The Great Seattle Vegan Chili Cook-Off

I would just like to start off saying that this truly was the most amazing event I've ever been to. Not only was I immensely happy, and surprised, to see so many vegans/ vegan-minded people organizing and helping out, but also, how many people came! By the time it was 6 o'clock, it was PACKED.

I invited my mom to come down to the event with me, as I know she is the open-minded one in my family, and I knew I'd have tons of fun with her. We drove done from Vancouver at about noon, and stopped off at Barnes and Noble to grab me a raw cookbook.
We arrive a tad early, so we helped out, setting up the electrical stuff for the crock-pots. Of course, we were counted down the minutes until we could try the AMAZING smelling chili, the mouth-watering donuts on the table, and the huge array of cornbread.

Finally at 6, we dove in, and tried all the Chili, up to level 3. We aren't super fans of mega spicy, but MAN was the chili good. Our favorite 2 were:

  













The brain chili was our favorite by far; it was sweet and spicy, and we can't wait to make it at home. The other was delicious because of how much mushroom was in it... but it was the corn-bread sweet-spicy waffles that did us in.
As if the amazing chili wasn't enough... there was the sweets table. By donation of course, my mom and I tried the Raspberry Glazed, and Good Ol' Glazed donuts from Might-Os, and great Cheeze Dips from Wayfare Foods. Of the dips, the Hickory Cheddar was by far our favorite, as it tasted like Smoked Gouda! Yum!


Then came the cornbread table.

We tried a bunch of different types, but my love went to the cornbread cupcakes by Julia McCracken, and also, the Cheezy- Cornbread. I was so stuffed on the deliciousness, that I'm surprised I even had room for MORE chili.

It was all-in-all a beyond amazing day. I'm sad to say so-long to all the great cooked foods, as I'm back to my raw Challenge today.
I just want to say thank you to everyone who put on this event! I can't wait for the Vegan Iron-Chef!!

Fort Worth, TX: The Spiral Diner

Alright, I put my "preparing for raw" on hold because my friend surprised me with a trip to the Spiral Diner on my last day in Texas!! An epic old style diner, 100 percent vegan, 100 percent amazing.
First of all, the menu made it take 20 minutes just to decide what I wanted. A brilliant array of choices from Mexican, to the classic Philly Cheez-Steak sandwich.
I finally decided on a dish that I honestly can't remember the name of. It was the tofu scramble with salsa, avocado and sour kreme with tortilla chips in case you wanted to eat it like a dip. It absolutely awesome. My friend (who just recently became vegan) ordered the Cheez-steak sandwhich, which was so filling, I finished the rest. And man it was incredible. The pasta salad on the side was divine. We both ordered the Agave Nectar Lemonade, which was a fabulous spin on the classic lemonade.
Another incredible thing about the diner, the dessert menu! My friend and I made a great choice of the hot cookie sundae - a hot melting chocolate chip cookie, topped with the ice cream of our choice (we chose the mint -choco chip) with soy whipped kreme to top. . . 5 minutes in Heaven. And I'm surprised it took that long for my friend and I to devour something as delicious as that desert.

Would I recommend this place? Hell yes.

Vegan Banana Bar Cake

Alright, so as my last baked good, before I eliminate baked grains tomorrow (see previous blog entry), I decided to make a Banana Bar Cake.
Although I've made this numerous times, I'm still perfecting a written recipe, so I won't share that here, but I thought I'd share a finished picture:

I finally used my actual camera, as opposed to my iPhone, but I can't wait to go home and buy a new lens and some good lighting for future photos!

My Raw Journey Beings April 21th.

Alright. I know I've said this before, that I would start to go raw, but the thing is, I just can't go raw with the atmosphere I'm getting in Texas.
That's why I've decided that my raw journey of weight-loss and better health will begin April 21st, the day I arrive back in my great city of Vancouver.
Over the next week, until next Thursday, I plan to start weening myself out of roasted products, and bread products, as well as then slowly eating less.
I need to be stricter on myself, so I won't eat when I'm bored, but when I'm actually hungry. I think this will be easier in Vancouver, based on the fact that I'll be working constantly, and I have the ability to go
for a run or walk whenever I feel like it.

