe (a local shoe store where I've bought shoes for years) while I was out grocery shopping with the kids the other day. I went in looking specifically for a pair of Keens and immediately I saw a pair ready for clipless pedals for cycling. I was sold! Or so I thought. I talked to the sales clerk and asked if they had the shoe in women's sizes. She checked in the back, she checked in the catalog. No, they only sell the commuter shoe in men's sizes. What????!!! Seriously? They don't expect women to be on their bikes? Grrrr. I was willing to give them another chance and asked if they have a men's size small enough to fit my women's size seven feet. No dice.
I was about to walk away sad and shoeless, then I glanced over to the Earth Shoes. I've always wanted to try out Earth shoes, but at the point when I was experiencing the heel spurs, I was told that Earth shoes would not help. I like the fact that they label their vegan shoes as "vegan" and the foot bed has always seemed interesting to me. So, I tried some on and that was it. I was in love. They felt perfect for my feet and I knew I would happily walk many miles for several years in these shoes. They are not cheap, but I walk a lot and after many pre-Rob years of being a slave to fashion and wearing heals to work and going for the cute shoes and comfort be damned, I am a big advocate of being kind to one's feet. So far, I am an Earth convert, but I would still love to see Keen get with the program and offer cycling commuter shoes for women. I did find this review of the Keen SPD Commuter Sandal so maybe they don't have all the kinks worked out yet.I was never a foot model for obvious reasons, but it is tough to take a good picture of one's own feet. I pretty much gave up nail polish (I loved nail polish!) before Rob and I met when I found out how toxic it can be (as many cosmetics), but I bought some No Miss nail polish from our friends at Pangea when we lived in Maryland pre-kids. I just never find time to do my nails, but my new shoes gave me a good excuse. This color is Capitiva Coffee. Dema was very impressed with my toes, "Your feet are beautiful, mom! Can you color mine too?" so I might have to treat myself more often. Here's to healthy, comfortable, happy, and busy feet!

Did FB/Twitter Kill the Blog?

A lot of my favorite bloggers are taking a "break" or blogging less these days. I blame Facebook and Twitter. I know I spend more time on Facebook than I should. It is slightly addictive being able to do my status and keep in touch with people or plan get togethers or share a laugh. It all takes just a few minutes, theoretically, and then I'm off to the pool or the park with the kids. I don't need to sit down and think through a (hopefully) coherent entire post. Is this a good thing? It is what it is.



Speaking of radio...it isn't dead! I have a disc of my first veg*n radio show with Meat-free Mike in my hot little hands. Listen this Monday from 6 - 7 pm Central time to WEFT (90.1 FM for locals and you can listen online as well). Basically, we chat about plant-based diets. It is a good intro and we'll have more shows for you next month and hopefully beyond.

