Vegan Product Review by Way of Label Snobbery

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

I’m a bit of a snob.

I know what you’re thinking: “Kelly, you write a food blog. Duh; obviously you’re a major food snob.” Truthfully, though, I’m only a food snob internally. Outwardly, I don’t judge Joe Coworker when he thinks a wilted piece of iceberg lettuce makes his triple bacon cheeseburger a tour-de-force of healthy lunching. Unless Joe Coworker and I happen to be on friendly terms, I’m not going to make some snarky comment about how he’s on a fast track to Heart Attack City. Recently my boyfriend commended me on what a nonchalant vegan I am, on how I don’t expect anyone to cater to me and how that really makes it difficult for anyone to apply the “picky, hard-to-please, snooty vegan” stereotype to me. And that’s really what I’m going for – my veganism is a part of my life – a big part! – but it’s not the entirety of my life. It’s a choice I made. I believe that it’s the most ethical, healthy lifestyle, but I’m not going to push it on anyone or get in Joe Coworker’s face and tell him I’m better than him because I’m eating tempeh for lunch.

But I am a snob. More specifically, a label snob. But not the type of labels you’re imagining. Heck, my favorite place to buy clothes is the thrift store – my closet is quite free of designer labels. What I’m saying is that I am snobby about literal labels, the kind you find on any pre-packaged product. I just like things to be aesthetically pleasing, well-designed, and free of hideous fonts (Comic Sans, I’m looking at you). Is that so much to ask? I know it’s somewhat irrational, but if I’m perusing the racks and see a product with a label that’s covered in Papyrus (which sucks), I give it a withering look and move on. Newsflash: using Papyrus does not automatically infuse your crappy funeral-parlor-scented candle with some sort of exotic, mystical flair. It’s so overused and unoriginal! And if your label boasts blinding neon colors, beveled text, and drop shadows, I’ll be equally unimpressed. Closing your eyes, opening Photoshop, smashing your fists against the keyboard and blindly clicking does not a beautiful design make. So you don’t have the budget to hire a graphic designer? Fine! Just keep it simple! Use a nice, unobjectionable sans serif font (Helvetica is popular for a reason) and a tasteful color combination. Nobody will object to that! Nobody!

Image links to its source. :)

If you can’t tell, I get a little passionate about this stuff. I’m not shallow when it comes to people, but I’ll admit to being quite judgmental about graphic design. So when I recently needed to replenish my lip balm stock and decided to do it via Etsy, I found myself in quite a quandary. See, I love Etsy. I love supporting people who use their talents to make a living and who share their fun, handmade products with the world. I especially love supporting people who do this using cruelty-free ingredients. But I’m not gonna lie – some Etsy products are just plain ugly. When I searched for vegan lip balms, I saw so many ugly labels and hideous fonts that I felt like giving up the search entirely. I persevered, however, and eventually settled on two tubes from DressGreen, which feature simple, modern, and attractive labels.*

Delightful simplicity.

They arrived a few days later, in all their tastefully-labeled glory. I chose vanilla and grapefruit, and both are perfectly scented – recognizable, but not too strong. I have to use a gentle touch with them, however, because if I apply them too thickly, they occasionally leave a bit of white residue. Other than that minor downside, I’m perfectly happy with my purchase. These are free of animal products and unpleasant chemicals, and I definitely recommend them next time your sweet vegan lips feel a bit chapped.

Score one for being shallow and judging things by their labels. ;)

P.S. Check out the links in this post. They’re funny, I promise.

* I just noticed that a couple of DressGreen’s other products have Papyrus on the labels. Um. I’ll just pretend I didn’t see that, because the rest of their labels are quite pleasing to my eyes!

Summer Lovin’ (Part Two)

/ Kelly / 3 Comments

One more reason that summer is my favorite season of all the seasons that ever seasoned:

I’m not sure there’s anything more relaxingly enjoyable than reading a good book (Vanity Fair) in the great outdoors while sipping a delicious homemade iced coffee.

Summer, don’t ever leave me.

Yeah, yeah, I did it again. Also, kitties.

