I try not to buy sweets. I like that Michael Pollan rule about how if you’re going to indulge, save it for things you make yourself. I think he underestimated my readiness to bake, but I like the idea—don’t buy chemically enhanced crap out of the vending machine that you’ll scarf down walking back to your desk. Make yourself something nice that you can savor. I am a creature of habit, and my habit is to have something tasty on … Read more
Native Foods has arrived in San Diego! Maybe you have one where you come from, but an entirely vegan-friendly restaurant is a hard to find around here. It’s such a luxury to walk into a restaurant and be able to order absolutely anything without meticulously scouring the menu and playing twenty questions with your server. I couldn’t be happier that kinda freedom has finally made it’s way to our suburban neck of the woods. In the interest of saving a … Read more
Popcorn, easiest snack in the world just got easier, thanks to a tip on Pinterest. Apparently the microwave popcorn industry is a sham, like so many other “easy” foods. You can take a simple paper bag, like the kind we use to take our lunches in before every three year old had their own stainless steel bento box, am I right?! Super cute and all, but I digress. Take your very simple and absurdly inexpensive brown paper lunch bag, add … Read more
This week the newest member of our family turned one. That thing that every person you know (and don’t know in line at Target) says about it going by way too fast is true. Completely true. We had a great day celebrating and we couldn’t have made it happen without the help of Isa Chandra and Terry Hope Romero’s Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It’s a must own for all your celebrations. This birthday, we went with the basic … Read more
I’m over spending a small fortune on kale chips. Excellent snack, but the mark-up on those salty bits is out of control. I can and will make my own! And so will you. Add in some homemade potato chips for good measure and we just about have a party on our hands. Naturally (and ironically) on the evening before embarking on my spontaneous snack making adventure, I had been dissing the mandoline in a serious way. I think I may … Read more
This was an exceptional week by relaxational (I made that word up) and meteorological standards. For a few days no one in our house had a cold. The weather was amazing — 80 degrees on Saturday. We all cut out a little early on Friday afternoon for a walk in the sun and a strawberry sorbet at one of our favorite little spots. We made it to the beach for a perfect burrito sunset picnic. Yoga for the first time … Read more
To omnivores, a vegan diet can seem restrictive. But all things are relative, even when it comes to victuals. My brother Max Koteen started doing the RAVE diet a few years ago, and I have to say it sounded like a tough—but extremely healthy—row to hoe. RAVE is an acronym that stands for the type of foods to be avoided: refined, animal-based, vegetable oils, and “no exceptions.” Sounds a bit masochistic, doesn’t it? On the surface it makes eating vegan … Read more
Who am I kidding—I’m not a fan of football. I was resigned to a pair of thick glasses before kindergarten, and sports have never been my thing. Regardless, there’s seldom a Sunday in this house that isn’t backgrounded with the shrill whistles of a football ref and murmur of die-hard commentators with a cadence so unmistakably game time. No offense to football lovin’ Americans (I married one), but it isn’t a sport I’ve ever developed an affection for. I do … Read more
It’s been cold here. And by cool I’m talking 30s. San Diego does not get this cold, at least not consistently, so it’s caught us all by surprise. We do not own the proper attire. We are cold and shivering, so we must eat warm and hearty thing to sustain us through this most brutal of Southern California winters. Tragic, I know. But for those of you truly enduring a harsh Northern winter, I give you this to keep you … Read more
After weeks of travel and holiday eating, I’m ready to be home. Granted my family and friends make many wonderful and flavorful accommodations for us while visiting, but it’s nice to be home and eating normal again. No more cookies or hot chocolate mid-afternoon. By this time of year I’m just done, completely saturated from the holidays and ready for some clean livin’. So what are we waiting for?! Let’s get started! Something warm, something delicious and something that will … Read more
Perfect for dipping in a warm cup of hot chocolate or sharing with the folks in the office, the snickerdoodle is a holiday staple. It’s basically a simple sugar cookie, made irresistible by rolling it in cinnamon sugar. And anything that ends in ‘doodle’ is just plain fun to say—with a name so whimsical and fanciful it lends itself to the holiday spirit. If you want the cookies to have the crackled edges, be sure to chill the dough. If … Read more
I know this can be trying time of year to be a vegan. Everyone cramming buttery cookies in your face and Grandma asking you for the umteeth time why you can’t eat her mashed potatoes. This year, regardless of if you’re hosting or just a guest, be prepared and start a tasty holiday tradition of your own. When you’re looking to replace the main event, I like the Gardein Savory Stuffed Turkey or Holiday Roast. You can find it in … Read more
Like many of you, I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween candy. But mostly hate, because it has a hold on me. I can’t stop eating it. I hit the first piece about 10 am, another couple after lunch, followed by maybe three or four in the afternoon and for sure one more after dinner. I know candy isn’t a snack (it’s not even a “real” food”), but I have a problem. That being said, it’s tradition and we must … Read more
I’ll be the first to admit that it took me YEARS to learn how to make rice. Yes, rice. What should be the most insanely easy thing under the stars to cook I was miserable at. Sticky, check. Burnt, check. Hard, check. I made every misstep in the book. I tried stove-top methods, rice cookers, rinsing, not-rinsing, jasmine, short grain, basmati. Ugh. I was exhausted and tired of eating lame rice. Somehow, I had the most success with short grain … Read more
So this blog you’re reading has been sorely neglected. I know it’s just terrible, but I do have a good excuse. Would you like to hear it? Here goes, three months ago this adorable little creature on the right joined us and has been keeping me just a little bit busy. He’s still leaving us all a little tattered around the edges, but getting better every day. So that’s my first major excuse, but wait, I have another! I’ve also … Read more
Here are a few of my favorite things, from this week, at least: Green (Moroheiya) Noodles I love ramen noodles, but stopped eating them years ago since the sodium is through the roof—my father-in-law fondly refers to the original as salt-water soup. I recently found these tasty little green noodles, they’re entirely vegan and totally delicious. Made from Moroheiya (a super vegetable), they provide vitamin A and a decent amount of fiber. Cube up some tofu, add some carrots and … Read more
Cleaning food processors and blenders is always a chore, especially the blender, with all its bits and pieces. Inevitably the blade pierces your dish gloves, rendering them useless, and without fail the little rubber gasket thing always falls down into the garbage disposal. Argh! To avoid all this drama and make cleaning up these appliances a snap, try filling the blender bowl half way (food processor just about an inch) with warm water and a few drops of dish soap. … Read more
Like the bagels from a previous post, this is another case of “buy it or make it.” I became slightly obsessed with making my own Lärabars because my three year old is bonkers for them and they don’t come cheap! Plus they rank high on my radar for natural ingredients and portability. Luckily I came across this great feature on Chow and decided to get to work. Basically, it’s like making rice crispy bars: super simple, but kind of a … Read more
Long before I was a vegan, I was not a fan of the egg. Well, that didn’t come out quite right. I think eggs are great for making baby chickens, but at its core it’s kinda a gross thing to think about eating—it feels like something only a raccoon would do. In the same way that my brother had to bait my hook with that red wiggler when we were kids, my mom had to crack the eggs into my … Read more
Growing up in the Midwest, the weather was far from what I’ve come to expect in California — weeks of snow, sleet, hail and rain. Early on I began to pass the time indoors indulging in one of my first loves; baking. With one of those little blue boxes of Jiffy cake mix, I would have a sugary production line moving through my Easy Bake oven that would’ve had even a Keebler elf envious. Decades later, there’s something completely relaxing … Read more