My pre-journey will go as follows:
Saturday April 16: No more roasted or fried items - this includes roasted cereal, chips, cashews + nuts
Sunday April 17: No processed foods - this includes vegan meat, patties, yogurt, veganaise
Monday April 18: No grains - this includes breads and cereals
Tuesday April 19 - 20: Eating less, but still only fruits and vegetables.
Thursday April 21: First day of raw- detox. Starting working a more intense work-out back into my life!

I don't feel I'll go raw forever. Just until I feel I am stable in my eating and sit at my desired weight again.

Cleburne: Random Update

So here I am in Cleburne, TX in a beautiful house in the semi-country.
Survived a Tornado here on a couple days ago... which flew right by the house with a lightning storm like I have never seen. There's going to be another storm here on Thursday.. so let's hope it's nothing near as terrifying.

I hope to go to the Spiral Diner here (which is the closest vegan place), within the next couple of days. As for pacifying my vegan needs to try everything, there is an AMAZING nutritional grocery store here. They have so many vegan options, so I picked up some "beef" patties, some vegan salami, and some vegan corn-dogs. The salami is awesome.. beyond awesome. And although they taste good, the corn-dogs are really tough to eat. I also spoiled myself and got some vegan cookies.

I've been eating a lot of wraps and sandwiches filled lettuce, alfalfa sprout, peppers, mushrooms, mustard, and tahini. Which are awesome! I guess they weigh out the snacking to a certain degree... but not really. I've been working out, but not enough I feel. But I leave for back home British Columbia next Wednesday already so I figure I'll get all my curiosity on vegan food out here, and ween myself into a raw diet back in Vancouver.

I think that's pretty much everything on my travel updates for now!

Recipe: Alfalfa Sprout Quinoa Salad

Alfalfa Sprout Quinoa Salad

What you'll need:
2/3 cup Red or White Quinoa
2 cups of Organic Spring Salad mix (lettuce of any kind will work. I'm just really fond of this stuff!)
1/2 cup of mushrroms
1/2 cup of Alfalfa sprouts
1 tbsp of Veganaise (If you've never tried it, you HAVE to. Welcome Mayo back into your life.. vegan style!)
1 tbsp of your favorite vinegar (I personally used a raspberry blush one)

What to do:
Cook or sprout the quinoa. Line the bottom of a bowl with the finished product. top with Salad mix, alfalfa, and mushrooms (I personally broke up the sliced mushrooms, so I get some in every bite). Then add the veganaise, and top with vinegar! Mix.

So tasty, so easy. I can't wait to have it again tomorrow! I think I'll add some seeds and cherry tomatoes next time around.

I can't help myself..

So here we go.

I want to go raw, I really do. But at this point, I'm living with someone who loves the idea of going vegan, but doesn't know how. Now I'm slowly getting her more into vegan food, not raw food. This means that I have to cook and show her what to make, etc, to prove that going vegan is awesome! It's much harder for someone to stick to a vegan diet for health reasons, than moral reasons, I find.

I will be eating WAY more raw foods than I was though. Like this morning, I had raw oatmeal, and for lunch I had watermelon and strawberries. But for dinner, my friend wanted my quinoa apple salad, so I had that for dinner as well. She also wanted to show her family that vegan baking was just as good as full fat and butter, so we made cookies for dessert.

I think that 50 percent of my diet being raw is a great start. So I may or may not post everyday on my progress, but more is on it's way!

I'll also post the recipes of both the oatmeal and cookies on here :)

Raw: Day 2

Well, Raw Day 2, was moderately a fail, as I didn't eat only raw all day. I'm currently staying with my friend and her family, and I can't turn away the almond milk, or vegan cereal + crackers she so generously bought me. But! She also took me shopping today, so I bought tons of fruits and vegetables, and I'm currently soaking flax seeds, as I await tomorrow!

I won't even write what I ate today.
Tomorrow is the new and better day.

