Vegans That Rock !!!!!!

Reblogged from George and Julia's Vegan Underground:

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This man displayed extreme discipline coining and introducing “Straight Edge,” to the chaos-based Punk/Hardcore music scene in the 1980′s.   Going “straight edge” means no drugs or alcohol (no animal products was the natural next).  Often referred to as the “Don Corleone of the D.C. Punk scene,” this vegan recently celebrated his 50th birthday.  Ian MacKaye, you are truly a Vegan That Rocks! 

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Nut Cream Cheese

Reblogged from George and Julia's Vegan Underground:

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One day when George came back from the Brooklyn Co-Op, he announced he had picked up some Cashew Cream Cheese, and the price of it was a bit of a wallet buster. A pound of raw cashews is roughly $9.00, and to get a 4oz package of cashew cream cheese is around $6.00. If you’re scratching your head at the discrepancy, so am I.

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Remembering influential vegans

Remembering influential vegans.

Mac and Cheese, Lean and Mean, Raw and Vegan

Reblogged from George and Julia's Vegan Underground:

 I’m going to come right out and say what amounts to vegan blasphemy.  Some call it brufax, nooch, yeshi or savory yeast flakes.  Most of us knows it as nutritional yeast and it does not cut it as a cheese substitute.  Who can trust such a boasting.  It’s not “tasty,” it’s “nutritional”.”  I figure it’s an acquired taste or maybe I’m using too much. 

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Going Live in 3-2-1…

When I wrote that title, all I could think about was that scene in Wayne’s World when Wayne and Garth to couldn’t stop mouthing and nodding the words…

This post isn’t about going live, but eating things alive… Muahaha (creepy laugh). There’s many nooks and crannies to the vegan diet, and unfortunately George and I would be classified as “Junk food” vegans. We use fake cheese and meat, and still chow down on baked goods made with alternative vegan ingredients.

Macaroni with or without cheese is still "junk food"

However, we’ve been vegan for almost 3 months now and we’re looking to make some changes. After I attended Rip Esselstyn and Dr.Esselstyn’s lecture about the benefits of plant based diet, I decided it’s time I start to go more of a live food route. I should note there were PLENTY of things I disagreed with Dr.Esselstyn about, but I couldn’t shake that many foods I enjoy are high in oil, which is ultimately fat. Sigh, sorry Daiya time to retire.

Rip Esselstyn talking

Live foods or commonly known as raw foods, are high in fiber and nutrients. George makes the best salads so it’s always a treat when he makes them, but when I’m away from him I need to be creative with incorporating raw foods. I don’t love salad, so I rather just eat a whole carrots or cucumber. But after having dinner with my fiance at finest vegan oasis in NYC, Candle 79, I thought I’d try my hand at making a creative live dinner.

Green room? Like vegetables?

Warning: This is VEGAN and it is LIVE. It tastes great, but admittedly it does taste…healthy. But in a good way! I could make it trashy by adding olive oil and preheating the peppers but I’m trying to shake that image.

I used Mini peppers cause they're cute. So this was a Live Pepper Popper.

Minutes to Prepare: 10

Minutes to Cook: 25

Number of Servings: 3

Tips

Play with the seasoning amount for ideal flavor. Also, heating the small peppers for 5 minutes would soften them up, but will take away from the benefits of eating it live.

Ingredients

Bean Mix:

• 1 15.5oz Red Kidney Beans +(2 tbsp liquid and 1/4 cup water)
• 1/2 Red Onion Diced
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper Diced
• 1 Vine Ripe Tomato Diced
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flake (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Rice:

• 1/2 cup rice (dry)
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp earth balance spread

Peppers:

• 15 Small peppers halved

Directions

1.) In a small sauce pot combine rice, water and earth balance and bring to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to low for about 20-25 minutes. Fluff rice when done.2.) In another medium-small sauce pot add Red Kidney Beans plus 2 tbsp of reserved liquid and 1/4 cup of water over medium heat. When beans become tender (about 3-5 minutes), use a potato masher and mash the beans to a consistency of refried beans.3.) Stir in onions, red bell pepper, and tomatoes. Heat for another 5-7 minutes stirring frequently.

4.) Stir garlic, chili, cayenne and cumin powder. Add crushed pepper flakes then salt and pepper to taste. If more spiciness is desired, be liberal with cayenne, chili and pepper flakes.

5.) Layer the small peppers accordingly: Brown rice and then top with bean mixture. Then serve.

Nom Nom

• Calories: 366 per serving (I broke it up into 3 servings)
• Total Fat: 4.2g

Mission accomplished

Zen Vegan

Rock of Love

You’d think it’d be natural but there are a lot of angry vegans out there.  What we ingest is not necessarily who we are.  There’s the stress of everyday living that doesn’t go away just because there is no violence associated with your food.  Sugar and white flour can gum up your system just like steak and potatoes.

My Little Emperor

Vegan, vegetarians, and even carnivores need an escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city.  HanGawi is a mountaintop where peace and serenity is law.  Often referred to as an oasis, HanGawi is more than just incredible Korean vegan food.  We are talking about Yin and Yang, Um and Yang, balance, harmony, nature, that whole soothing hippie vibe.

HanGawi is not just my new favorite restaurant but my favorite place.  I’d heard some stuff.  Best Vegetarian restaurant in New York, best Korean, a virtual vacation, most romantic, greatest restaurant of all time.  Others say it’s expensive, not Korean enough, overrated, and protest going to the bathroom without shoes.

