Sassy & the Aussie

vegan banana oatmeal chocolate cookies…

trevor’s vegan pizza…

two weeks…

just realized we’ve been kinda MIA this past week - guess we had a lot going on.  saw florence + the machine on tuesday at the greek - she’s just phenomenal! however, we struggled a bit with what to order at the concession stand, finally choosing pretty much our only option: chips & salsa.  trevor also had a tough time going out for work drinks, where he ended up ordering a small side of veggies.  however, the highlight of our week was trevor’s homemade vegan pizza. we just grabbed some ingredients at trader joe’s and he came up with an impromptu recipe that beat the socks off the pizza he had at real food daily the other day.  he’ll post the recipe & picture shortly, but it was really simple & totally didn’t taste vegan at all! i also made pad thai this week, which i’ve made once before, but this time it came out much better. here’s the recipe (courtesy of the lovely shamere):

PAD THAI 

8 oz. rice noodles

Sesame or canola oil, for sauteing tofu

1 pkg (16 oz) extra-firm tofu, cubed

Salt & pepper, to taste

1/4 cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup tamari soy souce

1/3 cup lime (or lemon) juice

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chopped broccoli or snow peas, steamed or stir-fried

1 bunch scallions, chopped (including green parts)

1 cup bean sprouts

Sliced lemons, for garish (optional)

Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions, drain and immediately return them to the pot, secured with a tight lid to keep them from drying out excessively.  They will re-moisten once you add them to the sauce below. 

Heat oil in a pan and saute tofu until golden brown. Sprinkle on salt and pepper while it’s cooking.

In a bowl, mix together peanut butter, sugar, tamari, lime juice, and red pepper flakes.  Set aside. 

In a separate large-size saute pan, heat oil or a little water or stock and add garlic and broccoli; stir-fry for 5 or 10 minutes, until broccoli turns bright green. Add scallions and sate for a few more minutes.

To that pan, add the cooked noodles, tofu, peanut butter mixture, and bean sprouts.  Combine well, and cook just until all the ingredients are heated through.  Garnish with sliced lemons and cilantro, if using.  Serve immediately.

YIELD: 2 to 4 servings

as for dining out, we went to a place last night by us called vegan glory.  i had read some decent reviews about it, so figured we should give it a shot.  the menu is mostly thai/asian, and all vegan.  that being said, i ordered a thai iced tea right away!  we both got a dinner combo meal - trevor had kung pao chicken & i had yellow curry with tofu. the combo includes soup, salad, brown rice & a spring roll. needless to say, we were stuffed afterwards.

today we checked out the tim burton exhibit at LACMA which was just awesome (if not extremely crowded.) he’s such a uniquely creative & artistic individual…i have so much admiration for him!  after that dosage of culture, we decided to have a late lunch at native foods cafe in culver city.  i had driven by it before, and then saw weird al’s recommendation on yelp this week - so if weird al is a fan, then we definitely had to go!  once trevor saw they had fries, he was sold. i ordered the buffalo chicken wrap with potato salad, and trevor got the chicken ranch burger with fries (of course.)  for drinks, i had a very delicious and refreshing lavender lemonade, and trevor had an acai berry wheat beer.  everything was excellent, and it’s a really nice spot in downtown culver.

for dessert, we drove to babycakes in downtown, which is a vegan bakery. got a few cupcakes to go, so i’ll report back how they were.

wow, tomorrow is our two-week mark…

oh ron ron…

(Source: flyingscotsman)

and what a week it’s been!  we’ve definitely learned a lot so far, and realized we’re mentally stronger than we thought.

as i mentioned in my last post, we hit up tender greens last night before seeing super 8 (which, by the way, is amazing!) we got the only 2 vegan dishes on the menu: the happy vegan salad & the grilled veggies plate - the latter being much better than the former.  i made sure to bring some snacks for the movie, so we weren’t tempted to get popcorn & soda halfway through. afterwards, we went for drinks with friends, and i found out one of my favorite beers, dos equis, is vegan - yay!! this site - barnivore.com - is a great guide to see which beers, wine & liquor is vegan.  then, instead of a late night mcdonalds drive-thru run, we opted for some vegan pancakes at swingers.