Although, I have gone through a realization that raw eating can actually be rather fun! And I think this way, instead of going overnight (like I did with veganism), that going raw will take more time. I think that the moral aspects of why I went vegan are really what has allowed me to stick with it. I just physically cannot put animal products in my mouth.. but I don't feel that way at all about foods that aren't raw. I just have to grasp the idea that raw is going to cleanse me and give me better energy, and THAT'S why I should do it. This won't keep me from eating regular vegan food, but it will mean I will eat more raw.

Raw: Day 1

So the first day went really great I found. I'm still eating a LOT because, well, that's what I'm used to (thanks amazing LA vegan restaurants!). But that'll soon settle down.

Breakfast:
2 apples, 1 banana, grapes, and a bit of almonds
Lunch:
Baby spinach leaves, sliced mushrooms, grape tomatoes, grapes, bit of almonds, balsamic vinegar
Dinner:
Baby spinach leaves, apple, grapes, pistachios, raspberry blush vinegar
(Dessert):
Sliced banana w/ all natural peanut butter, oh, and more grapes :D

Workout:
1 hour of step
1 hour of taichi
2 hours of cardio

Yay! Tomorrow I get to go grocery shopping, so I'm excited to pick out some new things to change it up!

Pre-Raw

Although Vegan food is truly delicious, and yes, but better for you than a diet with animal products, eating too much of it, still isn't all that great for the body. I have decided that for the duration of time that I'm in Cleburne, TX, and the amount of time I am once again in Los Angeles afterward, I will be going raw-vegan.
  So, as I have only been here for a few hours, I have eaten fruits and vegetables, but tomorrow is my first official day. I can't wait to get completely back into shape during the cleanse.
  I'll be documenting at least every couple days on weight and feelings as I go. My friend is an aerobics instructor, so I'll be hitting the gym and classes quite a bit! I'm so excited! Feeling great, here I come.

Statistics: Pre-raw -
Height: 5'11 1/2
Weight: 150.2

Let's do this!!

LA: Truly Vegan

Wow! So I was out and about, and searched "vegan" on google maps to see what was pretty close. Low and behold, Truly Vegan comes up. From the outside it's small, and has a very plain sign, BUT what a menu! It's a great little place, with amazingly reasonable prices, and their plates are HUGE! My friend ordered a great flat pan-fried noodle dish, and I ordered a scrumptious mushroom burger (which I couldn't believe was only 6 dollars). To share, we ordered the fried tofu, large brown rice plate (only $2...), veggie dumplings (which were AMAZING. Especially the sauce, which made them sweet. Doughy and delicious, HIGHLY recommend them), and we also got the spring rolls. For dessert, we got the fried banana, which was a lot different from what I was expecting. It was banana and shredded coconut in what looked like a spring roll, served with Maple Syrup. Great way to end the meal.

(Random: Also, I cooked a great stir-fry with tofu, perfectly ripe red pepper, chopped mini-carrots, and mushrooms, w/ balsamic vinegar and Vanilla Fig dipping oil, served over corn gluten-free pasta.
Dessert? Yes please! More EatPastry.com Cookie dough. This time it was gluten-free vegan chocolate chip. Yum....)

LA: Flore Deli/Restaurant + KindKreme

Another amazing day in the vegan restaurant hub of Los Angeles. After a busy morning we stopped into Flore Deli and Restaurant for a bite to eat. What a menu. I was with my non-vegan but very much loving the vegan food friend, so I let her pick what we'd share. Got the delish BBQ Bacon Slider for an appetizer, and split the grilled veggie pizza for the main course. The pizza takes a bit of time to make, so I'm glad we picked an appi to eat while we were waiting. I also ordered a side of the scrumptious tofu "egg" salad. I love ordering dishes I've missed since turning vegan, and liking them MORE this way. And this was certainly the case! They also have an incredible dessert menu. My friend got the lemon poppy cupcake, and I made the extremely wise decision to order the lemon berry cake (with strawberry buttercream icing) and holy cow. My friend and I agreed that that was the greatest piece of cake we had EVER had. The restaurant was packed, considering it's pretty small, and I'm certainly glad we went.









Later on we wanted to go get something cold, so we got recommended a vegan ice-cream place called "KindKreme". All organic, raw, and vegan (except the ones labeled "honey"). I couldn't believe the choices. I ended up (after forever deliberating) getting the banana chocolate, and the "vanilla softserve" which was almond and coconut milk with fine ground cashews. I HIGHLY recommend this place. It definitely rivaled the ice cream at Lula's.

