Two Reviews: The Veji-bag and the film "May I Be Frank"

When I saw Wendy's blog post over at Healthy Girl's Kitchen (www.healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com) about a new product called the Veji-bag, I was riveted.  Even though I've become fairly diligent about monitoring what is in the frig and working on not over-buying, I still will occasionally find limp, yucky greens in the produce drawer.  Nothing is as sad as decomposing lacinato kale. 

It is such a waste of a resource and beautiful food, and always makes me feel bad.

After watching the little video of the story of Sally Erickson, the creator of Veji-bag and her mission, I was impressed with her efforts to keep this product as green as possible, down to every detail, even the ink that is used to create the label.  http://vejibag.com/

The economist in me looked at the product and thought, oh, heck I could make one of those, and I may do something similar for myself in the future, but I've become very mindful of my power to vote with my dollar.

So vote I did and ordered one of the bags.

The bag arrived the very next day, in an eco-friendly package and with a kind little note from Sally.
It is very soft material and the easy-to-use instructions are clearly printed along with pictorials.

I used it to store kale and it did an excellent job of keeping those greens very fresh for the 3 or 4 days I had them in it.  I did a test and split the kale, storing half in plastic.  There really was a noticeable difference in favor of the Veji-bag. 

Next I put it to the true test:  organic red leaf lettuce.  I have a heck of a time keeping this dainty stuff fresh and usually try to consume in two days or so.

I left the lettuce in the Veji-bag for a week.  It was still in great shape.  I left some of it in for another week and pushed that to a week and a half.

So....at over two and a half weeks, here is the lettuce:

If you look closely at the piece on the left, you'll see a dark piece and that is slimy as were the very outer leaves which I discarded.  But the rest, while not what I would classify as 'fresh', is entirely edible.  I would have had to toss this long ago if stored in plastic.

Sally has introduced a larger Veji-bag and I took advantage of a reduced price for buying three of these.  This larger size will be perfect for kale, chard, collards and will help me out as I harvest my kale which is growing like crazy in the garden.

Pricey, but I believe these bags will be a good investment and will end up nearly paying for themselves in the first year.  And really, I'm not going to get around to making these for myself anytime soon.  I have other things to do. 

Like teaching my grand-daughter the joys of making a big ole mess with watercolors.

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I recently viewed the film "May I Be Frank", the story of Frank Ferrante, an over-weight man who is offered a second chance on finding joy and love in his life by three of the most loving individuals I think I've ever come across.  Watch the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZNKlUmFkG4

Inspirational, graphic, I laughed, I cried, I saw so many of us in Frank....I highly recommend it.  If you are sensitive to language or explicit images of naked fat men, you likely won't enjoy.  Otherwise, watch one man's journey and see what love can do.  (Note:  be sure to watch the special features; the interview with Frank shows the rest of his amazing transformation).

Sue, grateful for my healthy life and fresh greens, in Ohio

Interview with a "Newbie" and Variations on Chef A.J.'s Banana Muffins

It has been my extreme pleasure to work with a family that has recently gone to a predominately plant-based diet after watching Forks Over Knives.  These are just super cool people, and knowing how challenging it can be when starting this program, I thought it might be a good opportunity to get a fresh perspective from a 'newbie'.

Bethany and her husband, D.J. have an absolutely precious son, Deklin. Bethany is setting this family up for success by immersing herself in educational materials and research and by stocking their home with healthy food choices.  It's been my pleasure to 'pay it forward' a bit, and I've gone shopping with her, and generally tried to be a resource and pass on what has worked for me.  Bethany asks the good questions and has already turned the tables and proven to be a resource for me by finding vegan options here in Central Ohio and causing me to think deeper about certain aspects of our food program.

Here is a survey Bethany and D.J. recently completed for me.

I am so excited that you and your husband have gone plant strong! Congratulations on making such an important decision. I know there are other "newbies" out there that have various degrees of challenges as they transition to a vegan whole-foods diet, so I appreciate you taking the time to answer a few questions.

1. What was your biggest motivation for switching to a plant-based diet?

Watching Forks Over Knives* was a great motivation to switch to a plant based diet. We have seen family members struggle with heart disease, obesity, cancer, etc. If we have some control over the effects these diseases could have on us and our child then why not do our best to prevent them. Especially if it is something so trivial as eating better.

(*Forks Over Knives is a documentary film delineating the benefits and scientific basis for a plant-based diet.  Check it out at Amazon here:  http://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Colin-Campbell/dp/B0053ZHZI2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1363639294&sr=8-2&keywords=forks+over+knives)

2. Do you have any specific health benefits or goals that you hope to achieve by making this change?

My husband wanted to lower his cholesterol. It is not "high" but it was 166 and one month after following a plant based diet his cholesterol is 136. I am so proud of him!

I have hypothyroid and do not want to be on medication ever. I am hoping to see an improvement with my thyroid and cholesterol. I am scheduled for blood work in March.

3. What, if any, has been the biggest surprise in switching over?

A pleasant surprise, with help from Sue, & cookbooks such as The Happy Herbivore and The Engine 2 Diet and the internet it has been much easier than we expected.

