It's Tofurkey Time!

Just a quick reminder to pick up your Tofurkey as soon as you can!  Of course, you do not have to eat  tofurkey roast, but I have noticed that they go quickly at small stores.  At my grocery store, there is now an entire freezer case of single roasts and the Tofurkey Feasts!  I am getting excited about the holidays, I cannot wait to start cooking!  And, another reminder, if you live in the NOVA area, Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, MD is having their Thanksgiving with the Turkeys this weekend, November 17th.  It is the biggest vegan potluck I have ever been to, and my kids have a super time every year.  I have linked to it on the sidebar!

Lovely Puerto Rico

 I just got back from a wonderful trip to Puerto Rico to celebrate my sister's birthday...it was amazing and, of course, sweltering!  I loved it!  I cannot stand cold weather and snow, so I had the time of my life just baking.  I also ate some very good food.  I have the Happy Cow app on my iPhone, so I did some searches for some good places to eat!  The following is a photo diary of some of my culinary experiences while staying in San Juan, PR.  If you might be traveling to Puerto Rico in the future or are thinking of finding a place to vacation, check out the choices at Happy Cow.

The first thing I did was go to the grocery store, the Super Maxx.  NO JOKE this was the freezer section.  I decided that since there was an enourmous selection of vegan foods at the grocery (in addition to countless ethnic and local foods), I want to move to Puerto Rico.  That and, did I mention it's HOT?

We ate at a wonderful restaurant call the Cafe Berlin in Old San Juan.  I had the vegetarian "steak" with vegetables and it was so filling and delicious.  They had a LOT of vegan/veg choices on the menu, and if we had been there for longer, I would have tried to make it to the brunch.  Also, a little old man serenaded me with his guitar.  Bonus points.

At the Super Maxx, I bought a can of vegan "skallops".  I was curious, so I thought that I would take them home.  Well, they never made it home because one night we were so tired that we ate at the hotel restaurant.  I did not want to eat hummus again (yes, you can have too much of a good thing), so I went out on a limb and brought the waiter the can of "skallops" and asked him if he could do something with it.  This is what I got.  It was amazing.  Thank you Hosteria Del Mar!

For my sister's birthday, we ate at a lovely eatery called The Garden.  I had the curried tofu with jasmine rice.  It was so good, I am so glad that there are so many places that I can eat at in Puerto Rico.  Almost too many...I am seriously going to have to hit the gym hard this week.

Sidenote: There are some places that you should never eat.  This is one of them.  If you see a string of roadside "cafe's" that have their food sitting out and basically look shady, go to Subway of Burger King.  Your stomach will thank you.

Read Your Labels!

I am a busy mom and a full-time teacher...I love to cook and do it regularly, but it absolutely thrills me when I find a product that is yummy and makes me proud to serve it to my family.  That's why I read labels!  It's like a treasure hunt at the grocery store, and I typically find what I am looking for.  For example, recently I started craving cinnamon rolls.  Made a batch from scratch...took forever.  I felt good about it but I cannot do that frequently, I just do not have time.  So I kept thinking that there MUST be something at the grocery store...I was right!  After reading the labels for several different brands of easy bake cinnamon rolls, I found that the store brand was exactly what I was looking for.  You see, many of the everyday products that people eat are, in fact, vegan and they do not even realize it.  Potato chips, oreos, pastas, you name it.  So I read a LOT of labels, and it does take time.  But that's OK, because finding those products that are quick and easy but good for my ethics saves me time in the long run.  I love it when I can whip up a hot and wholesome meal...after working all day, picking up the kids from swim training, and squeaking home around 5:30 pm.  Just be careful, when you are reading those labels, there are a few key words you want to avoid that a lot of people do not usually recognize: sugar, rennet, lard, sodium, bha, caffeine, caramel, carrageenan, calcium disodium, lactic acid, maltol dextrin, modified food starch, mono-and diglycercides, monosodium glutamate(msg), nitrites, polysorbate, propyl gallate, red dye 40, saccharin, aspartame, & GUMS-arabic,cellulose,xanthan gums.

