Mmmmmmm……
Asian flavors
Love to savor
Like special treat for lunch and dinner
(use chopsticks for make extra good to eat)
I eat seaweed
I eat gobo
I eat pad thai, kimchi and miso!
Asian treats
So good for eat
Make me want to tap my feet
And fill my bowl
With all lots vegetables (no meat!)
Go back for seconds
Not once or twice
But for three-peat!
Remember that episode of the Simpsons, when Lisa falls for the hippie tree-hugger dude, who says he is a level 5 vegan who “pocket mulches.” I mean, I dont pocket mulch…. yet…. but I am pretty sure I have vegan super powers. So what level vegan are you? Take this quiz to find out!
1. When I go to the grocery store, I:
a. Read the ingredients on everything! Don’t want any trans fats sneaking into my arteries!
b. Grocery store? I just eat whatever my mom brings home…. from wherever food comes from.
c. Grocery store? Please! I bring my canvas bags to the farmers market for whatever fresh vegetables I didn’t grow in my own garden this year!
2. My main source of protein is:
a. Energy bars!
b. Cheeseburgers!
c. 12 sprouted almonds and spirulina supplements.
3. When it comes to composting, I:
a. Think it’s a great idea, I just can’t stand the smell!
b. Isn’t that a fancy word for poop?
c. Pocket mulch.
4. I recycle:
a. Everything I can! My bin is overflowing.
b. I have one bin: trash.
c. I live a zero-waste lifestyle and generate no trash whatsoever. Everything is reused or pocket mulched.
5. The clothes and shoes in my closet:
a. Are all up to date, cute, and I even have some organic T-shirts!
b. Are leather, denim and/or black.
c. Are made entirely out of fair-trade organically grown hemp, that I wove into fabric myself.
6. When it comes to transportation:
a. I drive an economical vehicle or hybrid.
b. I drive a monster truck jacked up on some huge tires.
c. I gave up my car because of animal products in the tires, and I couldn’t deal with the guilt of crushing bugs or other innocent creatures while driving.
Great job! You have finished the quiz! Now, to total your score, give yourself 2 points for every “a” answer, 1 point for every “b” answer, and 3 points for every “c” answer. Then find which level you fall into below.6 points- The Level 1 Vegan: You are not actually vegan at all, and probably don’t even know what the word means. Not sure how you found this page.
7 points- The Level 2 Vegan: Still not actually vegan, but you may be aware that vegans exist. You may even know a vegan or two.
8 points- The Level 3 Vegan: Has a meat free meal at least once a week, usually due to budget limitations.
9 points- The Level 4 Vegan: You have eaten vegan or vegetarian food, and possibly enjoyed it. Cheese pizza counts as vegetarian.
10 points- The Level 5 Vegan: Otherwise known as the “fake-atarian.” Includes vegetables in the diet, and usually “only” eats fish or chicken.
11 points- The Level 6 Vegan: The accidental vegetarian or “freegan.” Eats whatever is available, as long as someone else bought it.
12 points- The Level 7 Vegan: Just another way of saying vegetarian. Doesn’t ask when eating out if there are eggs in the bread.
13 points- The Level 8 Vegan: The junk-food vegan. Oreos are technically vegan.
14 points- The Level 9 Vegan: The frozen aisle vegan. Kashi’s frozen meals have become the preferred alternative to Oreos.
15 points- The Level 10 Vegan: Moving up from frozen to fresh! You keep fresh fruits and veggies on hand for snacks.
16 points- The Level 11 Vegan: Organic, fresh and fair-trade are the most common vocabulary words in this vegan’s diet.
17 points- The Level 12 Vegan: Raw vegan. Cooking food with fire is for cavemen.
18 points- The Level 13 Vegan: Being this vegan makes it hard to be a member of normal society. You most likely spend most of your time in a cave, meditating.
I’m a level 10 vegan. How do you stack up?