Summer Randomness

Josie lounging on the porch, trying not to fall asleep. Don't we look busy? Yes and no. We've been having fun doing our summer thang and that means spending a lot of our time outside which means less computer time (yay!), but I've started a blog post here and there, but never finished them. I decided summer blogging is more about pictures and less words, but you know how I am...it is hard for me not to go on and on.
Pancakes with fresh local strawberries. We had a strawberry patch at our old house, but haven't put one in our current garden yet. I miss it, but this is the first year we've really put any effort into our garden since I wanted to make sure the soil was okay (we live in a 100 year old house so I wanted to make sure there wasn't a lead issue). Two weeks straight we bought a gallon of strawberries at the Market at the Square. I thought I could make something with them or freeze them, but they were eaten au naturale within 24 hours (48 the second week) by the kids. I don't know what I was thinking. Here are some perfectly sweet strawberries on top of pancakes. No need for our wonderful Wisconsin maple syrup (thank you, Jennifer!!!) this time.
Here is Parker in front of Common Ground Co-op painting a thank you note to the farmers. What a great idea! I love the synergy between our local co-op and the farmer's market this year.
Typical summer lunch. Fresh berries (strawberries and blackberries this day), Chickpea Noodle Soup from Veganomicon (this soup is still a favorite even with the warmer weather), and Raw Red Pepper Aioli from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan (topped here with avocado for Parker and served with carrots, lots of carrots...I doubled the aioli recipe and the kids ate over 3 pounds of carrots with the dip that day...super duper yum!).Dema (and part of Parker) daydreaming of Lego at the neighborhood "Lego Club Meeting"
Pasta Puttanesca over whole wheat pasta. I double the sauce and don't really follow a recipe, but you can check this one out which is roughly what I do. I serve it over pasta one day and then quinoa the next. We've cut back on the Kalamata olives we buy due to cost so this is a treat these days. I can barely keep capers in the house because Josie finds them and will eat them out of the jar (she does this with olives too).Parker on top of the swing set in our park. He is usually up in a tree or here. One of our neighbor's calls him "Parker bird". Now all the little kids want to climb like Parker. He's not usually the "bad influence".Entirely Original Curried Pumpkin Hummus from Diet, Dessert and Dogs with carrots and apples makes a wonderful snack for the kids when they come inside for a break. I added some kale because I add kale to everything. I drizzled olive oil on top, but it doesn't need it and I would add more curry powder (I use hot). I also think it is a little sweet for carrot sticks, but would be perfect for collard wraps as DDD used it on her blog.
Here is a picture of the family patiently waiting for me outside Common Ground Co-op. I just was filled with such complete and utter love, happiness, and gratefulness as I saw them there, I couldn't help but get my iPhone out and take a picture. Josie and Dema are on the Xtracycle with the groceries, Parker rode his own bike, and Rob has the Chariot trailer attached to his for our Market at the Square produce.
Another quick summer lunch. I had the filling leftover from Quick Pinto-Potato Empanadas (a tester recipe for one of Robin Robertson's new cookbooks coming out) and some leftover Vegan YumYum's Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta Sauce so I stuffed the filling into large pasta shells (I don't buy them often because I can't find them in whole wheat, but they are nice once in a while) and covered it with the sauce and baked it. Served with baked tofu (since I had the oven on, it made sense to bake tofu at the same time) and apples...voila, lunch.
Josie working up an appetite at the park. She reminds me of my mother here. My mom used to stick her tongue out like this when she was concentrating on something. How I miss mom, but I love seeing her show up in my kids.
A few weeks ago kale was on sale at Common Ground Co-op (buy one bunch, get one free...heaven!) and I forgot to tell Rob not to buy kale at the Market at the Square so we arrived home with six bunches of kale and two bunches of collards. Six bunches of kale is not unheard of in a week, but we don't usually buy it all on the same day. It was great, we had green smoothies, green hummus, kale puffs, well you get the idea. I pretty much put kale in everything I could and we went through it in a flash. We are splitting a CSA share with our friends Kit and Emily so we received more greens mid-week. Then we received more greens from neighbors and I knew it was time to get out the big pots and make Susan's (FatFree Vegan) Green on Green Soup. I made a double batch (that means 4 pounds of greens, my friends) and I am so glad I did. I didn't have sweet potatoes so I used potatoes I had on hand and omitted the mushrooms (I forgot to soak the dried ones and didn't have fresh). I added a ton more nutritional yeast because I buy the stuff by the 6 lb. container and use it in everything. I love this soup (the entire family does), but I don't think to make it in the summer. No more. The picture is from a winter blog post (I didn't take a picture this time because the kids kept eating the soup before I could get a shot) and in the winter I like to add soy yogurt and za'artar, but for summer I like to go lighter and just add a few drops of hot sauce. I started eating this for breakfast (leftovers are often breakfast around here) and the kids would not keep their paws off it. Even Dema who would probably request pancakes every day went to requesting Green on Green Soup instead.Josie shares her brother Parker's love of climbing and her brother Dema's "no fear!" attitude. It is hard to get pictures of her because most of the time she is running. She keeps our family on track. She is the finder of any lost things, the comforter and protector of her family and friends, lover of animals, babies, music (especially anything with a good beat that she can dance to) and clothes, and her brothers' number one fan. Well, that sort of catches you up. I'm sure there will be more randomness in the hot humid days to come. I hope you are staying cool, enjoying life, and eating well!

Gettin' Zyggyz With It

Sorry, I just couldn't resist with the title. The name of a newish restaurant in town is Zyggyz and every time I hear the name, I think of "Gettin' Jiggy with it". It is an inside joke between Rob and a dear veg*n friend, Sean, in Maryland who coincidentally gave me the name "Vegan Linda" years ago while we all worked at Nextel together. I can't help but smile and remember some good times, a great concert (not Will Smith!), and yummy scrummy eats at Food for Thought, Sunflower Cafe, and so many other great restaurants in the DC area. Sigh.

Back to current reality. We stopped by on the bike ride home to get a bite at Zyggyz Grill on campus the last two Saturdays after the Market at the Square. I noticed Zyggys a couple months ago, but didn't think about eating there until I read Champaign Taste's review. We finally checked it out and it is greasy Indian fusion fast food. Not health food, but fun, inexpensive, and yum. A nice treat once in a while. Rob, Parker, and I favor the Veggie Sloppy Joes. This dish reminds me of Channa Massala/Chole at another DC area restaurant we used to eat at with Sean, Amma's Vegetarian Kitchen in Vienna, VA. It takes me back. The Indian "burritos" are also good. We had a hummus plate and falafel sandwich (without the yogurt sauce) too which were good, but the Veggie Sloppy Joes is what makes me smile. They staff is very sweet and helpful with ingredients, but double check if you have allergies or are vegan because new restaurants tend to change thing up when they are getting into their groove. Saturday early afternoons in the summer (with most of the students gone) make it a great place for the family to relax, have a quick bite outside (the kids have room to run when they are done eating) on the way home from farmer's market. Go ahead, get Zyggyz with it!