Who Let the Dogs Out? WE DID! Yay, Massachusetts!!
I spent Tuesday night tearing up on the couch in front of our television. What can I, mere little me, say that hasn't already been said? This is a historic time for the United States and my little heart is just bursting with love for my country right now. After eight years of thinking "why, why, why?" I feel the burning of optimism that I haven't felt in a very long time. I believe that Obama is Gen X and Y's JFK. Long time coming but so worth waiting for.Of course, my main attention was on the presidential race..Obama and Biden had my vote from the get-go so I am over the top happy that they won.

In my own backyard, specifically three blocks down from my house, an organization that I respect very much, Grey 2K, has almost put themselves out of business, happily and on purpose. Massachusetts voters rallied to vote to abolish greyhound racing in the state. This has been a long, hard-fought battle for several years. The main argument of the proponents of dog racing say that we'll lose jobs statewide. However, in discussion with a rep from Grey 2k at the recent veggie fest in Boston, she pointed out to me, rightly so, that this argument is moot. When a local department store chain, Bradlee's (oh, fond childhood memories of this store!), shut down a few years ago, we lost far more jobs yet there was no vote on it. Back at ya, dog-racers!To outsiders, we're known as the radically left-leaning "activist" state whose state legislators refused to put gay marriage on the ballot because you shouldn't put civil rights to a vote (I heart and vote for you my state legislators). We're also know as the state of the Masshole driver (aggressive, reckless, rude) and I admit that it's well deserved. While I am not proud of the later, I am thrilled to live in a state that now recognizes the rights of people AND animals alike. This state election went to the dogs! Yay!

Back to Business: McDougall Day 1

After a month of VeganMoFo and numerous birthday celebrations, I feel the need for a stretch of healthy eating. So for the next ten days, I'll be doing the McDougall 10-Day Program which always leaves me feeling good after a massive month of sugar consumption!

Breakfast was my ginger pear oatmeal:

Lunch was a chickpea sandwich spread (recipe) and a green smoothie (almond milk, banana, flax seed, and kale):

Forgot to take a picture of dinner (mexican salad) but here's dessert..our sliced kiwi and apple habit in the evening has returned!

Two winters ago we started this fruit in the evening habit. I'll cut up an apple and a kiwi and hubby and I will share it. We haven't had many colds for the past two winters either. Hopefully the fruit is responsible!

The Day of the Dead Celebration, Vegan-Style

This past Sunday, November 2nd, H. and I plus our two upstairs neighbors, went to the Peabody Museum at Harvard University for their annual Day of the Dead Celebration, sponsored by the Mexican Consulate of Boston. H. and I went last year and really enjoyed it. Until last year, I didn't know much about the celebration. Since then, I've learned that it's a lovely holiday for remembering family members and loved ones who have passed away. Yummy food, beautiful decorations, and a little sentimentality..what more could I ask for!

The decorations were festive! I love the colors:

A salsa dancing demonstration:

Me and H. Not bad for a cell phone camera photo!

And finally, the alters:

Fruits are always offered.

Beans and nut bars!

Fruits AND veggies.

This alter was in honor of people who died from cancer..it was very touching:

And finally, although the food was good and free(!) at the event, it wasn't vegan so we stopped at Boca Grande where I got rice and beans. I noticed that they now offer tofu in many dishes so I'll have to return soon to try it!

At the festival itself, two non-vegan treats were served: Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead I guess!) and Mexican hot chocolate. So in the spirit of the season, I'll make some vegan versions soon. Until then, I'm watching the Saturday Night Live Election Special and biting my nails for tomorrow, The Really Big Election Day.

Boston Vegetarian Festival 2008

Guess where I went yesterday? Okay, the title gave it away! The festival was packed, even more than usual, and what a great bunch of speakers!

Sarah and me: She's holding the nudie pen that she won from vegan cookbook author Sarah Kramer's session! "My" Sarah was the first person to produce a safety pin and show how "punk rock" she is ;)

Author T. Colin Campbell, author of the China Study, packed 'em in. There wasn't even standing room.

I scored the very last bag of vegan white chocolate chips from the Cosmo vegan shop booth. Saving them for the holidays..maybe nice in some chocolate cookies with reverse chips? I'm a sucker for any item with a cute bear on the packaging ;)

Later at Grasshopper (vegetarian restaurant): Sarah's yummy "Sweet and Sour Sensation" and the communal veggie "chicken fingers" shared by all four of us.

My veggie wonton soup. Delicious!