I did not enjoy cooking before but I find myself in the the kitchen a lot more. I now relish the creative ways to make a plant based meal for my family. There is just something about cooking a healthy, nutritious meal that I love! This has become my passion and obsession :)

4. What are some of the challenges you have faced and how have you dealt with them?

Explaining that I follow a plant based lifestyle has been a challenge. I do not expect anyone to understand immediately. If someone is semi interested I encourage them to watch Forks Over Knives. It is hard for me to articulate all the reasons to enjoy a PBL (plant-based lifestyle). After watching Forks Over Knives, a few people have joined me in this adventure, including my parents.

5. Do you have a favorite recipe/food?

I am not sure I could list just one favorite recipe. I think my family would all agree, even my 16 month old son, that we love to start our day with a kale smoothie! A great way to start our plant based day. We usually use kale, carrots, spinach, frozen banana, berries and nut milk in my new favorite kitchen appliance, the Vitamix!

6. Any other tips or advice for other newbies?

My husband and I have joined The Wellness Forum. Dr. Pam Popper runs the Wellness Forum and is very accessible. They now have a physician on staff and Chef Del who wrote the Forks Over Knives cookbook teaches cooking classes and sells Forks Over Knives inspired food. They will even deliver dinner to you and it is very reasonably priced. We are so lucky to have this resource in Columbus. Wellness Forums are located in several states and you don't have to be located nearby to take advantage of all their great resources.

Thank you!

Bethany sent me this video of her adorable son's reaction to green smoothies.  Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91OzmOa8i-c

Thanks for sharing, Bethany, (and I hope that huge 'smoothie kiss' washed out of your blouse!)  Continued health to you and your beautiful family.
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Banana/Pumpkin Muffins

I've mentioned Chef A.J. on my blog many times.  I am a huge fan of hers and love her book Unprocessed as well as her videos with Julieanna Hever.  When one of A.J.'s recipes shows up on the blogosphere, I just go get paper and pen as it will be tried in my kitchen.  Wendy from Healthy Girl's Kitchen is another one of my favorite people on this shared journey and she featured a banana muffin recipe from A.J. this week on her blog.  Read the post and find the recipe here:

http://healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/03/chef-ajs-just-banana-muffins-possibly.html

I got a chance to give this recipe a try this weekend, but made a few modifications.  I didn't have applesauce, but did have an apple, so it is quick work to turn that into applesauce in the Vitamix.  I didn't have applejuice either, but I did have some oranges that were in need of a job, so I juiced them.

           Just the aroma of this orange freshness made this dreary-where-is-spring day brighter

I decided to make two versions of this recipe.  I wanted to try it with some pumpkin, so while I had everything out and already dirty, I whipped up another batch, omitting the apple and adding pumpkin.  I also added nutmeg.  Two other changes I made to both batches were to use half oatmeal flour and half whole wheat flour.  I added in two medjool dates to the Vitamix when blending the bananas.

The batter comes out quite liquid, but the recipe requires it to sit so it'll thicken and poof up, which it does quite nicely.

This muffin has just the right sweetness (I don't think it really needed the dates, but I did enjoy the taste of it) and will make a great snack for me when I have my mid-morning smoothie and really want something to go with it.  I can keep a stash of these in the freezer for a quick snack.

So far, the banana is my favorite, but I think the pumpkin would be very nice in the fall.  I could see adding in some dried cranberries and maybe raisins or rough chopped raw sunflower seeds.

Thank you, A.J. and thank you, Wendy!

Sue, eating my sunshine, in grey Ohio

"Losing The Plot" of one's life, and Jonathan's Chili Soup

"In the end, only three things matter: how fully you have lived, how deeply you have loved and how well you have learned to let go of that which was not meant for you"~
~ Buddhist saying.

I love it when I have a moment where things click into place....ahhhh....I seeeee, kinda thing.

I was e-mailing a friend awhile back and we were comisserating over another fine fix I'd gotten myself into.  She's an artist and often has found her talents pulled into one project or another only to stop and think....why did I sign on for this again? ---so could relate to this most recent of conundrums I had created for myself.

I was telling her it goes something like this:  monkey is thirsty and heads off to yon water hole.  Along the way, monkey sees something shiny...oooohhh....shiny!!  Heads off on that path.  Along that path, monkey spies a banana.  BANANA!  Starts up the tree....half-way up the tree, monkey sees ANOTHER tree that looks easier to climb and has MORE bananas....gets down and heads that way.  Along the way to that tree, monkey says, hey, wait a minute....what am I doing here?  Didn't I want something shiny???  Noooo....what was it I DID want???

It's a wonder I don't die of thirst.

It's like A.D.D. on crack-cocaine.  A project comes my way and even though the little voice is screaming saying, you already have 30 hours a day of projects you are squishing into a 24 hour day....do the math,...the OTHER voice...the BUT-BUT voice, is saying, but, but, but....these are such nice people, and oh, look it would be fun and so on.  Shiny.

Then soon after throwing myself into the project (and letting other things that are supposed to be my priority fall away, thereby suffering guilt for not attending to them), I begin to get that itchy feeling that something is just NOT.QUITE.RIGHT.

Bananas.

But, (and this is not the official BUT voice), I am progressing because I am seeing the light sooner and am now willing to bear the horrors of disappointment-to-others (shudder) to get back on track. 

I have found that I can go so badly off course that I completely LOSE THE PLOT of my life.

As someone who, despite being a healthy plant-based active no medical issues person, has more days behind me than I do in front of me,  I need to stay on the path of my life.  Take advantage of opportunities and be open to new things as they present themselves?  Absolutely.  But I need to take a pause and see if they align with what my true passions are.