Oh, Los Angeles!

I love this city.. most specifically for the gorgeous weather, and the AMAZING plethora of vegan options. Today, my friend and I hit up the Veggie Grill (http://veggiegrill.com), as it was recommended to me by a NON- Vegan! And boy did it live up to the hype. The "Chicken" burger was too good to be true, and I died over their cheezy creamy mac and cheese. So impressed. And if we thought the day couldn't get any better, we came home and ate more of EatPastry's delicious all vegan cookie-dough (http://eatpasty.com). Both glorious raw, and baked, we just can't get enough! Tried the oatmeal chocolate raisin flavor last night, and went to Whole Foods today to pick up the Cinnamon Ginger Spice. That's definitely miss it when I get back home to Vancouver.

Santa Monica: Raw Planet

There were a few Vegan restaurants in the Santa Monica area, but since I felt like having raw, Raw Planet won my vote! It's a really small little place, and like Karyn's Raw, it was pricier than the average Vegan restaurant. Great menu and location, but again, like Karyn's Raw, they use honey as their sweetener, so I couldn't get the crepe I wanted. I subbed it with the Seawitch (light japanese seeweed) soup, which was rather salty, but very interesting as it was served cold. The main course more than made up for it! They didn't have the lasagna ready that I wanted, but the waitress recommended the Cheezy Kelp Pasta dish, which was excellent! Filling and amazing.

All in all, this isn't up there with my favorite vegan places I've been to, but not bad.

LA: Vegan Glory

So I walked my way up to Vegan Glory today, which I was highly anticipating, as their online menu was massive. And it of course was in person as well! So many incredible choices, it was hard to choose what to order. But the lunch combination won, as it included soup, salad, brown rice, and I ordered the Pad Thai plate, which was delish, with tofu. Free refills on the chilled green tea hit the spot on the hot California day! For dessert (even when I'm full, I have to get dessert. I can't help myself!) I got the sweet Roti w/ Banana, with choice of blueberry filling. MMmmm...

LA: Bawarchi Indian Restaurant

Went to an amazing Indian restaurant with a couple friends who recommended it, called Barwarchi, in Culver City. Amazing, and so vegan-friendly!! Avocado Cheesecake was a perfect must, and I loved the veggie samosas so much, I even got 2 orders. I recommend the jack-fruit dish. It tastes like and has the texture of chicken, yet it's a fruit!

The Chicago Diner

A MUST when visiting Chicago.
I was here for brunch so of course I had to pick the Tofu scramble.
But no visit to the diner is ever complete without choosing something from their glorious cake, shake, and cookie dessert menu! After much deliberation, I finally settled on the Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake.

Chicago: Karyn's Cooked

My favourite Vegan restaurant of all! I found myself getting a 40 dollar meal with the amount of food I couldn't help but ordering the first time I went there. Yes, of course I went back later on!

Breaded Tofu, zucchini, and mushrooms in their Combo Basket, way too many incredible options for dinner, but I settled on a wrap I believe, and for dessert, a mango cheesecake piece, with a peanut butter brownie to go. The cake was so delicious (light and full of flavour), that I had to go back and get a piece of the blueberry the following day. Not without ordering other food of course as well! I had the most mouth-watering soy smoothie with peach, and the side of mac and cheese for the main meal.

I want to go back to Chicago, just to go here again!

Chicago: Karyn's Raw

 

Definitely the most expensive restaurant I went to, Karyn's Raw wasn't what I was hoping for, after I had already dined at the amazing Karyn's Cooked. Great area of Chicago though, so I'm glad it brought me to the general neighbourhood. Interesting options, but very limited for the price. Also, although 'vegan', honey was still an added ingredient, and I found myself not able to order what I had originally wanted. All in all, not a bad experience! I ordered the raw pad-thai, which was delicious.

Chicago: Part 1

Chicago never failed to satisfy my food cravings!

Fox and Obel, like Whole Foods, had awesome vegan options. My favorite? The Ginger-Chili Marinated Tofu, slightly warmed. Mmm....