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

SIGH. I am SO BAD at this blogging thing these days. I have only my usual excuse to offer – I was busy! First my entire [immediate] family visited for three days full of sun, food, and Settlers of Catan, and then one of my close friends from college visited for a weekend of failed farmers’ market trips, classy beverages, and more Arrested Development than you can shake a stick at, and now my cousin is in town for a conference. And, hey, it’s summer! I want to bask in the sun and work on my sexy flip-flop tan, not sit indoors, hunched over my laptop writing blog posts. Basically, I don’t know how all you regular bloggers do it. Mad props, yo.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say that, yes, I’m alive, and yes, I PROMISE I’ll write more soon (because I KNOW y’all are just unable to function without my always-thrilling posts). In the meantime, if you ever see Gerbs Pumpkin Seeds in your local grocery, snatch those babies up and get your pumpkin on. They’re made by a Rhode Island-based company (Ocean State represent!), and they’re a perfect afternoon snack. Mis padres brought me a bag of the Roasted Red Pepper Pumpkin Kernels, and even though I overdosed on them to the point of stomach acheyness yesterday, I still think they’re mightily delicious. Pumpkin seeds have never been so sophisticated!

And that’s all I have for ya. No wait, here’s a photo of some adorable kittehs… I stole this photo (via Facebook) from my sister. Aren’t they just too cute for words?

KITTEHS!

Coffee Cake: Better than Sour Cream

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

In my last post, I talked about the various changes that are happening in my life these days. Some things, however, remain steadfast and constant, comforting in their resolute resistance to change. Things like the Grand Canyon, which is always a giant gaping chasm in the ground, and also dark chocolate, which is always delicious. Additionally, there is my undying habit of buying some food item I really don’t want or need and then not knowing what to do with it. I don’t do this often, but I do it often enough that I really should know better. Sigh. Maybe I’ll learn one day.

The most recent offender was a tub of Tofutti Better than Sour Cream. I’d never had it before, and one day I went grocery shopping after work but before dinner (MISTAKE MISTAKE MISTAKE), and I was planning on making some sort of burrito dealio, and then I saw the BTSC and couldn’t resist.

And then I tried it and instantly regretted my purchase. Blech – it had no flavor, the consistency was just gross, and after a couple of days, a pool of milky water formed atop the sour cream. Ugh. So the neglected tub sat in my fridge for a couple of weeks while I pretended it wasn’t there. But the thought of letting an entire container of food go to waste because I made a stupid, impulsive purchase kept nagging at me, so I finally decided to do something with it. I figured that hiding it in a baked good was the best solution, and hey – I was right!

Sour cream and bananas... a match made in practically-spoiled-food heaven!

This is Sour Cream Banana Coffee Cake. And by “coffee cake,” I obviously mean the East Coast version of coffee cake, which is unashamedly coffee-free. It is, however, the perfect accompaniment for coffee. This cake is definitely one of the best original recipes I’ve created – it’s moist, flavorful, and delicate without being fragile. I was inspired to add a banana when I stumbled across this recipe; I had a very brown banana waiting patiently in my fridge for its chance to shine, and because it had made friends with the similarly-neglected tub of sour cream, I figured I should let their relationship continue in baked-good form. It added just the faintest hint of banana flavor, perfect for a banana-snubber like myself. Intrigued? Well, lucky for you, I wrote down the recipe as I put this together.

Sour Cream Banana Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 very brown banana
1 container Tofutti Better than Sour Cream
1/3 C alt-milk
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 t vanilla
1 T ground flax
1 1/2 C flour of your choice
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
2 t cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350˚F and lightly grease or spray a 9″ x 9″ baking pan.

In a large bowl, mash the banana with the sour cream. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, and flax and mix until well combined. Add all the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter into your pan, pop it into the oven, and wait.

I can’t remember how long this took to bake, but I’d guess it was around 20 minutes. I topped it with a tablespoon of brown sugar and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts, but you could definitely get fancy and whip up a cinnamon-y streusel for the top. Either way, it’ll be delicious!

I should also note that I didn’t use a full container of sour cream, so I upped the milk to 1/2 cup. Your mileage might vary – play around with the liquid content if necessary.

And that, friends, is probably the best use for Better than Sour Cream.

What do you do when you purchase a food item that just doesn’t do it for you?

P.S. I LOVE MY NEW CAMERA. That is all.

Summer Ch-ch-ch-changes!

/ Kelly / 5 Comments

The sun is out, insects are gettin’ jiggy with it left and right, and my mom’s is bragging about sleeping in on her first day of vacation. [Why didn’t I do what everyone suggested I should do with my English major and become a teacher?!] Clearly, it’s summer, my favorite season. I used think I was an autumn girl, but I was just trying to sound mature – screw that! I love summer. Give me 87 degrees, a nice blanket of humidity, and blue skies, and I’ll be blissfully happy.