I've charged my two closest friends with the responsibility to hit me hard and fast with two words if they see me do this again:   VISION BOARD.  As in, is X on your vision board?  And if it isn't, and you want to do it, put it on there, but remember to do the math and take something else off.

Simple.....but oh, so complicated.  Like most things.

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Life is not without its balance and its consolation prizes.  And despite abandoning above-non-specified activity, through it, I met some really cool people.  One of whom is Jonathan.  Jonathan is an artist....truly an artist....you can see some of his wonderful pottery here:

http://www.canalfultonglassworks.com/jonathan_kesler.htm

Jonathan is a vegetarian....(interestingly, in a small artists' group, out of about 10 people there were two vegetarians and one vegan, me.....connection between right-brained folks and veggie-ism???).  It wasn't long before he and I started talking food.

 Turns out, Jonathan knows his way around a kitchen.  That's his kitchen....super cool on the kitchen-chic scale.  Check out the large colored lights...they go all around the kitchen.  Fun.

This was his stove the first time I visited his home; he had four different soups going (two of which were vegan).   Chili in the foreground on left and vegan veggie on right.

One of the walls in Jonathan's kitchen.....I really wanted to just take a picture of every wall and every room.  His house is basically one composite work of art.

Outside isn't a bad vista either....not a good picture, but cardinals and other birds were everywhere...

including woodpeckers...faintly visible....on this section of tree next to 'fake Jonathan'.  Great idea and Jonathan will eventually try to sit there himself and feed these beautiful birds.

Oh that's right....I was talking chili....(A.D.D.)....my attention span and the chili as in Awesomely Delightfully Delicious.


(NOTE:  this makes a LOT of soup.  Like you can feed Nebraska with this....not really, but seriously, it is a lot. You can half or even quarter the recipe.  But I believe it will freeze well, and you are going to want more).

Jonathan’s Vegan Chili Soup

(Note:  I’m calling this chili soup, but depending on how you make it, it could be a thicker chili too.  I love it as soup and it is just crazy good).

1.5 T oil (I will do a water sauté, so will omit this).

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

2 C diced carrots

1 large can kidney beans (2# 8 oz.)

1 large can Brooks Chili Hot Beans (2# 8 oz.)***

2 reg. cans great northern beans

2-3 reg. cans black beans

2- 4 oz. jars fire-roasted diced green chiles

1 large can Rotel diced green chilies – 1# 12 oz.

1 large can diced tomatoes – 1# 12 oz.

1 large can crushed tomatoes – 1# 12 oz.

2-3 cans corn  15.25 oz.

1 lg. tomato juice  46 oz.

(1 beer – optional)

Salt – to taste, approx. 1 t

Pepper – a good grinding….to taste

1-2 C water (opt.  more liquid for soupier chili)

Chili powder – 1 -2 T….to taste

Hot sauce – 4 -5 dashes

1 ½ C tvp  (note: tvp is optional-  textured veg protein – adding it in will give more solidity to the chili, and without it, it is very soup like)

(***Note:  I don't use this product as it contains high fructose corn syrup.  I added extra and various beans and a dash of red pepper flakes instead.)

Get the biggest pot you have if making this quantity…..maybe two pots

Saute veggies in oil or water.  (NOTE:  I do a dry sauté on med-hi heat and carmelize my onions first---just a little extra flavor)

Add in peppers and carrots and water sauté til mostly tender.  Approx 5 minutes.

Start adding in remaining ingredients.  (Note:  Jonathan adds beans in with their juice….you could rinse beans first if salt has been added to reduce sodium).

Just keep adding all ingredients and then add spice to taste.  Cook to blend flavors over low to med heat for 20 mins or so.  Add in TVP and heat through.

(Jonathan said the chili really improves over a day or two in the frig and he prefers a good amount of tvp which can be soaked in some of the liquid prior to adding).

I see this as an incredibly versatile recipe.  I love, love, love it as a soup or plain as a chili.  We had it over whole-wheat spaghetti noodles, you could serve over quinoa, or use as a topping for potatoes or as a layer in a casserole.  Would be great to layer on top of mac not cheese recipe.

Change up the veggies and add different beans for variety as well.

Whether you call it Chili Soup, or just plain Chili, I think for sure, you will call it good.

Sue, eating well, in Ohio

A Tea Party for One, Granola Bars, Zen and the Vision Board

Sometimes it's about the little things in life....messing around with an actual fountain ink pen and enjoying the flow of ink across paper, indulging in a hot bath with extra bubbles added, splurging for the expensive dark chocolate (vegan, of course), etc. 

I was having lunch with a friend to start the new year off and we were served tea in a french press.  I was enthralled.  I'm a big tea fan and love the fancy tea cannisters and have infusers and mesh balls, but nothing like this.  The waitress patiently answered my many questions about this contraption and also gave me the info that Target has them. 

So, first opportunity.....Tar-jay it was and I am now the proud owner of a French Press.

It's a fancy way to enjoy a nice hot cup of tea on these frigid January days.

I had some very nice loose tea that I acquired using a gift certificate thoughtfully given to me by someone who shared my love of tea (and probably knew how cheap, I mean, frugal, I tend to be, and therefore likely knew I would NEVER buy tea from a place as pricey as Teavana).  I was like a kid at Christmas pulling that bag out to try in this press.

Tea goes in first and then hot water and let it steep for several minutes. The first press gives you a nice cup (you don't press all the way down as that will bruise the tea leaves).  