And finally, the yummilious cake that Sarah and Tom brought to celebrate my bday since we couldn't get together on the day. Thanks guys, you're the best!!

Halloween Post-Mortem

Not much in the way of cooking. I tried Shellyfish's chocolate sugar cookie skeleton idea but wheat-free..mixed result. But they sure were cute!

My neighborhood really gets into the spirit of the holiday:

Fighting over a fly..

Something about this decoration reminds me of the Burning Man Festival:

Later: at night, a neighbor's ghostly lawn has some interesting landscaping!

Trick or Treat

After the Gruesome Threesome at the Somerville Theatre (we got to see the Simpson's "Shinning" following by the actual "Shining"), we stopped by the Museum of Bad Art in the basement of the theatre. Sorry..no pictures other than the entrance!

Sarah is an evil doctor..Tom is her unwilling (or willing?) jailbird victim!

Evil Doctor (Sarah) and the Devil (Michelle) fight to the death (or pose for the photo):

The Devil doesn't like having her picture taken. From the looks of her "bloody" nose, it seems the good/bad doctor won!

VeganMoFo 26: Sighted--vegan cookies going mainstream!

Hubby and I went for a walk today . The weather was gorgeous and the leaves, although past their peak, they are still beautiful. We walked for a while and ended up in Arlington close to one of our favorite coffee places. So we stopped in for a quick snack. This coffee place, Jam'n Java, starting carrying soy milk after I asked the owner if he would over a year ago. He agreed and sure enough the next time I was in, he had it all ready. What a sweetie! So we stopped in today and I saw a sign that they had, not one but two kinds of vegan cookies! Homemade! Aw!


I took these pictures with my phone since I didn't have my camera but I think they turned out okay despite that. The bottom cookie is ginger molasses and the top is a maple flavored cookie. Yum!

VeganMoFo Day 25: Stone-Ground Vegan Chocolate

Are you much into the vegan chocolate scene? I admit that I'm really not. I try to save the chocolate eating for those special moments (PMS and just plain "bad" days!) when I really need it. Regardless, I do call myself a chocolate lover (or fiend) and I enjoy especially during our trips to Germany trying new chocolate (always dark of course!).

We can trace a long line of chocolate fiends through my maternal line starting with my great-grandmother ("Big Nanny"). My own grammy recently passed away this past spring at 90 (sad..miss her) but even in her final moments, she couldn't say no to chocolate. It was the last food that she ate before the dementia shut her body down completely. Although this sounds sad, it actually makes me smile..I never thought that I looked much like my gram so the idea of this "chocolate fiend gene" being passed down with the maternal DNA gives me reason to smile and remember her whenever I see chocolate. At a memorial "party" for her this past summer, chocolate was a big part of the celebration.

A big part of why I probably haven't tried a lot of vegan chocolate is most likely laziness! I am so fortunate to have a local chocolate company practically in my backyard. Taza Chocolate makes only vegan chocolate and it's very unusual chocolate. I can't say whether you will like or not. The flavor is strong but if you like variety in your chocolate, you may just love it!

Last winter, we went on a tour of the Taza Chocolate factory and it suddenly became clear to me why the taste is so unusual. Taza is one of only a handful of bean to chocolate makers in North America. You know those specialty chocolate places that you see in cities and also in more touristy areas? Well, the majority don't actual make the chocolate..they buy it pre-made. They then make it into bonbons, fudge, you name it. Taza doesn't do that. They actually purchase the cacao beans themselves and stone grind them right here. They do not process their chocolate quite as much as the what is known as European style chocolate. Taza uses a stone-ground Mexican method that results in stronger flavors that are almost fruity tasting. Here's a photo of these chocolate covered cacao nibs below. They are super yummy and perfect for a small chocolate fix!


If you can locate another bean to chocolate maker near you (or not) hope you'll try it. Most times the chocolate is vegan and the taste may be like nothing you've ever tried.

VeganMoFo Day 24: Sushi ppahhhtty!!

I was shopping at the market the other day and saw something I hadn't seen before:

I checked the ingredients and all appeared vegan so I figured, let's give it a try. So for lunch today, I tried it out with some sushi rice that I cooked yesterday. I added a little rice vinegar and sugar to the rice and chopped up some veggies: avocado, cucumbers and carrots.

Here are my veggies. I later sliced the avocado into thin slices to match the cucumbers and carrots.


