the last (vegan) hurrah.

As promised I tried my hand at a vegan dessert. I've seen recipes all over for black bean brownies and decided that these sounded the most interesting. I got this particular recipe from No Meat Athlete.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cup cocoa
• 4 tsp instant coffee powder (I used regular coffee - grounded down into a powder)
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and filled with new water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup of water (eyeball it by filling up half the empty can)

Mix all the dry ingredients together:

Rinse black beans and put them back in the can and fill it up with water. Either puree beans and water in a food processor or mash them with a fork. Since I don't have a food processor (*hint*christmas*hint*), I used the fork method:

Add the remaining ingredients, mix:

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan:

Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes:

I really wish I could say they were good and prove most of you wrong, but they were just too rich for me. After one bite, I was done with chocolate for the rest of my life. I had 3 (male) testers who all really liked them. As you can see from the above photograph, they are extremely dense and fudgey. All comments went as followed:

"They could really use an egg."
"I want milk."
"These would be sooo good with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream."

All of which are the exact opposite of why the brownies exist. Go fig.


in other news...

I've successfully completed my vegan challenge! Three weeks without meat, eggs, milk, cheese or honey. It really wasn't difficult. My outlook on food has completely changed. My mind and stomach are now programed into a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. With lunch approaching quickly, I am terrified. I have no idea what to eat. I can now eat anything I wish, but I don't want to. I'm scared of falling back into the routine of being selfish and eating whatever, not caring about my body or the animals or the earth.

I guess the biggest thing I've learned through all of this is being conscious about what goes in my body. We put the correct oil and gasoline into our cars, why don't we treat our bodies with the same care? Just something to think about.

Hope everyone has a good week!

whole foods.

Last night I attended a Healthy Eats Cooking Class at Whole Foods. I thought they would teach us a couple recipes then send us off to play in the wonderful world of WF's, but it turned out to be so much more than I expected. I left feeling re energized and excited about everything I've learned over the past month.

The class was lead by Mark, the in-store Healthy Eating Specialist, who prepared 3 recipes to promote WF's new program called, Health Starts Here. The program has 4 basic principles that you should follow:

Plant-strong

• Simply put, eat mostly plants
• No matter what type of diet you follow - including those that incorporate dairy, meat and/or seafood - eat more plants, like raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, legumes and beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains
• Eat a colorful variety of plants to ensure you're getting the best nutrients for your body, which leads to feeling satiated

Whole food

• Choose foods that are whole, fresh, natural, organic, local, seasonal and unprocessed
• Eliminate the consumption of refined, highly processed foods and foods void of nutrients, such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats

Healthy fats

• Get your healthy fats from plant sources, such as nuts and avocados
• Minimize extracted oils and processed fats
• If eating a diet that includes animal products, choose leaner meats and seafood as well as low-fat dairy products

Nutrient dense

• Choose foods that are rich in nutrients when compared to their total caloric content; also known as foods with a high nutrient density
• Build your menus around plant-based foods to ensure highly nutrient-dense meals
• Choose foods with a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants
• Look for the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) scoring system to guide you on healthier choices

Without ever saying it, he taught us to eat vegan. As soon as I walked into the classroom, I saw the recipe cards and got really excited. All 3 recipes he showed us were 100% vegan.

Sweet Potato Fries - Good.

Bean Burger - GOOD.

Savory Lentils & Greens - GOOOOOD.

(I would have taken more pictures but I was a little self-conscious, I felt dorky enough taking notes)

I feel like the term "vegan" gets a bad wrap. Mark never mentioned labeling the dishes vegetarian or vegan, he just talked about how delicious the food was and how good you feel when you eat it.

Just when I'm 4 days away from leaving vegan world, I was kind of talked into staying for awhile. I just look at food so differently now and I'm kind of addicted.

Bahh, who am I kidding - it's pumpkin bread/cookie/pie/cake season!

A HUGE thanks to Whole Foods for putting on these free classes. I don't think the other people in the room were nearly as appreciative as I was.

Food nerds unite!

i love

!!!

2 weeks down, 1 to go.

I've been trying some interesting food lately. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Here is a food recap of what I've been eating in the past week or so.

I got the urge to make a vegan dish that is normally not vegan or vegetarian. While at Whole Foods yesterday, I got curious about vegan cheese and decided to make pizza. Vegan cheese can be made out of a lot of weird things - soy, almond, rice. Since I'm trying not to eat tons of soy (bad for lady bits), I chose the soy-free rice cheese. Tastes about as good as it sounds. I also grabbed veggie pepperoni, which I've had before and actually like.

Make the regular pizza way...

...and the verdict is: gross. Not so terrible that I didn't eat it, but just bad enough for it not to be tasty. Make sense? Eh, experiments are fun and now I know.

more eats.

My newest obsession are rice bowls. Soooo yummy.

Brown rice, black beans, corn, and salsa.

Brown rice, black beans, sweet potato. I added salsa to the leftovers of this...oh em gee, so good.

Continuing my rice and bean cravings, I picked up an Amy's organic vegan burrito.

This was awesome. I highly recommend all of Amy's products (most of which are not vegan, just organic).

Finally made it to Johnny Mango's in Ohio City this weekend. Very cool place. Wish the Willoughby location was still around. I had a mushroom, tomato, garlic burrito with lettuce and avocado.

The burrito was very good. I want to describe it as clean. Not greasy or heavy, just fresh. Definitely will make my way back there.

Sorry this post is so sporadic, just wanted to share my latest food adventures.

in other news...