While we were on vacation, I wanted to cook with my aunt and make a big meal for the whole family.  I know you're like, "Who wants to cook on vacation!?!".  Well, usually I don't, but I wanted to make a good impression on my family members that I had not seen in a while.  I got to go to the Navy Commissary, where I hadn't been in a while.  Decades, actually.  I decided to do a nice Italian Casserole, easy and cheap to feed a bunch of people.
Italian Casserole (Vacation Bum Slacker Style)
1. Sautee lots of vegetables...whatever you can find (squash, zucchini, muchrooms, peppers, etc.)
2. OPTIONAL: Heat up a bag of Gardein beefless tips, just sautee in a little oil and set aside.
2. Boil a box of pasta and drain.  Put in a LARGE bowl.
3. Add a jar of pasta sauce (check the label, make sure there is no cheese in it) and a large can of crushed tomatoes to the pasta.
4.  Add the sauteed veggies and beefless tips.  You can also add crumbled veggie burgers if you cannot find Gardein.  How many?  I don't know, like, 4 maybe?  Keep crushing and adding till it looks right.  Just make sure to COOK those veggie burgers first!
5. Add some fresh herbs like basil and oregano if you have them.  Crush two cloves of garlic into the bowl as well.
6. Stir well, put in a casserole dish.  Shred vegan cheese on top!  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  
7. Go relax and have a glass of vacation juice (translation: whatever you want, especially if it's nice and boozy) while you're waiting. This is the most important step.
8.  Let cool and serve with bread if you like bread.  Belissimo!
 

A Blueberry Muffin Obsession

This is not the first (or the second, even) time I have posted about blueberry muffins.  I don't know what it is about a delicious, warm blueberry muffin that makes any morning so much better!  So I have posted recipes for muffins before (search breakfast), but I do not usually have time to make muffins from scratch.  Surprise!  Most of the time I have not given much thought to the muffin mixes at the store until now.  Duncan Hines has a Blueberry Streusel muffin mix that is amazing.  Not only do they use real ingredients with nothing artificial, but they also include a can of REAL, wild blueberries.  Fast, simple, but you will need to make sure you have a box of egg replacer handy.  If you try this mix, please let me know what you think, my kids gave it two thumbs up!

Back to VFV!

So it's been a couple months since I last blogged...this is a busy, busy time of year for the special education teacher, I have to say!  I have had several new additions to my caseload in the last month, and we barely escaped an audit from the Dpt. of Education...whew!  At least my files finally look amazing!  So now that it is spring I am back full force...those buds on the trees and flowers on the hills have me thinking about plants, the environment, and chocolate peanut butter eggs :)  Yes, I put in my order to Pangea Vegan Store in Rockville, MD for the Easter Bunny's annual visit...that old bunny comes around every year and leaves all sorts of goodies that he ordered from Pangea.  This year he's leaving those big chocolate bunnies, peanut butter eggs, and creme-filled eggs.  Probably some Nerds, too, because I am a Nerd-aholic.  I love this tradition of having the Easter basket on Easter morning...we really stress the idea of Easter being a celebration of spring, new life, and new beginnings :)  We will probably take a trip out to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary, too.
Some things coming up for Vegan Family Values...The Valley Earth Fest, where I will be tabling solo for the first time, lots of new recipes to try, the Poplar Springs 5K run, Earth Day, gardens and the Mother's Day Plant Sale, Apple Blossom Festival, and more!  Loving spring!

Go Local for the Holidays

Kimberly's Winchester, VA

One of the things I dread about the holidays is shopping.  I love the atmosphere of the holiday season, don't get me wrong.  I love the decorations and the good cheer, and the food (of course).  Vegans love food, haha!  But one way I have found to easy my shopping anxiety is to shop local businesses.  And by this I do not mean running down to the local Target (although I like the things at Target, really).  For unique gifts that really say something, try one of those shops that you don't see other places.  The local boutiques, thrift stores, and other homespun businesses often have that special thing that you just don't see anywhere else.  The items you find in these stores may or may not be vegan (although they are probably a bit more organic than anything you will find at a department store), but one thing you will be supporting is the sustainability of your local economy and preserving the vitality of small business owners.  Those small businesses really say something about who you are as a community!  Many of these places have handmade items that are the best quality.  Think about that verses the items that were mass produced in a factory.  And we all know how warm and fuzzy a factory is...they might even pay their workers minimum wage.  I always feel like the people in those little shops really go out of their way to cater to my needs because they really appreciate my business.  One of my favorite stores in the northern Shenandoah Valley is called The Purple Fern, and you most likely have a shop like this near you.  It is small and looks like a little log cabin.  Inside you can find locally made jewelry, children's toys, decorative items like wall hangings, pottery, stationary, vintage items, and more.  So take it slow (ahhh!) look around your community for all those little stores that need shoppers.
You will be surprised at what you find.
The Purple Fern   Kimberly's    http://www.shoplocal.com/

Children's gifts, locally made, at The Purple Fern in Winchester, VA