The soy sushi wrappers come in many fun colors! When I checked out the company's web site they have more flavors/colors after checking the ingredients, I realized the pink is not vegan (contains carmine extract made from crushed bugs..ew!) but luckily it doesn't come in the variety packs. The rest of the colors are vegan.


These are so much easier than regular sushi. Just stuff everything in one corner and roll!


The finished product..they looked almost too pretty to eat. The one on the left is has black and white sesame seeds on it and it was particularly yummy!

VeganMoFo Day 20: Carrot Currant Muffins

About 9pm tonight I realized, I haven't cooked anything today! I've loved VeganMoFo so far..met so many great vegans and vegetarians and it's really pushed me to cook and bake more. Just this past week I've made six recipes from Vegan With a Vengeance..a record for me. Whipping up a batch of muffins late at night has been happening regularly this month.


So all happy tonight because I finally got to go to yoga, I was singing and dancing around the kitchen while trying out the V w/V Carrot Raisin Muffins..except with currants instead of raisins because my dear hubby hates raisins. I know it sounds strange but I'm operating under the theory that it's genetic because his mother hates them too.

So back to muffins. After last week's disaster with the missing sugar in the apple muffins, I made sure to put the sugar in this time. True to the recipe description, they seem so nice. It's cold outside but my apartment smell spicy and wonderful!

On another vegan note, hubby and I went to a local carpet store today to get a rug for our back bedroom. The floor gets pretty cold in the winter and since I am usually clanking around in the kitchen (and as I said before, singing and dancing), he likes to do his computer tinkering back there. I had not thought of this but just buying a vegan carpet is so much cheaper than a wool one (I'm talking hundreds of dollars cheaper). And after a little research I discovered that the most toxic chemicals in carpeting are actually in the padding. If you do away with the padding, you do away with a lot of the toxins so the theory goes. So we have a lovely new carpet (oriental style..hubby wouldn't let me get the crazy polka dot one so this was a compromise from the boring solid color one that he was looking at), warm floor for computer tinkering and yoga, and the sheepies can keep their wool coats!

VeganMoFo Day 19: I Like Breakfast: Ginger Pear Oatmeal

This was my breakfast today..Ginger Pear Oatmeal and that Rooibos tea latte with almond milk that I had been looking forward. What's a good way to get me out of bed on a workday? The promise of a yummy breakfast does the trick almost every time. Otherwise my fishies start splashing so loudly that I know they want their breakfast! Here they are all excited about the idea of breakfast. They don't get oatmeal but they do love cooked brown rice. Funny little guys..anyone who thinks fish are boring, hasn't met these guys. I have about 45 goldfish..all born here in my apartment. Their parents and grandparents were store bought but not these guys..and because they've only had natural foods their whole lives instead of those nasty goldfish flakes and pellets, they are living way long than their parents.


Oh, I digress. Back to oatmeal. I've always liked oatmeal. Quaker packets of instant oatmeal (I liked the apple spice and maple sugar ones the best) were an important part of my childhood. Thankfully my taste has improved to now prefer to make my own instead of ripping open a packet and adding water. Hubby isn't so much an oatmeal person..when we go out for brunch to Johnny D.'s in Davis Square, he always lets me have his with the plumped up raisins and melty brown sugar since he doesn't like raisins. Yum! And of course, that means that any oatmeal raisin cookies that cross the threshold of this apartment are all mine. Sometimes love works better that way you know, when you don't like the the same kind of cookies ;)

So for the past 2-3 years, I've been making oatmeal fairly regularly. I've tried sorts of variations for cooking it including crock pot oatmeal (pretty good but makes too much for one person to have it fresh) to trying it in my rice cooker (oh, bad, bad idea! Oozey mess). I've tried Irish and Scottish..they're all good.

Recently I tried a variation of my usual apple cinnamon oatmeal. May I introduce: Ginger Pear Oatmeal? A little spicy but sweet. I love it! I follow a more raw oatmeal approach and do not cook it on the stove but instead use rolled oats topped with boiling water. The result is a bit more whole "oatey" but chewy, good, and full of fiber. You can cook yours on the stove if you prefer a more smooth texture.



1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. shredded ginger root
1/2 cup boiling water
1 chopped green pear

Mix the rolled oats, cinnamon, and ginger together in your serving bowl. Pour the hot water on top. Wait about 5 minutes until the water is completely absorbed. Add your pear and mix. Enjoy!

And here is my long-awaited rooibos tea latte w/almond milk. Sprinkled with cinnamon. Just the thing for a cold morning.