You fill it up with more hot water for a second go round and this time you depress the plunger all the way down.

To go with this lovely tea, I made some granola bars.  I've been steering away from Clif bars, etc. as the whopping 250 calories per bar has made is presence known around my mid-section.  Not good.

I used the recipe from a wonderful blog, Undressed Skeleton.  If you have time, give it a look.  http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/post/31064437858  Taralynn isn't vegan and neither are all the recipes on her blog, but this one is, and her story is both infuriating and delightful.  Her tale is the portrait of someone who has been the target of extreme bullying, taken that experience and gained strength from it and transformed her young life.  Inspirational.

(I know a thing or two about bullies, Taralynn, having had this experience as a young girl and also in my adult life.  See my original post on bullies here: http://sunnyhawklane.blogspot.com/2011/02/usda-part-2-bullies-and-flaxers.html  Taralynn, you go, girl...."you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here"  Max Ehrmann  Desiderata).

I changed up her basic recipe, but not much.  She uses ripe bananas, oatmeal, sweetener, coconut, mini chocolate chips, flax seed, almond milk and vanilla.

(excuse the mess.....I love all those wonderfully perfect pictures on blogs....you just probably are not going to see too many of them here!)

Mix together.....I used Grandma's potato masher rather than get the mixer out.  I grind up my flax seeds in a coffee grinder that I use solely for that purpose.

I wouldn't dream of making this without adding my treasured cinnamon.  (I use non-alcohol vanilla - Trader Joe's has a nice version).  Viv, my wonderful Vitamix blender (seriously, sell all the furniture, whatever you have to do....get one....I know they are crazy expensive, but really....it'll change your world), mixed up some almond milk for me in a jiff.  (Actually, I was out of almonds, so this would be cashew milk.  I just soak a handful of raw nuts in water right in the blender for 15 mins or so and then put it on high.   This could be strained if you want a smoother consistency, but I find it to be no problem in most recipes).

Spread on a pan and bake up for 10 mins. or so at 350.  (I did not grease the baking sheet with oil, but just spread the mixture on parchment paper with no problems). Yummy and a much healthier alternative to what is on the shelves in the store.  See Taralynn's site for exact recipe. Obviously, there is no limit to what you can create with this basic recipe...add in dried cranberries, raw sunflower seeds, raisins, chia seeds, hemp seeds, other grains, anything.  (Note: some plant-based programs recommend steering clear of coconut, so you could omit that ingredient and easily replace with lightly grounded sunflower seeds or other grain).

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2013 is off to a good start for me.  I have resurrected some old goals and added some new ones.  I put them on a 'vision board'.  (Okay, it's actually a word document.....I knew I would get hung up in trying to get poster board, frame and all organized and then the creation of the vision board itself would become the goal).  I have various goals on there in different fonts and colors and I can add pictures if I want to get snaaaazzzy. 

About the time I was creating it, I ran into this wonderful post from a blog I read.  http://zenhabits.net/12rules/Zen  I subscribe to a lot of blogs, but most I only glance at from time to time.  This one sits in my inbox for months if I can't get to it.  I won't delete it until I at least open and scan the first bits of it.  Because I might miss a life-changing post....like this one.

I love the fact that vegetarians are used to make the point, which hit home with me in a big way.  It is true, the power of my decision to eat a vegan diet carries me through.  The rule....of my life....and what I will eat.  I never have to question, am I going to have cheese today....it just isn't an issue at all.  So why not have these rules for the rest of my life indeed?

Also around this time, I read another interesting post about what our true priorities are.  http://www.theminimalists.com/priorities/  Ok, this is a rocket science moment.....so hold on...., what are our true priorities?  It's how we are actually spending our time.  Oh....my....gawd.  Can't argue with that one.  So, while I may SAY that decluttering my basement or upping my exercise routine or finishing writing my book is a top priority, if I am spending my time surfing the web, then that is my TRUE priority. 

Which brings me back to my rules.  Crafting them and having them align with the goals on my vision board was a great exercise.  As a companion to all of this, I have a small log that I keep daily, that has my main activities listed that will align with achieving these goals.  I just do a quick, two minute check at the end of each day, or sometimes as I go along during the day, and tick these items off noting whether I did them, check-mark, or didn't, x mark.  I've trained myself NOT to use this time as a moment to beat myself up for not doing x, y and z, but as an INFORMATIONAL time, to see what is working, what isn't getting done that I might need to move some things around for.  It's also great to watch as habits form. 

I've had to tweak my rules, and addressing time on the computer became an area I had to confront as I tend to zone into oblivion and happy states of research bliss as I scan the limitless resource of the web-o-sphere. 

I had to face the fact that 'getting really good at surfing the web' is NOT on my vision board. 

It's funny, how one good habit can lead to another, and while I have been de-cluttering and reorganizing, I had our satellite t.v. system taken out.  We are a couple of weeks into this change and I can honestly say, I don't think we have missed it for even five minutes.  I never had the t.v. on during the day, but on weekends, it would be blaring in the back ground, and I was often in the habit of having it on as I fell asleep at night.  Now, if we want to watch something, we can put a dvd in or select something we TRULY want to watch, rather than just 'seeing what is on' and then surfing from channel to channel looking for something decent feeling now the question is WHAT will you watch not IF you will watch.  I had talked about doing this for months and now that I see how much better our lives are I wish I would have done it years ago.  (Ever think about the expression 'killing time'?  Who would want to do that?  And yet, I shudder to think of all the time I have horribly murdered while planted in front of that t.v.   I did this before when our kids were young...should have remembered what a great time-creator this is---not to mention money saver....I can easily hit even Teavana again with what we are saving per month).