Admittedly, the transition from spring to summer this year was a bit anticlimactic. We’d already had some very hot, sunny weather, so the clouds that rolled in on June 21st were a little disappointing. Now, however, during this first official summer weekend, the mercury is rising and the sun is a-shinin’.

However, I didn’t get to enjoy the lovely weather yesterday. Things are a-changin’ around here – my roommate’s moving to Boston for grad school (sadface!), so this weekend was a crazy, hectic blur of packing and hauling furniture around. She needed to clear out her bedroom so I could move my stuff in there and my new roommate could move into my old bedroom. Thrilling! My bedroom was a little disorganized on Friday night:

Movin' out!

Ugh! Moving is so annoying. Not that I have a right to complain; I was just doing intra-apartment moving. My roomie is doing half-way-across-the-country moving. Needless to say, we’re all very sad that she’s leaving, but we sent her off in style – last week, another friend and I co-hosted a classy wine & hors d’oeuvres party. Most of the hors d’oeuvres were different varieties of cheese, but I also made hummus and brought along some veggies and crackers. The other friend made a gorgeous (and very non-vegan) chocolate cake, and I contributed this pretty little number:

Fruity!

I used this recipe, and on the whole it was really tasty. In particular, the shortbread crust was deliciously decadent. The pastry cream was a bit odd-colored – almost greyish – because I used oat milk, which is not as pure white as other alt-milks. If I make this again, I’ll probably use almond milk and I’ll definitely top the tart with blueberries for better color contrast.

Sadly, we did not have tart nor cake to tide us over during our moving adventure. Today, however, we rewarded ourselves for our hard work by spending some time walking around the UW arboretum, spotting wildlife (turkeys! bunnies! a three-footed turtle!) and getting some vitamin D. I also enjoyed the effects of yet another ch-ch-change – a haircut! No longer do my curls insulate my neck, trapping heat and making even this summer-lovin’ girl uncomfortable. Instead, I am rockin’ a new short ‘do! Here’s the old me:

Pondering.

…and here’s the new me! (Pardon the crappy Photo Booth picture.)

So much lighter.

Believe it or not (and you should, because it’s true), this haircut was the first time I’ve gotten my hair cut and styled in an actual salon. A family friend cut my hair ’til I went to college, and then I just didn’t cut it, except one time my BFF chopped it all off one night when we were bored. Anyway, I love my new style – it’s definitely a good change!

And I have one more change of note. I recently switched teams at work and had to get certified in another of our software programs, meaning I got a bonus (woo!). I decided to treat myself to this sexy little number. Oh yes. Get ready for some bangin’ food porn. :)

What changes have you experienced recently?

Bad-Mood Food

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

I did not have a fantastic Tuesday. It started out just fine, but by the end of the day, I was in a rather dour mood. Everything annoyed me – my skirt kept clinging to my tights in an irritating fashion; my office was cold and I was shivering; I had a headache… you know, typical #firstworldproblems. My life’s so tough, right?

I left work “early,” meaning “right around 5:00,” which meant I was caught in that post-work rush of people leaving campus, which meant I had to deal with traffic, which meant I became even more annoyed during my drive home. (Of course, my version of “traffic” means “more than five cars lined up waiting to turn,” so take that complaint with a large grain of salt.) Whilst waiting in “traffic,” I decided to take advantage of my otherwise-empty car by yelling colorful language quite loudly, and by the time I got home I felt slightly more chipper. However, the thought of making dinner did not appeal to me. Luckily, I had an easy out stored in my freezer: Gardein buffalo wings.

Generally, I’m fairly ambivalent about fake meat. I never crave it, but neither do I shun it completely. I enjoy it every once in a while as a novelty; I like variety in my diet. So when the buffalo wings were on sale at my co-op last week, I thought, why not? And on that bad-mood Tuesday, all I wanted was some sort of easy, tasty comfort food. Enter the wings.

Wingzorz!