Everyday I wake up and put on that vegan swag. Homemade shirts, recycled skirts, hand me down pants, yard sale shoes, thrift store jackets. Pretty much everything in my apartment from what I wear to what I sit on was purchased for under 20 bucks at a yard sale. It’s true, you cant buy everything used (underwear, socks, toothbrush unfortunately you have to buy some things new) but everything I can, I buy used. I decorate my pad with vegan swag: mellow, peaceful and full of love. That’s what vegan is. Vegan swag tells the world how much you love and care about this planet and every living thing that dwells on it.
I put on my vegan swag everyday, knowing that it carries a message, and chances are someone is going to ask me about my swag. And each time that happens, it is an opportunity to share with people how rad vegan swag is. From my vegan puppy with an organic hemp leash to my recycled vegan shoes and yard sale t shirts, it’s all about vegan swag, reducing your impact and leaving a tinier footprint. It’s not often that case that bigger is not always better, but when it comes to vegan swag, less is more. Less stuff, less chemicals, less ingredients, less shopping, less green house gases. Only buy shit new if you have to. Don’t buy shit if you dont need it. Don’t buy shit that is comes wrapped in shitloads of plastic. Get a water bottle and use it.
Stay fresh. Eat your vegetables.
I know there are TONS of vegan restaurants all over the place. Unfortunately, I don’t have time or resources to eat at all of them. These are some of my favs.
1. Cafe Gratitude- (Los Angeles, San Rafael, Oakland, Berkeley, Healdsburg, San Francisco, Cupertino) Wide selection of raw vegan and cooked vegan foods. Served with love, you will leave feeling great. Cafe Gratitude is not just a restaurant, it is a mindset and a lifestyle. Embrace it. Try I am whole, I am cool, I am transformed, I am hearty. Also try I am awakening- the best key lime pie EVER!!!
2. Jyun Kang Restaurant- (City of 10000 Buddhas, Ukiah, CA) Get the vegetable squares. They are actually circles and they are sooooo flippin’ good. All of their house specialties are also off the hook. Vegan food made by monks?? How can you go wrong??
3. 33 degrees/The Fix for Foodies- (Nevada City, CA) Ok, so maybe this place is run by Masons (I asked them, they had a story, but basically the grandpa is a 33rd degree mason), but the food is amazing. It’s raw vegetarian, so if you are a vegan, make sure you specify when you order. The pizzas are bomb and the vanilla durian shake is sooooooo good.
4. Follow Your Heart- (Canoga Park, CA) This was my very first experience at a totally veggie restaurant when I was 16, and I have been hooked ever since. A little restaurant inside of a little natural foods market that has been in the same location for decades. The melted cheese sandwich is awesome (get it with onions and bacon bits) and the nachos are super yummy. Another vegetarian restaurant, so if you are vegan, just let them know! Almost everything is vegan optional.
5. Real Food Daily- (West Hollywood, Santa Monica) Not only is it awesome organic, vegan food but it’s a hip joint in the middle of LA, prime for celeb watching. I personally have seen the likes of Steve-O, Tobey Maguire, Amanda Peet, Mike White, Matisyahu and some others that I just can’t remember right now. They have the best waffles I have ever had on Sundays, and the Real Food Burger with the works is amazing. Get a mutt juice too and be sexy with all the celebs.
6. Wildflower Cafe- (Arcata, CA) A cute vegetarian restaurant with some awesome french toast in the mornings and delicious tempeh tacos in the evening. It’s vegetarian, but almost everything is vegan optional, so vegans speak up!!
7. Kind Kreme- (Echo Park, Studio City) I was so happy when I discovered this place. I think it was founded by the daughter of one of the owners of Cafe Gratitude, and you can tell. Both places share a happy loving vibe, but all Kind Kreme has to offer is ICE CREAM!!! Amazing delicious raw vegan soft serve ice cream!!!! And it is so good. Oh man. So good.
8. Sun Power Natural Cafe- (Studio City, CA) Delicious raw, vegan food, literally right around the corner from Kind Kreme. Make it a one stop deal, hit them both up. Pretty much everything here is amazing. Also get a box of their cookies to go. I like the fruit burst flavor.