Now, I can quietly spend time....because there truly are a few extra moments in my day....gazing out the window, with a beautifully prepared cup of tea and a lovely little granola bar--- served on Grandma's china--- and just zone with the zen of the moment. 

Not a bad way to spend some time....

and there are no commercials.

Sue, getting the hang of this zen stuff, in Ohio

The Dark Side of the Holidays & a Little Comfort

21 December 2012

How are your holidays going?  Perfect?  Ozzie and Harriet?  I hope so, but I am sure most of us have our own tales of holiday stress, with maybe family drama fit-for-reality-tv thrown in as well.

I'm very much feeling the dark side of the holidays this year.  I suppose we are all a bit raw and emotionally vulnerable due to recent horrific events in Connecticut.  For many of us 'sensitive types', just walking through the stores and seeing bright and healthy 6-7 year olds is enough to send us into tears.

That's what happened to me yesterday while shopping and struggling to get into the holiday mind-set.  I was left numb by the materialistic trappings and could not, for the life of me, eek any joy out of my holiday shopping.

I could only think of the suffering of parents who had probably already done shopping for those beautiful children and for the adults lost as well.

Having been a substitute teacher in our local school system for 8 years, and having drilled many lock-down situations, I could fairly easily put myself in the shoes of the substitute teacher who was killed at Sandy Hook....at least the initial moments.  I have struggled with trying to stop thinking about her.

Couple this with renewed drama in our own family and I could feel my impending melt-down hovering just under the surface despite my best efforts to insulate myself from the constant coverage of the horror....I knew it would hit, and when it finally did, it was hard and fast.

Today, I am left with that dull, drained, I-cried-the-big-ugly-cry feeling.  But, since the world didn't end this morning, I am also left now, with a glimmer of determination that I feel growing.

Many of our holidays resemble something closer to the scenario in the Hollywood-depicted dysfunction-to-the-10th power of "Home for the Holidays", one of my favorite 'holiday movies' starring Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr., than anything Ozzie or Harriet would approve of; still, we needn't despair.

Afterall, these holy-days, or holly-days, depending on your preferred historical source, are just another series of 24 hour blocks of time in our life.  We are free to create and live those hours, more or less, according to our own direction, discretion and predilection. 

It's been said that the best revenge is to thrive....to prosper and to move forward despite whatever maelstrom may be swirling around you or despite negativity leveled in your direction. 

In a vat of white pearls with a single black stone, the eye is continually drawn to the black.....it takes a real force of will to pull attention and resolve away from the distraction.

But it can be done....and should be. 

Those that have perished in such violent and abrupt fashions cannot be brought back.  But we can live, and we can live well, according to our own wishes.  We can flourish in spite of the trauma, the drama and the horror that we sometimes find firmly planted in front of us.  And we owe those souls that....to be the best we can be and to counter the hate in the world with the only thing that will dissolve it.....and the solution isn't more hate.

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After all of that exhausting shopping and expenditure of emotion (and a nasty storm that I drove home through), I was craving some comfort.  I decided my favorite soup was in order.  Sweet-potato-spinach soup.  This is from Robin Robertson.  (http://plantbaseddietitian.com/tag/robin-robertson/  scroll down to bottom of page)

A little foccacia bread would be nice to go with that.  I just whip mine up really quickly.  I dissolve yeast in some warm water, let sit for a few minutes.  I add in some more water (probably about a cup) and a squirt of agave and a sprinkling of salt.

(File this in the easily-amused category....I just love the bulk agave now available at Whole Foods...see container...fun.  Note:  appliances are not as clean as they appear in the photos.)

I add in enough whole-wheat flour to have a still-moist mix, but not gooey.  And I knead until it starts to feel elastic.  After years of baking my own bread and always struggling to get good results in Ohio winters, I finally discovered the secret....cover the rising bowl first with a towel that has been wet in warm water and wrung out, and then another dry towel over that.

For foccacia, I don't let it rise a second time, but after it has about doubled I ease it out onto a pizza stone, take a fork or knife and perforate the surface here and there and bake at 325-350 for about 20 minutes or so. 
  

Yum....it hit the spot and warmed me from the inside out.

Listen, life is tough and sometimes downright ugly.  All we can do it weather the bumps as best as we can, melt-down when we have to, learn and start again.  Sometimes we take a bit more with us and re-evaluate how we spend our 24-hour chunks of time.

My husband and I are having a couple of dear friends over this evening, for the sheer joy of spending time together....no family obligations to fulfill; I won't be judged because my hair's a mess (it is), or my house isn't clean enough (it isn't), but I will be loved for who I am.  And this December, we all could use some more love.

However you choose to spend your holidays, I wish you peace, I wish you the hope of the new year, and above all, I wish you love.

Sue, thriving, in Ohio

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving

Normally, for the past few years, I've done a very non-traditional Thanksgiving meal, usually making lasagna.  It was easy to adapt this recipe when I went to a plant-based diet, and for the last two years I used Rip Esselstyn's fantastic lasagna recipe from Engine 2 Diet.