I pan-fried these guys and served them up with the Pineapple Collards from Appetite for Reduction. These organic collards also came from the co-op; I found them in the “not-so-hot produce” bin and snatched them up for mere pennies (okay, a dollar or so). I love the co-op’s idea of not-so-hot produce – I also bought five organic green bell peppers for $1.19, and they had nary a scratch on them. Score! Anyway, I had some frozen pineapple, so I thought I’d try to conquer my aversion to sweetness in otherwise-savory dishes and trust Isa. I’m glad I did, too – these were actually really, really good! They had a bit of a kick to them from the red pepper flakes and the ginger, but the pineapple provided a smooth, sweet counterpoint.

And the wings? Well, they were so-so. I’ve also had Gardein’s crispy tenders, and I really liked those. But these wings were a little boring, a bit too squishy and flavorless for my taste (although the sauce was mighty spicy!). Still, this was exactly what I wanted for my bad-mood dinner. Served with a side of oat-bread toast, I had a comforting, filling, and mostly healthy dinner. And after eating, my bad mood was reduced by 47%, give or take. Maybe I was just hungry all along. :)

What foods do you crave when you’re in a bad mood? Any thoughts on Gardein?

Spring Cleaning: The Super-Hot Cupboard-Organizing Edition

/ Kelly / 6 Comments

Last weekend, Mama Nature walloped the Midwest with a most un-springlike heat wave – 90-degree temperatures, humidity, blazing sun… the whole works. Many people complained and avoided the outdoors, but me? I reveled in it. I’m one of those poor souls who’s always cold – slight breeze? I’m a-shivering! Less than 75 degrees? Where’s my sweater?! Heck, I even keep a fleece blanket at work for those days when my office is just too chilly for my taste. I just switched teams at work, and I’m sure my new co-workers think I’m utterly nuts when they walk past my office and see me sitting in dim lamplight, wrapped up in a blanket… but hey, the fluorescent lights hurt my eyes and I hate air conditioning!

Anyway, last weekend most people retreated indoors to their air conditioning and their cool drinks. Me? I basked in the sunlight and then went on a vitamin D-fueled cleaning spree. Besides giving my kitchen floors a long-overdue washing (Mom, don’t be ashamed of me!), I also organized my kitchen cupboards. This was, perhaps, even more long-overdue than the floor-washing.

Not exactly a "before," but this is a cupboard that has yet to be organized... gag!

You see, I am a slightly compulsive grocery shopper with mild packrat tendencies. I freaking love grocery shopping. I could spend hours meandering through the aisles, reading labels and checking out new-to-me food items and even just people-watching, shaking my head at all the junk most people throw in their carts as they zoom around the store, rushing through their shopping. I don’t spend a ton of money on groceries, but I just love having variety in my cupboards – who doesn’t need four types of rice and three kinds of nut butter and at least five varieties of beans?! I suppose if I had a family, this might be more justified, but I’m just a lady cookin’ for herself. I know many of you like-minded foodie folks can empathize with me, but let’s be real – most people are content with a big ol’ bag of white rice, a jar of Jif, and some refried beans for taco night. Me? Not so much. And my love of variety led to a rather unfortunate spacing situation – my cupboards were haphazardly filled with foodstuffs, making each cooking experience an adventure. Would the soba noodles fall to their death, scattering small soba sticks all over my floor? Would the nutmeg container roll out of the spice cabinet, knocking me on the noggin? Anything was possible!

Grr!

Not so now, however. My packrat tendency of saving jars finally paid off with more than just an overstuffed jar-and-kitchen-towel-and-dishcloth-and-large-utensil drawer. Now, those jars have a new lease on life. Check it:

Ahhh.

Beautiful, no? Those are my grains, re-homed, re-labeled, and generally re-organized. I didn’t even realize that poor bulgur wheat was languishing behind the beans! Who knew that I was in possession of such a quantity of cous cous?! Heck, I wish I’d saved more jars – I still have some bagged varieties awaiting a new home.

I only organized one shelf, but I already feel at least 37% less anxious when I open my cupboard now. I’ve got grand plans for my other cupboards, too – my spice shelf is a mess, and my pastas are out of control. But I’ve been re-inspired to continue my organization by Lindsay‘s oh-so-timely post about kitchen cabinet minimalism, and I’ve become obsessed with looking at canisters on eBay. So – what are your awesome kitchen organization tips? I know you’ve got ’em, so do share!

Serendipitous Sunday (Pancakes for Memorial Day Weekend)

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

Hi, friends. One day I’ll get back to blogging on a regular basis, but for now I’m just livin’ my life and not thinkin’ about blogging… which is not to say that I haven’t had blog-worthy food. I have, but I just haven’t told you about it. Lemme change that.