9. M Cafe- (Hollywood, CA) This place is macrobiotic, so that means it is totally vegan and mostly gluten free EXCEPT they also serve fish. Other than that, everything is vegan. They have a great selection of foods from the cold case, like kale salad, soba noodles and veggie sushi, as well as great stuff off the regular menu, like the California club sandwich. They also have amazing French toast on weekends, and really yummy juices. For dessert, the crumb cake is amazing and the cupcakes make me want to punch someone they are so damn good.
10. Rahel Ethiopian Vegan Cuisine- (Little Ethiopia, CA) This place is so good, and the owner Rahel is amazing herself. I come here for the lunch buffet before 3:00 pm, or the millenium special. The bread, which is called injera, is really yummy but can be very filling, so I usually get my meals with rice instead of the injera. My favorite items are the red lentils, whole lentils, pumpkin, and cabbage. So amazing.
Ok I know I said 10, but there is one more place I almost forgot….
11. Inaka- (Los Angeles, CA) This place has the best japanese food I have ever had. It is another macrobiotic place, so they serve fish but everything else is vegan and gluten free. I like to get the Inaka plate, which has a little bit of everything. Also the veggie combination lets you pick your favorites like hijiki, daikon, kabocha, gobo and lotus (my picks 
) They also have really cool literature here from the Happiness Science Temple, so pick up a free leaflet while you are there and read it. It’s just some cool uplifting stuff.
Change your diet, change your thoughts, change your life. Be happy, be grateful, be sexy. Life is love.
Just over the last week or so I have been asked twice about the cost of being vegan. Over the last few years, I have been asked innumerable times “Isn’t it expensive to be vegan?” Being the fucking smartass that my dad raised me to be, I usually answer back something like “Isn’t a triple bypass expensive?”
But what it really comes down to is, no. Being vegan is not expensive. There are things associated with being vegan that can be expensive, like eating out, buying prepacked vegan meals and buying organic produce at farmers markets. Yes, those things can be expensive. But you know what is not expensive? Rice. Beans. Most of the world subsists on these completely. What else is not expensive? Carrots. Lettuce. Tofu is significantly cheaper per pound than meat.
Learning how to cook is one of the best things you can do for yourself, for your wallet, for the earth. You can make a healthful meal at home to take with you to work or school that costs significantly less than it would cost to eat out. Not only that, but bringing meals from home in reusable tupperware rather than disposable to-go or delivery meals lowers your carbon footprint. It’s like giving mother earth a hug.
You do begin to see a rising cost when you start shopping for organic produce and vegan “meats,” but there are ways to shop smart and to stretch your budget (I will talk about this in a later blog). I think the real cost for many people is not the actually financial cost that comes with being vegan, but the social cost. Once able to enjoy the late night chili cheese nacho runs with your friends, now afraid to sit out, alone, with a stick of celery, assuring everyone you much rather prefer this over the pile of nachos. There is fear of being ostracized for being different, and feeling left out of certain events, places, whatever. That I understand, and to those people I say, confidence is everything, but if you are not ready to face the world armed with carrot sticks and hummus, then consider your other options, like being vegetarian. You can still enjoy pizza and nachos and In-N-Out grilled cheese with the rest of the gang, and make a positive impact in your world.
Another thing to consider is where you are spending your money, and put a real value on it. How much do you spend on your television bill every month? New clothes and shoes? Movies? Is it worth it? Can you put a value on your health and the health of the planet?
I’m rad. You’re rad. Lets eat banana bread.
1 3/4 cups brown rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp nut pulp (or additional flour or almond meal)
3 small mashed bananas (2 large)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup nut milk
2/3 cup raw coconut palm sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Grease loaf pan or baking dish.
Mix dry ingredients in smaller bowl.
In large bowl, combine sugar and oil, then add bananas and milk. Mix.
Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stir until just mixed.
Pour into pan. Bake until golden brown and knife or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 mins.