After the death of my mom, 5 years ago this month, I just wasn't really able to do the 'Thanksgiving thing'.  This year, I am feeling a new level of recovery and want to do something a little more close to our American traditions, (although if you really want to get it authentic, apparently you need to spend the day shooting your guns, eating deer organ meat and getting your kids drunk!  See this amusing reference:  http://m.buzzfeed.com/mollykayt/15-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-first-thanksgi-82xx )

Stuffed Kabocha and Butternut Squash

I want to take this moment to wish you all a very happy holiday however you may choose to celebrate it (or not celebrate it).   Pausing and being thankful for all that we have in our lives is a good practice for every day!


Thanksgiving Day Menu

Roasted kabocha squash
Roasted butternut squash
 (I will stuff these with a bread/wildrice/pecan/cranberry stuffing)
Homemade rolls
Mashed potatoes (russets and sweet)
Mushroom/onion gravy
Corn
Broccoli/cauliflower/quinoa casserole (with homemade cream of celery sauce)
Poached pears with maple syrup and walnuts
German Chocolate Cake

NOTE:  Update:  My youngest son said this is the best vegan meal I've made.  I don't agree with him but was grateful to see his plate very full.  He loved the quinoa casserole which I thought was a disaster.  (My homemade cream of celery sauce needs work....I think I will try adding some mushrooms into the Vita-mix when I blend this and also may use coconut milk or even coconut cream which I recently found at Trader Joe's, to give this a more creamy texture.  It wasn't bad, just not what I was going for.)  The pears were actually my favorite thing....cranberries were too bitter for the stuffing even though I simmered them with a little bit of maple syrup.  I think I'll go with raisins next time.  The leftovers have been good and I'm loving just having cooked butternut around....I roasted three of those and two huge kabochas.  I'll be making a pasta sauce with one of the left-over squashes.

I had the "LET THEM EAT CAKE" attitude which kept me from feeling let down that it wasn't perfect.  (Also, just my immediate family was here, which was WONDERFUL.....no drama and to spend the day surrounded by people that I know love me was a true gift).

Sue, cooking, baking and thankful, in Ohio

Vegucated & Black Garbanzo Banzai Bean Bonanza

I recently viewed the documentary film "Vegucated" (more about the project here:  http://www.getvegucated.com/the-film/synopsis/) which features three average meat and cheese-loving Americans as they embark on a 6-week committment to a vegan diet.  I enjoyed the film and feel that it did a good job of covering the basic reasons a person would choose a vegan life-style, including a decent expose of factory farm cruelties.  I like the fact that the film (written and directed by Marisa Miller Wolfson) did not sugar coat the horrific acts of animal cruelty that factory farming has brought about and did have enough graphic photography to illustrate the point, but not so much that I would suffer a two-week depression following the viewing (I still haven't made it all the way through "Earthlings" yet---that stuff just really upsets me).  Exposure of animal farm practices were taken a step further by de-bunking some myths (and advertising implications) of 'free range' animals as well, and that was good to see.

The film features Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who conducts before and after tests on the three participants and also educates them on the nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet.

As the weeks go by, we are shown the day-to-day struggles with trying to maintain a vegan diet, and I think most people who have switched to this life-style or are trying to will recognize the hurdles and relate to the struggles.

I wish there had been a bit more about the actual food preparation and the variety of foods available and more time spent with the experts they interviewed (T. Colin Campbell for one), but it's a nicely done and inspirational film that ends with a great message:  that we all can make a difference, with each and every meal and food choice we make.

As a special feature, there is a 10 minute video of Dr. Fuhrman conducting a Q & A with two of the participants.  (I would have loved to see some other special features as well....maybe one with Dr. Campbell and also Howard Lyman who is featured on the film too---I always want more :-). 

Dr. Fuhrman lays the premises for this type of diet out plainly for Brian and Tesla and expertly fields the questions they have had leveled at them from non-vegans in their lives that don't understand the science behind such a seemingly radical shift.  (This Q & A session contains the one thing about the film that really bothered me....I found the one male participant, Brian, to be a bit of a smart-a#*, and I know he's trying to be funny, but found his attitude toward Dr. Fuhrman disrespectful.....still I applaud his efforts and think it is very brave to offer oneself up as an experiment for public viewing).

Some of Dr. Fuhrman's remarks:

The bottom line right now is that 51% of all Americans die of heart attacks or strokes.
Most Americans eat a diet that is 40% animal products and 50% processed foods.  That diet is particularly dangerous because they are missing not one or two nutrients, but LOTS of phytochemicals and anti-oxidants that are only found in fruits and veggies, nuts and beans.  Natural plants foods provide the full spectrum of nutrients that we need for maximizing our health.

All-in-all, it's a film worth viewing and one that may help you field questions and deflect attacks from others.  If you are already firmly on the plant-based food path, you probably will not learn alot of new information, but still, it is empowering to see others adopt this lifestyle and is always good to re-affirm one's committment.
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I had two interesting things cross my path recently.  I took some of my little grandaughter's outgrown clothing to an area resale shop and happened to be wearing one of my 'vegan' t-shirts.  The sales clerk that was helping me commented that she liked my shirt.  It took me a minute, but then I asked, are you vegetarian?  or vegan?  Turns out she is vegan!  (Insert happy dance here!).  I tried not to leap over the counter and attack her with hugs, but couldn't help but be sooo excited and we chatted briefly about how good we feel about our choices and vegan food in general.  I ended up giving her my blog address so if you are on here reading this, hello vegan-sister!  It just made my day meeting her.

