Starbucks Habit

One of the hardest things about becoming vegan is leaving behind some of the little pleasures in life... like Starbucks.  I used to love stopping by Starbucks to get coffee when I needed a little energy boost or just wanted to treat myself.  While the coffee was okay, it was all of the cream that I added to it that made it "off-limits”.  In addition, all of the tempting treats in the pastry case are loaded with eggs and/or dairy products.  The temptation of going into a Starbucks was just too great for a new vegan, so I stopped going there.

Last week, I decided to face my temptation.  My plan was to only get a soy coffee drink, but to my surprise there were several new vegan treats for sale.  They had dried fruit, granola bars and cookies.  I picked up a pack of the Lucy's cookies and a Two Mom's in the Raw granola bar to try.  I was not sure if they would taste good, but as an uncommon vegan I strive to be open to spending money on something that may be good for me, but tastes nasty.  It is all about taking risks and trying foods that I would have never considered before.  

Once I got in my car I dug into the Cinnamon Crisp cookies and to my surprise, they were delicious. The cookies were crisp, light and tasted just like a snicker doodle.  I liked the cookies so much that I ordered a couple of packages from Amazon.com so that I have something on hand when I get a sweet craving.  I will occasionally buy the cookies at Starbucks because I want to encourage them to carry more vegan treats, but I would rather save money by purchasing them online.

The next day I tried the Blueberry granola bar.  It was not as good as the cookies but it was very filling.  The bar had a chewy center and a crumbly exterior.  There were so many little seeds that they kept falling down my shirt!  Overall the bar was good but it had an odd after taste.  I do not planning on buying the blueberry granola bar again, but I will try the company’s other products (crackers and other granola flavors).

I am glad that I can visit my local Starbucks again.  It is encouraging to see such large companies expanding their offerings to include vegan products.  One of the things that I am learning about being a vegan consumer is that I can make a difference.  If I am willing to open my mouth and pocketbook, companies will be willing to adapt to meet my needs.  Way to go Starbucks!

Brownies for Breakfast!

I do not normally eat brownies for breakfast but who can blame me.  I mean, if you made some wonderful brownies out of healthy, organic ingredients then I am sure you could validate it in your mind too. Last night I made Fudgy Wudgy Brownies from the Veganomicon cookbook that I got for Christmas.  I switched up the recipe by changing out the blueberry preserves with raspberry preserves because it just seemed like it would taste better.  When they came out of the oven, they smelled so good.  As placed the first fabulous morsel in my mouth, my taste buds jumped at the fantastic fudgy flavor.  The brownies had a rich taste and a dense, moist texture.  In the future, I’ll add a dash of cinnamon and drop the almond extract to make it even better.  The almond extract is just not to my taste.

I am excited to share my brownies at a vegetarian potluck put on by the Vegetarian Society of Richmond.  It is exciting to meet other people who are vegetarian/vegan so that I can learn more about this eating/life style.   I had hoped to find an event like this closer to home (Richmond is about a two hour drive), but there is not an organization like this in my local area.  So, it is worth a drive once a month to get inspired by other people who are on the same path.  

Another benefit of going to the event is all of the fabulous dishes I can try.  My hope is that I will be inspired to experiment with different types of vegan ingredients. The cool thing about a vegetarian/vegan potluck is that all of the ingredients in the dish are listed on a card next to the item.  Not only will you know how to make it, but you can trust that it is okay to eat.  As you can see from my previous post, trusting what you are eating is important for a vegan/vegetarian. 

After the potluck, a guest speaker (Tami Hulcher) will be sharing A Vegetarian Approach to Healthy Weight Loss. She has been featured on a show entitled Life Changers, so I am looking forward to hearing her speak and learning from her expertise.  One thing is for sure, I am confident that she would not approve of brownies for breakfast.

Trust?!?!

I used to think of myself as a trusting person, but converting to a vegan eating style has changed this. Today at lunch, Kayleigh and I ate at Koo Asian Bistro and I ordered Buddha’s feast.  The dish was veggies prepared with vegan duck (shaped tofu flavored like duck).  I asked three times if it was vegan and the server assured me it was just tofu.  When the dish arrived I tried the vegan duck, but after just one bite I started thinking it might be real meat.  So, I moved the faux meat product aside and just ate the veggies.