today i woke up feeling kind of lousy - not sure if it was from the booze or just the veganism catching up with me.  we went furniture shopping & i felt really weak during the drive - trevor had to do an emergency stop at ralph’s to get us some fruit & nuts, which totally refueled me.  however, once we walked into ikea, it was pure torture not to get some swedish meatballs & ice cream - it smelled great in there!  instead, we went to flore in silverlake, which turned out to be our best vegan meal yet. trevor even stopped mid-sentence to proclaim this statement. he ordered the southwestern quesadilla & i got the portobello panini, and homemade ginger ale for both of us. i highly recommend this place even for non-vegans - cute little cafe on sunset, perfect for hipster-watching. however, there was a brief moment of panic, as i worried that the bread used for my panini was not vegan. it’s one of the best focaccias i’ve had, and found it hard to believe it was actually vegan. i started getting paranoid that i had messed the challenge up, but trevor assured me otherwise.  he asked our server if all the breads were vegan, and she said EVERYTHING on the menu is. i breathed a heavy sigh of relief - i can sleep soundly tonight.  god, what has happened to me?!?!

and on a side note, my mom made my vegan chili tonight for sunday dinner.  i found this out from a horrified text sent by my sister, haha.  i’m curious to see how it turned out & everyone’s reactions.

one down, two more to go…

we’re almost at our one-week mark, woohoo! and i’m finally back to normal health, which is always a plus.  we had dinner at real food daily in weho last night, which was probably the highlight of my week, next to the ER visit.  both of us have been to the santa monica location of this restaurant back in our carnivore days.  i had fond memories of the nachos (or should i say “not-chos”) being amazing.  oh, and did i mention everything on the menu is organic & vegan? score! first thing we ordered were very much-needed beers, followed by the not-chos, and then i had the spicy blt wrap & trevor had the pizza…everything was delish & filling! we got a gluten-free chocolate cupcake (their version of the hostess cupcake) to go which was decent.  i was just happy to be going out & able to eat whatever was on the menu, worry-free.  

tonight we’re seeing super 8 at the arclight in hollywood. of course, the first thing i thought of is what are we going to eat.  luckily, there’s a tender greens right next door and they have a few vegan options.  plus it’s a good place to go with meat-loving friends.  that’s been the hardest part of this challenge - how to be vegan & still be able to eat & drink with friends. of course we can still do it, but now our dining choices have significantly decreased!

till next time…

feeling much better today, although still not 100%.  no clue what the hell was wrong with me, but i have a sneaky suspicion it was my body trying to reject this sudden switch to veganism. anyways, i did notice that, despite my mysterious illness, i had a bit more energy and was slightly more focused.  of course this could be partly due to the extra sleep i got yesterday, or maybe it’s because i’ve been eating somewhat better these past few days. i’m curious to see if it’s just a fluke, or if it will continue.  trevor even said he felt lighter, but maybe it was just wishful thinking! we need to buy a scale this week to see if we’re actually losing weight…i sure do hope so.

tonight i made sweet potato chili, which i was excited about since it required the use of one of the greatest appliances of all time: the slow cooker!  i got the recipe off my favorite cooking blogs, a year of slow cooking. this chick makes practically anything & everything in her crockpot, it’s pretty insane - and the stuff i’ve made from there has been really good, the chili included.  it was very hearty & flavorful, not to mention super easy to make.  here’s the recipe:

Sweet Potato Chili (Vegan) Slow Cooker Recipe

The Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and in 2-inch chunks

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup orange juice (If you don’t have any in the house, use water)

The Directions:

Use a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Peel and chunk the sweet potato and add to the pot. Add diced onion. Follow with the red bell pepper, can of tomatoes, the beans, garlic, and seasonings. Pour in OJ and water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the onion is translucent and the sweet potato is fork-tender.

i didn’t have chipotle chili powder and used regular paprika instead of smoked, and i omitted the onion & pepper since i’m not a fan of either, and the dish still tasted great.  i’ll definitely be making this one again!

sweet dreams…

i guess i spoke too soon about everything going smoothly!  we made a quick trip to the ER this morning after i woke to sharp abdominal pains.  i won’t go into too many details, but after some tests they found everything to be normal & sent me home.  see what happens when i go vegan for a day??  i was secretly hoping they would say i needed to eat meat & dairy, STAT!  despite being home sick all day, i was a trooper and stuck with the challenge.  since i’m still not feeling 100%, we’re just going to have pasta & veggies for dinner.  

let’s hope day 3 brings better health…

the kickoff to our vegan experiment went rather smoothly.  breakfast was my usual oatmeal & coffee.  lunch was homemade hummus on brown rice cakes, which can sound sad & depressing, but it’s actually very tasty & filling.  i snacked on fruit & nuts throughout the day, but found myself craving something sweet at around 3 o’clock, so i may have to bring more stuff to snack on to help fill the void.  for dinner, i made vegan tacos using a recipe i found on bethenny frankel’s website.  i made a recipe of hers once before, and she tends to be a bit generous with her spices (either that or the measurements were incorrect), so i made sure to be more careful this time.  the tacos came out surprisingly well - i was short a few ingredients, but it still all worked out.  i was also a little hesitant about the meatless crumbles, but once you season them up, they’re pretty good.  here’s the recipe:

Vegan Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground meatless crumbles (I used Yves)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 whole wheat crunchy taco shells
• 4 whole wheat soft taco shells

Taco Topping Options:

• ¼ heart of romaine lettuce, shredded
• ½ cup reduced fat shredded vegan cheddar cheese
• 1 cup nonfat vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream mixed with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup medium salsa verde
• guacamole 
• chopped tomato

Preparation:

1. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and put over medium heat.  Place meatless crumbles in pan.  Add all the other ingredients, sauté to warm and combine flavors.  Stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the meat is browned.  Set aside.
2. Wrap the tortillas in a towel and heat in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds.  Serve still wrapped in the towel to keep them warm.
3. To serve put the meat, tortillas and toppings out and pass the places.  Everyone can enjoy assembling their own taco

don’t worry, i won’t be listing out everything we eat in each post, but i will post recipes once in awhile, especially if i think they’re worthwhile.  

we survived day 1, yay!!

for the next 3 weeks, sassy & the aussie will be going vegan.  i know, i know - how very oprah of us - but we thought it would be a great learning experience.  not only are we carnivorous foodies raised on meat & potatoes, but we also love our dairy.  over the past few months, we’ve been testing out some vegan dishes and introducing more veggies & fruit into our diet.  i’ve already made the switch to soy & almond milk for my coffee and cereal, which has been surprisingly easy. we just did our first grocery run, and it was rather time consuming, just looking at the labels and figuring out which products were vegan.  luckily, trader joe’s website has a whole list of everything that is vegan in their store. we also have tons of recipes from friends (shout-out to our vegan rockstars mel & shamere!) & the internet that i’m itching to make.  plus, there are several vegan restaurants close to our apartment, so i don’t think we’ll be too short of options.  that said, tomorrow (and the next few weeks) is still going to be a major wake up call for us both…and slightly torturous…since we’re so accustomed to a certain way of life/eating.  it will be a good detox with hopefully beneficial healthy results.  i’ll try to blog each day, or at least every other day, to keep everyone posted on our status (and whether we’re still alive.)  we’re open to any suggestions or recommendations, so please fire away.  wish us luck!! 

here goes nothing…

firepit fun…

vintage: point dume sunset, 2009…

el mariachi…

cinco de mayo…