The other thing that happened is the yin to all that yang.....a neighbor down the street had a heart attack and is having quadruple bypass surgery in a few days.  Now, I don't know how to put this delicately, but he has been living a lifestyle that has steered him directly into the path of this particular freight train.  He's very over-weight, doesn't walk from place to place out here (in the country, just walking to get the mail can be a bit of exercise since most of us live set back from the road), preferring to drive his ATV everywhere.  There are other factors in his life as well that predispose him for illness, but I thought it was very interesting that within just a few days, I would meet a trim, fit vegan and find out about this health scare with my neighbor.  He's the person that Dr. Fuhrman talks about in that 51% death statistic.  Of course I am wishing him well and perhaps this will be an opportunity for me to share some food options with him.  There, but for the grace of kale, go the rest of us!

Grand-daughter on 2-yr birthday, modeling some resale clothes (and snatching her uncle's cap)

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Black Garbanzo Bean Banzai Bonanza

(Note:  "Banzai" means 10,000 years---maybe if we eat enough beans & veggies we will have long life.  Plus, I thought it just sounded cool in the recipe title.)

Okay, so remember those black garbanzos I got at Whole Foods?  Well, I decided to cook some up and toss them in with various left-overs I had in the frig.  They are really pretty as they are cooking up....they have kind of a reddish cast to them in addition to the black.  I paired them with some rice, using short-grain brown rice (would be great with a blend of wild and mahogany rice too), and added in some corn, baby peas, left-over broccoli chopped up, cubed roasted butternut squash, (some slivered almonds would be nice on top too) and then I threw together a sauce to layer on top of it all.  The sauce is a variation on Dr. Esselstyn's mushroom gravy.  I chopped up about 5 onions and carmelized them in a frying pan with just enough water to keep from sticking.  Letting them brown pretty well adds more color and flavor to the sauce.  I added veg. stock, I don't measure but probably used at least two cups.  I mixed up a thickener (I used whole wheat flour, maybe 1/4 cup) whisking with some of the stock and about 1 T of soy sauce (would prefer tamari here) and added it gradually to the onion mix.  I tossed in some sliced mushrooms to cook while heating the sauce.  I added more liquid to get desired consistency and lightly seasoned.  (Sauce will thicken so it is better to add a bit more liquid than less).

Black Garbanzo Banzai Bean Bonanza

A layer of spinach could be added as well; another opportunity to add in some greens---the possibilities are endless.  Note:  I really wanted to have the rice as a bottom layer, then veggies and the sauce/gravy on top, but I used a casserole dish that was too shallow so it ended up being in two separate dishes and I heated in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Paired with some raw carrots fresh from my garden it was a very nice meal.

As Dr. Fuhrman points out in the Vegucated documentary, virtually all protein and other nutrients consumed on the planet originates through plants.  An animal may eat another animal who ate the plants; but the source is the plant.  I love that, as vegans, we cut out the middle-guy, and get the direct source.



Sue, celebrating good health & eating my beans, in Ohio

Cool Beans and New Winner for my Giveaway

Beans....more than just the musical fruit, they are soooo good for us and I've come to worship them.  Okay, not really worship, but.....  I have reached the conclusion that I am much healthier and have significantly more energy available if I consume my beans daily.  I believe that it is the micro-nutrients supplied by beans that really makes the difference.  I am tempted to launch into an alphabet soup of the nutrients that are found in beans, but will leave that for other more organized bloggers.  Let's just put it like this:  they are good for us.

I am so fortunate to have a Whole Foods store within driving distance (about an hour away) and our store is currently in the midst of a major remodel.  Since I only go there maybe twice a month, it's been a bit of an adventure walking in and suddenly not knowing where things are.  This last visit I quickly noticed the new bulk section and the expansion of beans and other legumes to Whole Foods' already fairly impressive selection.  I couldn't help but try some new ones.  I did contain my legume enthusiasm though and made just four choices:

From left to right they are:  Christmas Lima Beans, Fava Beans, Appaloosa Beans and Black Garbanzos

1. Here's a close up of the Christmas Limas and the Favas.

I'm always playing around with new ways to get beans into my diet, even resorting to tossing them in with my smoothies.  Recently, I made this dish....it's not quite a dip, and not quite a casserole....sort of a dip-sserole I guess.  What it is, is pretty darn good and I found non-vegans enjoyed it as well.


Cool Beans "Dip-sserole"

Layer in a dish in this order or as you prefer:

1 can vegetarian refried beans (or make your own--easy: blend cooked beans with veg broth adjusting amount of liquid for desired consistency)
Cooked short-grain brown rice (I used about a cup and a half for an 8 inch square dish)
Medium salsa (approx. 1 cup)
Cooked black beans (about 3/4 can)
Cooked corn  (approx one cup)
1 C of vegan sour cream (I made Lindsay Nixon's from Everyday Happy Herbivore)
Chopped tomatoes

You could easily adapt this recipe to make it more like the traditional 7 layer taco dip, by adding in a layer of chopped green onions and black olives, also you could add a layer of avocado blended with lemon juice.  I like the simple flavors my version had and it lended itself well as a dip and also was good spread in a wrap. (It's not bad with just a fork either!).