Last weekend, serendipity struck. Soyatoo had been on sale at the co-op, meaning I just had to purchase a bottle (my first!). I’d chopped up and frozen two mangos a couple weeks ago, so I had ready-to-go mango chunks in my freezer. Mangos and Soyatoo… a match made in some sort of foodie heaven. Just look:

Sunday brekkers.

Oh yes. Pancakes (recipe from VWAV/Vegan Brunch) topped with mango sauce and Soyatoo, with a cup o’ coffee and a side of my new favorite fruit – apriums. They have a goofy name, but they’re both delicious and adorable.

Pancakes are the ultimate weekend breakfast, aren’t they? And I love topping them with homemade fruit sauces; when I was a kid, I thought it was the neatest thing when my dad made strawberry sauce and spooned it over pancakes for us. Had I made pancakes in the shape of letters (K for Kelly!), I could’ve had a double dose of nostalgia for the good ol’ days. Maybe next time. :)

Eating and Socializing in the Ocean State

/ Kelly / 8 Comments

Oh dear. My blog stats are at an all-time low. That bums me out a bit, but really, what should I expect when I neglect my wee blog so shamefully? Ah well. Now I’m just going to continue the trend of my most recent posts: out-of-town eats!

Last weekend I headed back to my natal state, dear darling Rhode Island, to watch my little brother graduate from Worcester Polytech. As a big sister, I am both indescribably proud of my brilliant, charismatic, and all-around wonderful brother and slightly shocked that said brother is now a college graduate. Jaysus! At least my little sister is still in college. Lawd knows how I’ll feel when she graduates. I don’t even know how my parents can handle it!

Anyway, on to the good stuff – food. After Mum picked me up from the airport, we high-tailed it to RI’s premiere veg eatery, the Garden Grille. Okay, that’s a lie – we tried to high-tail it, but were held up by various circumstances. By the time we arrived, we were both quite famished. I ordered the Red Bean Rice Burger, and Mama chose one of the daily specials, some sort of salad with tiny potato bits. (Yes, Mom, I should’ve written down the name of your dish!)

Burger noms!

I love veggie burgers with visible bits of veggies and rice and other real food, and this one totally fit the bill. It was perfectly satisfying, and I enjoyed the slaw on the side. It’s embarrassing to admit, but up until fairly recently I thought all coleslaws were disgusting, mayonnaise-laden goopy affairs, and it’s been quite enjoyable to try the non-goopy varieties I encounter. This one was simple and tasty.

Salad situation.

I only tried a bite or two of Mom’s salad, and I don’t remember the details about it, but I do remember that it was also quite delicious. :)

After lunch, we headed next door so I could experience RI’s one and only VEGAN BAKERY OMG. Wildflour is a bakery and juice bar, but I was so full from lunch that I didn’t try any juices and just picked up some snacks for later. Mum and I got a black forest cupcake and a few raw treats – some sort of ganache-y brownie, a coconut macaroon, and a “Rawreo.” They were all incredibly rich and delicious, particularly the brownie… oh man, I’m salivating just thinking about it. I only snapped a shot of the cupcake, though.

A thing of beauty.

Oh, JK – you can see some macaroon and a corner of the brownie. Mmm.

The vegan eats continued on my second day in RI, too. My brother belongs to a fraternity, and he and his fellow senior brothers organized a post-graduation event at their house for their families. They have a cook who makes food for the brothers on a daily basis, and Ian put in a special request for vegan food for my mom and me. I’ll admit that I didn’t have great expectations, but I guess I was doing the cook a disservice, because he and his wife whipped up four vegan options at the party! There was a portobello mushroom wrap, a pasta dish, a cold potato salad, and a vegan chili. Totally perfect for a grad party! And to top it all off, his wife came around while everyone else was eating dessert and handed us a big plate of vegan cookies – I think they’d gotten them from a local bakery, and they were perfectly soft and delicious. Hooray! It’s really nice to have your expectations exceeded by a long shot, isn’t it?

Culinarily, my trip to RI was a smashing success. But really, I didn’t go home for the food. I went to spend time with some of the people who are nearest and dearest to me, like these five goofs…

Love my family.

…and these dearies…

My RI gals are the greatest.

…and, of course, my crazy dogs:

Tamale & Mistletoe

…what a fun-filled, jam-packed three days. :)