Life as a Movie

I’m here to tell you, believe the hype (the good hype).  Chefs eat there and so should you.  Some call it Buddhist or “mountain vegetable” fare.  Think wild rice, sautéed vegetables, bibimbap, clay pot, stone pot, kimchi, dumpling, sizzle-at-your-table, celebrate-life food.  I had already eaten there twice (once with the Bailey’s and once with Dr. Larry).

I was thrilled to finally get to experience with the love of my life.  We opted for the lunch prix fixe.  Julia had the Mini Emperor: spinach porridge, vermicelli delight and the vegetarian stone bowl rice.  I had the Ginseng lunch:

Pancake Lunch

porridge, dumplings and the tofu clay pot.  The included dessert was some sort of cinnamon water, which initially seemed like a “Diss” sert but turned out to be refreshing and a perfect finisher.

I was a little tense.  I wanted the day to be perfect.  The radiator next to me knocked and steamed.  But I was calm with my shoes left at the door, sitting inside the floor.  My feet treated to a plank wood, heated floor.  The decor is spa Asian.  It’s max relaxation.

Six Months Before Our First Date

I felt dreamy as I looked across the table at my beautiful girlfriend. This feeling never has ended.  The day was sunny and perfect.  My inside coat pocket had a secret treasure.  This was feeling very right.

I insisted we go to “our spot.”  One of our first dates we found ourselves in Central Park on one of the huge rocks.  From this spot (we call Mount George and Julia), there is a stunning view of the upper west side.  It’s in so many movies and what I consider one of the most gorgeous spots in New York.

Mount George and Julia 2009

I can remember our first trip there.  We took a picture.  I remember the peace I felt as I hugged this Connecticut gal I met at Wilkes Creative Writing College.  We had only dated a couple of weeks but as I looked from the rock, I could see and feel so much beauty ahead.

As we cuddled we noticed there were several couples cuddling just like us.  Julia said, “It must be cuddle time.”  It is possibly the most romantic place on earth.  Mount George and Julia meant so much to me, to us.

Yes to both, please.

We sat there for a while in each other’s arms.  It was so perfect.  This really was like a movie.  It felt like we were floating.  I told her how I loved my life with her, how much I loved her and that my love was forever.  Then I said, “Julia, I have something to ask you.”  She smiled, assuming I was joking and said, “Yes, I want to get vegan scones.”  I got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of my jacket.  Julia lost her cool and yelled “Oh my God!” over and over again.

I looked her in the eye, “Julia, will you marry me?”  She said, yes!

She Said Yes!!!!

We both got dreamy and walked around the park, floating.  We held hands, smiled and looked at each other lovingly.  This was Zen.  This was perfect life.  I am the luckiest man alive.

Slapping Together Vegan Eats

Getting in touch with my crunchy side

That cat is out of the bag since the last post. George and I have been devouring plant-based dishes. I still feel that the term vegan is a bit taboo, so when I describe my current diet I say it’s plant-based. When you drop the ‘V’ word people immediately assume you’re a member of PETA  or are a petruli dripping, rabid Phish listening, Dave Mathews loving hippy. And by the way, only 1 of those are applicable to me. Guess which one? If you guess Phish listening, you must know me too well. And if you know me well, now you know why I haven’t called to go out to sushi or brazilian grill lately.

Hey Farmer George!

Since turning toward the green side, we’ve both noticed that there’s a bit of an obstacle with this whole thing: Restaurants aren’t really catering to the dairy-free and meat-eliminating diets. So with minimal options when we go out, I’ve been making some magic happen in the kitchen. It’s like a renaissance, but in the kitchen. You really have to be creative to find ways around using butter or cheese. No we don’t sit around eating nuts and tofu. There’s crazy amounts of soy based products and a special “cheesy” helper called Daiya that makes plant-based life easier. Also, there’s this new thing called salad. Have you ever heard of it?

Salad? You mean cracker.

Just so George and I aren’t constantly jonesing for foods we miss, I try really hard to incorporate them. This next segment is going to be a little bit of food porn. If enough people want the recipes I’ll post them at a later date. Right now I’m feeling lazy so I don’t want to write them all out:

Hola Chile Rellenos!

This here is a chile rellenos topped with Daiya cheese and Gimme Lean Sausage. It’s stuffed with a mexican quinoa mix. We still get our protein, if you’re wondering.

Korean taco inspired

This Korean dish was inspired by our experience with the Korilla truck (famous for being on Food Network). Korilla has a lackluster vegan/vegetarian option and after consuming the cold and bland tofu taco, I looked at George and said “I can do better.” And I did. We used Gimme Lean Beef, quinoa, peppers, celery (no onions because people at his work complain), and topped with my homemade Korean taco sauce.

Veggie Fried Rice

Nobody puts leftover rice in the corner. I slapped this puppy together in 30 minutes. Frozen vegetable mix with fresh peppers and onions. Sauce was a version of the homemade Korean taco sauce.

Inspired by macrobiotic food

This is the only recipe I’ll give. This sexy number is a bed of spinach, topped with wild rice and salsa. It’s pretty but that’s about it. I like to call it the Kate Hudson.

Pink sauce linguine

I made a vegan alfredo and then combined it with my marinara recipe and then tossed it with broccoli and whole wheat linguine. Super awesome.