Then at dinner, we went to Olive Garden and I told the waiter I was a vegan.  I asked about the Cappellini Pommodoro (concerned about egg) and the salad dressing (concerned about cheese). The server assured me it was vegan friendly, but I still had some doubts.  I went ahead and ordered the items and ate my selection.  It tasted great, but I had a nagging suspicion that there may be some off limit items in the meal.  I tried to suppress my concern, but as soon as I got home I checked the web.  Guess what!!!!  The salad dressing had eggs and cheese in it and the pasta was made with eggs!  

I was ticked off at first, but then I realized that it is my responsibility to research a restaurant prior to going there.  I guess the lesson today is trust but personally verify. 

Yummy Dinner & Dessert!

Okay, so I tried a few new recipes and they both turned out great.  The first thing I made was Peanut Butter Cookies from the cookbook How it All Vegan.  I am a good baker naturally, so the transition to a vegan recipe was really easy.  The only new ingredient I used was Egg Replacer. I tried to be good and cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup (it was supposed to be 1 cup) and I really should have made it with the full amount of sugar.  The cookies were delicious (as Kayleigh can attest), but the extra sugar would have made them even better.  I made a correction by rolling the dough in sugar prior to baking the second batch and it made a big difference.  Note to self... follow the recipe as it is written in the future.   

My next item was Spicy Tempeh from the Veganomics Cookbook.  It was the first time I worked with tempeh, so I was not sure what to expect.  The first package I opened was moldy (even though it was supposed to be good until February), but I did not let that deter me.  I dug around in the fridge for a good package of tempeh and got to work on the recipe.  Overall the recipe was easy to prepare, it just took a little while to marinate the tempeh (45 minutes).  So I decided to use the extra time to prepare the side dishes, Coconut Rice and Sesame Green Beans with cashews.  From start to eating the process took about 75 minutes (much longer than my usual time of 15-20 minutes), but when I took the first bite, it was all worth it.  It was super yummy and the tempeh had the texture of steak/fish.  I will definitely work with tempeh again in the future.

Me, a vegan?

Okay, so I am about as far away from your average vegan. Just three years ago, I was on the Atkins diet. It was meat, meat and more meat 24/7/365 for five plus years. While I lost a weight, I never really felt good about the type of food I was ingesting. All around me, there were vegetarian/vegan influences. My daughter, Kayleigh, was a full vegan and my best friend, Amy, was a vegetarian. Being around them may have been the first spark that there was another way of eating, but I was just not ready to look into it.

So... what changed? My health! My body started going downhill after a stressful event about a year and a half ago. I could not get relief or answers from going to traditional doctors. I realized that I need to be in charge of my health and started exploring alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, meditation and diet modification. It was through this experience that I realized how important diet was to optimal health.

Slowly, I started changing the way I ate. First red meat and pork was eliminated and organic food replaced the cheap, over-sized pesticide covered food I had been eating. Then I bought a few book on alternative diets and decided to become a vegetarian for a few months just to see if I could do it. I found it to be pretty easy and really enjoyed the new way of eating. When I went to a restaurant, I found a whole new area on the menu to order from. When I went to the grocery store, I found myself reading labels and trying food I had never explored.

So, how did I go from being a vegetarian to being a vegan? Well, one of the audio-books that I picked up was "Skinny Bitch" and it really made me question why I was still eating dairy and eggs. I did love cheese and cream in my coffee. Plus being a baker, I used a ton of eggs when I cooked. I channeled my inner strength and on New Year’s Day 2010, I decided to become a full Vegan!

Taking my traditional approach, I bought a few books on Veganism (Becoming Vegan, Get it Ripe and Idiots Guide to Living Vegan) and vegan cookbooks (The Garden of Vegan, La Dolce Vegan, Veganomics and the Moosewood Cookbook). This blog will follow my journey as I explore the recipes, restaurants and experiences as an Uncommon Vegan.