I am 2 weeks vegan today, and I am...bored. This has definitely been a challenge. A lot of people are down on my weird food/body experiments, but I am staying strong and will finish this next week out with my head held high. I still have a vegan dessert to conquer, and I know you will all be so excited to hear about it.

I have decided to live mostly vegetarian. I find my body and mind work so much better now and I like it.

It's amazing to me that I've changed the whole way I live because of this blog. I am extremely thankful for the events that lead me to this place.

I don't know if I've ever said it, but THANK YOU for reading my blog and supporting me : ) it means so much.

xoxo

"enjoy your vegans."

I really enjoy eating at vegan/vegetarian restaurants. The menu is much more creative and exciting. Different ingredients and combinations, it is almost impossible to choose. Nothing you would ever find at your local Applebee's (Couple's Retreat joke. Anyone??). Anyway....

Tuesday's Groupon featured a place called, Tree Hugger's Cafe. With me being on the hunt for vegan restaurants, I was easily persuaded to try them. The menu is huge and offers a bunch of different selections for meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. The atmosphere was that of a typical coffee shop or small bakery:

(quite cozy until I spilled my entire glass of water on my lap - sheesh)

My dinner consisted of a sampling of:

Sweet potato fries coated in a cinnamon sugar salt with a side of honey mustard (I didn't dip, honey is technically not vegan.)

A [coffee] cup of vegetable soup.

Black bean chimichanga with sweet potatoes, brown rice and a side of vegan mango salsa.

Everything was very good, but had a bit too much seasoning for my taste. Cinnamon overpowered the sweet potato fries and chunks in my chimichanga. A little goes a long way with such a strong spice.

With their support for local food, and use of organic/healthy ingredients - I will definitely make my way back.

sushi and conflict.

I have been feeling on top of the world the last few days. This blog has already revealed a few great opportunities and rewards in its short run. I felt like I finally started to find my niche. Then it all came crashing down today.

You see, I don't talk about my food adventures with most face-to-face - especially those I work with. Today it came out, and today I felt more bullied than I ever have in my life.

"You're crazy."
"Why???"
"I could never do that."
"How are you even getting enough nutrition?"
"Do you never go out? You can't eat ANYTHING."
"You are not eating enough, how can you run?"

No wonder people fail. Apparently a person cannot change the way they live to better themselves, without being ridiculed and mocked.

I am angry. I am upset. I am disappointed. But I am NOT discouraged. Jealously will not discourage me. If anything, I will work even harder.

fact.

• I've never felt better.
• Skin is clearer, energy is high.
• I am getting proper nutrients. Multivitamin along with extra calcium.
• Although not the intended purpose - down 5 lbs. in one week.
• There is plenty to eat when you go out. Choose wisely and ask for substitutions.
• I no longer snack or eat out of boredom.
• My temper is gone. My mom says I am much more pleasant, and I don't get aggravated like I used to. (Hmm, jumping to conclusions here - animal hormones make you a jerk)
• Food cravings are non-existent.
• Rarely tired.
• On a meal-to-meal basis I don't need to eat as much as I used to.
• And most importantly, I am more educated about food and nutrition.

Although I'm still agitated by the situation, I know I will move past and be stronger in the end.

fall festivals!

This past weekend CLE hosted a few very fun festivals, all right up my alley. 

The Cleveland Botanical Gardens presented RIPE! Food & Garden Festival. Celebrating local farmers and distributors, this was super fun for a foodie like myself!

Unfortunately, not many of the samples were vegan-friendly. Everything looked and smelled incredible though.

Some of the lovely gardens:

Food was had at the Great Lakes Brewery. It was Oktoberfest weekend!

Amongst the menu of pork schnitzel, potato pierogies, bratwurst, and cabbage was *sigh* a vegan burger...

Oh don't get me wrong, this was DELICIOUS buuuuuut the Hungarian side of me was aching to scarf down all those heart-stopping meats and cheeses. I allowed myself to have fries to make up for it : )

IngenuityFest 2010 is maybe the coolest thing I've ever been to. It was held under the Detroit-Superior bridge, in the old subway level. Yeah, that's right.

Over the bridge:

Under the bridge:

Sooooo cool! Hats off to the city for letting this space house the IngenuityFest this year. I couldn't think of a better venue for an art and technology festival. Brilliant I say, BRILLIANT.

Still think Cleveland's a drag??

black bean chili with butternut squash.

Hey Friday, nice to see you!

It has been a long and busy, yet uneventful week. Wish I had more to report, but I do have some fun things planned for this weekend. Keep an eye out Monday for a recap.

My dad came home from the hospital this week (yay!), and I've offered to help my mom out with the cooking. Since my parents aren't vegan or necessarily vegetarian, I wanted to find good hearty meals and still stay vegan/vegetarian. For my dad's new super-powered heart, I'm trying to incorporated a lot of heart healthy vegetables and fats.

After having a delicious vegan wrap from Tommy's (I had a picture but was deleted in my frantic Blackberry scrolling), I went home to cook Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard for dinner tonight. It looks gorgeous, and tastes surprisingly meaty.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 3 cups (packed) coarsely chopped Swiss chard leaves (from 1 small bunch)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender and golden, about 9 minutes. Add squash; stir 2 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Stir in beans, broth, and tomatoes with juices; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in chard; simmer until chard is tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.


I don't love onions, I probably only used a 1/2 cup chopped and I didn't have any chili powder (whoops), so i did a couple sprinkles of cayenne pepper. Eh, seemed to be okay.

With a chili or stew I seem to think making it the day before you plan on eating is best. It has time to macerate and thicken. Serve with some bread and go to town!

I'm sure my parents will be very happy tonight!

happy weekend!