It comes out with a slight crumble effect, because it is gluten free. I like to pour some milk over it and eat it with a spoon.
Bananas are sexy. You are what you eat.
So aside from the obvious, like meat and dairy, here are 10 things I don’t really eat. It’s not that I would NEVER eat these (I am vegan, not crazy), but I try to strongly limit them in my diet for good reasons, which I will explain.
1. Packaged/canned foods. If it comes out of a package from a factory, then it is not really food. Sorry. Even raw, organic, natural foods that come out of a box or bag are highly questionable. How long have they been sitting in this package? What unknown longterm effects are caused by the preservatives? Do I really know what potassium sorbate is? Packaging itself contains a number of glues, chemicals, lining, dyes and other miscellaneous additives that are too close for comfort. Of course, I will make a few exceptions. Eden Organics canned foods uses a BPA-free lining, so I will keep a can or two of beans around for quick hummus or dip. Also, if I happen to be traveling for a length of time I will bring some packaged chips, crackers or cookies, especially if I know I am headed to a not-so-vegan-friendly area. As general rules of thumb, if it has less than 5 ingredients and/or I know what each ingredient actually is, go ahead and enjoy it.
2. Tofu. Another packaged food, and a highly processed one at that. I feel it is best to eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, and tofu is about as far as you can get from that. I still eat plenty of soy products, such as edamame, roasted soynuts and tempeh. They are closer to their natural state and much more nutritious than their more processed counterparts.
3. Pasteurized foods. Many bottled “fresh” juices contain some small lettering somewhere on the back that says something to the effect of “pasteurized for your protection.” Huh? This basically means that whatever is in that packaged was blasted with heat/steam at extremely high temperatures in order to kill any harmful bacteria that may have gotten in during the packaging process. In doing so, many of the living enzymes and nutritional value of this once delicious fresh squeezed Florida orange juice (for example) have also been destroyed. What you are left with is essentially an orange drink, and this is before it is even bottled or packaged (see 1 above). What are they really protecting? Probably their asses from a law suit, because its definitely not your health.
4. Vegan “buttery” spread. WTF is that? If you have questions, read number one above. Consider replacing with some real food item, like any kind of oil. Coconut is great for baking, olive for stir frys. Use cold pressed, extra virgin and organic whenever possible. Toxins are stored in fats so this is especially important for high fat foods like oils.
5. Peanuts. This one may come as a surprise. Peanuts are actually not that good for you. They cause inflammation in the body, they are highly susceptible to cancer causing molds, and they are also known to cause arterial damage. Try some organic almond butter or tahini instead. You will feel better.
6. Nightshade foods: eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, tobacco. I am not a smoker, so that last one is not difficult for me, but the others are found in abundance in some of my favorite foods (like, all Thai food!). A few years back, I was experiencing a lot of joint pain and itchy skin. My physical therapist mentioned that I should stay away from foods that cause inflammation and incorporate more foods that are soothing an reduce inflammation. After doing some research, I found out that the same foods that were irritating my joints were the same ones irritating my skin. I have pretty much cut these all out completely (with the exception of the occasional tomato) and have noticed a significant difference both inside my body and out. There are other common foods in the nightshade family, but these contain higher levels of toxic alkaloids than others.
7. Alcohol. Most people do not know that many alcohols contain some derivative of milk, blood, bone, or some other part of an animal. Besides that, it will make you fat, ugly and dumb, and it will also kill you. But, if you like to enjoy a drink, have some organic wine or beer, preferably from a small, local brewery or vintner, not a giant corporate whore, and make sure it contains no animal by-products.
8. Leftovers. What?!?!? I know. Spaghetti tastes the best the next day. But the older food gets, the more bacteria and unwelcome visitors grow in the food. Notice if you get a runny or stuffy nose after eating leftovers. You probably do. In general, food more than three hours old has started to decay, and therefore lose nutritional value. Of course, for the sake of practicality sometimes leftovers are necessary (and friggin’ delicious), but try to limit them as much as possible, and when cooking or preparing meals, try to make only as much food as you are going to eat at that sitting.