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New winner for my cookbook giveaway.  Valerie, I give up.  Can't find ya, girl, and these books are getting dusty, so I drew a new winner (I put your name in this time too, Todd).  New winner is:

Tom and Patti B.!  Congrats and please e-mail me with your shipping info so I can get these books sent off!  (sunnyhawklane@gmail.com)

Sue, eating cool beans, in Ohio

Give-away Winner and Cucumber Salsa

I hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend.  My husband and I about worked ourselves into the ground in this Ohio humidity doing stall and paddock construction work.  Phew....good to get these projects done, but it really is quite a bit of work and being able to do the work made me even more grateful that my body is fueled on a plant-based diet.

We had our darling little granddaughter here for part of the weekend too and I enlisted her help in picking a winner for my 2nd Anniversary (or Vegan Birthday as one of my readers calls it....LOVE that!) giveaway.    And the winner is......

VALERIE!!!!

Congratulations, Valerie.  Be sure to e-mail me your shipping info (sunnyhawklane@gmail.com), so I can mail your books to you.

As you can see, my granddaughter really wanted ALL of the entries to win....as soon as she picked Valerie's name, she proceeded to pick everyone else.  She's a little fuzzy on that 'pick one' thing, but I like the way she thinks....everyone's a winner.

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Cucumber Salsa.

I am so lucky to have some people in my life that are truly wonderful.  Of course there is my immediate family, but I also have soul sisters that are always looking out for me and show me love in the most special ways.  One of them, Debbie, cuts out vegan articles in the newspaper, texts me when one of my favorite authors ends up in the hospital  (Richard Bach, recovering from what I can learn, author of Illusions which I highly recommend and many more), and generally has my back.  She recently told me about a cucumber salsa that she makes for her family ---- I had a chance to make it today and it is wonderful.  Here's Debbie's recipe:

2 -3 medium cucumbers, peeled, chopped (deseeding optional)

2 -3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 C green pepper, choped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 T lime or lemon juice

1 t parsley

2 t cilantro

1/2 t dill

1/2 t salt

Combine ingredients and refrigerate for one hour before serving.

I used red pepper in place of the green and used a large onion---also extra lime juice.  I omitted the jalapeno but when I make this for my family, I will add that in since they enjoy the heat.



Cucumber salsa.

I think I will add in some mango next time also as its sweetness would go really nice with the other flavors.  This salsa screams freshness and summer and is a great way to use up some of those garden tomatoes.  I had about half a cup of black beans in the bottom of that pita and this was a wonderful topping for that.  The possibilities are endless.   Thanks, Debbie!  Love you!

Sue, working hard and eating fresh, in Ohio

Summertime, Summertime and a Give-Away

I have so many blog entries I need to catch up on, but am still so busy with summer activities that it'll probably be awhile before I finish the many drafts I have 'pending'.  I do need to make the time to get on here though as I want to do my 2nd Annual Anniversary Blog Giveaway.   In mid-July I passed the mile-stone of two years on a vegan diet.  I am so very proud of this accomplishment and decided to celebrate this year with a give-away of two of my favorite vegan cookbooks.  I'm giving away a copy of Robin Robertson's "Vegan Planet".  This is one of the very first vegan cookbooks that I purchased and even though there is oil in many of her recipes, they are usually easily adaptable and it is just a fun and inspiring cookbook.  Here is a link to Robin's page describing this monster of a book.

http://robinrobertson.com/vegan-planet/

I'm also giving away a copy of Lindsay S. Nixon's first book, Happy Herbivore.  This cookbook is definitely one of my 'go-to' books and is where I got my oft-used and very satisfying ranch dressing recipe...giving up ranch dressing was one thing that really bothered me when I switched to a vegan diet and finding this recipe really filled that gap.  Here's a link to more info about Lindsay's book.

http://happyherbivore.com/cookbooks/

You don't have to do anything snazzy to enter; just leave me a quick comment...if you'd like to let me know what you've been up to this summer, that would be cool too.  I'll run the contest for one week and draw a winner next Friday, Aug. 31st.  Be sure to check back for the announcement of the winner as I'll need shipping info at that time to mail you the books.  Good luck!

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Here is some of what I've been up to this summer.....

Fresh-picked from the garden......poor quality photo from my archaic cell phone

Baby praying mantis....love these guys....we have tons of them, always gives me a thrill when I spot one in the garden.

Two of my three raised beds

Broccoli!!!  Finally able to grow some-I used Agribon as a cover to keep the cabbage moths out.

Various heirloom tomatoes including a yellow pear.  I foresee lots of tomato sauce in my freezer soon.

Redo of front flower bed that has been a total weed-fest....dug it completely out.  Sometimes in gardening (as in life) you simply have to start over.

Time with my precious grand-daughter....she's an awesome veggie eater

Indulge one more of her cuteness

My beautiful horse, Sky.  Restarted his training this summer.

The girls enjoying the pasture which is hanging in there despite sporadic rainfall---lots of work this summer on fence repair and general farm maintenance.

I'll swap this out when I get a decent picture of my beautiful girl, Dani, half-sister to Sky.  I've been riding most mornings after regular farm chores are done and am finally getting my 'riding chops' back after a bad fall I had last spring.

More yummies from the garden....these purple carrots were wonderful and found their way into a carrot cake snack bar recipe

which is pictured here and I'd give you the recipe except it really wasn't very good--definitely needs tweaking.  Stick with just berries, like these from our local farm market.

Happy Summer and Happy Anniversary to Me!

Sue, savoring summer, in Ohio