9. Refined sugar, salt, flour, rice. Use the whole, brown, natural stuff. In their natural states, these foods contain lots of essential vitamins and minerals. Once upon a time, not that long ago, someone or a few someones discovered that food was fluffier and looked more appealing when it was whiter in color, and also that by refining it they could reduce spoilage and thereby increase the shelf life of these foods and their profit margins. The funny thing is, is that after the refining process is complete, manufacturers add synthetic versions of the essential nutrients they just stripped away to the refined foods, now making them “enriched” (or in the case of salt, iodized). Manufacturers have gotten tricky though, and if you pay attention you will notice things like “sugar in the raw” (not raw at all!!) and “enriched wheat flour” (still refined!). Use things instead like turbinado sugar, sea salt, whole wheat flour and brown rice.
10. Overcooked or microwaved foods. I’ve said it a million times already, but in case you missed it, too much heat is not good for your food. Cooking or steaming vegetables should not take more than about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch your broccoli next time you cook it. It will start to turn a very bright green, and then if you keep cooking it, the brightness of the green will begin to fade. That moment when it is bright green and delicious looking, that is when it is ready to eat. If the bright green has faded, you went too far. As for microwaves, I know the subject is controversial, but I just don’t trust them. Besides, anything that needs to be microwaved is probably packaged (see number 1) or leftovers (see number 8), and you already know how I feel about that.
Sources:
Mostly my brain and my experiences, but if you need verification of these things, here are some online resources.
1. http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/your-bpa-questions-answered.html
2. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-things-to-know-about-tofu/
3. http://www.energydrinktruth.com/pasteurization.html
4. http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/processedfoods.htm
5. http://www.herbalist.com/wiki.details/458/category/12/start/0/
6. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62
7. http://beeradvocate.com/articles/279
8. http://vegancampus.com/2007/09/17/the-ayurvedic-view-on-energy-foods-grains-vegetables-and-fruits/
There are no excuses for not eating fresh vegetables.
1 baby bok choy, chopped (or other leafy green you have around)
1 carrot, grated
1 lime or lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
sesame seeds
nutritional yeast
Toss together. Squeeze juice of lemon or lime, add oil and vinegar (I like a little extra balsamic on mine). Garnish with nutritional yeast and sesame seeds. Serves 1. Eat. Stay sexy long time.
For more colorful salads, add a shredded beet, avocado, roasted tamari almonds, and/or different kinds of seeds.
1. Bike, walk, skateboard, rollerblade or run to wherever you can, whenever you can. If you drive an SUV, it better be a hybrid, or you better actually need it.
2. Always carry your own mug to get coffee or tea or whatever. Paper cups with heat sleeves are soooo last year anyway. Also, a reusable water bottle is a must, and for vegans, size does matter. The bigger the better. Mine is 40 oz. How big is yours?
3. Eliminate packaging and trash from your life. That means you better know your three R’s and how to apply them (and I ain’t talkin about reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic).
4. Conserve water and energy. Nuff said. Droughts and parched environments are not sexy.
5. Learn how to cook amazing vegan meals. Especially if you live in a not-so-vegan-friendly area. I have yet to find a vegan restaurant that is open past 10 pm and sometimes I’m hungry at 10:04. Or 2:30 am.
6. Use recycled and environmentally friendly products in your home. Rags, recycled tp, and Dr. Bronners. I don’t even know what a paper towel is anymore.
7. Plant an organic garden. Compost. Use it in the garden. Such a turn on.
8. Buy organic, fair trade and/or locally grown and produced food and products. Support farmers markets and small businesses, not corporate paychecks.
I learned some stuff from this sweet japanese pamphlet about bananas.
Did you know that the little brown freckles on the bananas make them more “genki”?? That’s japanese for energized healthy and full of life!!
Check out this banana! He’s genki!!
So I made some sweet organic t-shirts to show off these genki bananas…
and on the back it says…. genki banana!!!!
Eat bananas! Get genki!
