Portland, Oregon: A Vegan's Paradise

Many thanks to all who asked... I will finally write about my Portland trip. My husband Dan and I were there in late September following a few days in Reno, which I wrote about here. On a personal note, it was an especially important trip because, as I mentioned before, it marked our 10th wedding anniversary, and, it was a much-needed week of complete relaxation, total avoidance of computers, and no child (who, by the way, had a ball at home with his grandparents).

Portland was incredible. The weather was perfect, the people were welcoming, and the vibe was outstanding. We took a lot of pictures but the memory card got corrupted, so unfortunately a lot of the photos are gone. But we do have some from another card. I was going to blog all about the trip but I never got around to it after coming home!

Portland is the most bike-friendly city in the US. We arrived in the late afternoon, took a train to the hotel, chilled out, and then the next morning we walked to City Bikes Co-Op and rented bikes and a bike map (very useful -- showed the best bike routes around town. Thanks guys!). We basically biked everywhere the whole week we were there! We stayed east of the river so we biked across the bridges most days; the bike paths are everywhere! One day we biked along the river going south, and it just kept going for miles and miles along a train and beautiful woods.

We tried 6 or 7 veg restaurants; all of them were great. It was a vegan's paradise.

My favorite day was when we biked into town on a Wednesday, when they have an amazing Farmer's market right in the middle of town.

We got some fruit and walked around, then biked to the university area. We got on the train, hung our bikes on the hooks (can you believe they have hooks for your bike?), and went 1 stop up the mountain to Washington Park.







We took the bikes up the elevator and out, and coasted down the hill for some time, then stopped where there were hiking trails.







We locked up our bikes, hiked and ran on the trails (PERFECT packed dirt trails, and I got to break in my new trail running shoes).






Eventually we ran into the Japanese Gardens, so we decided to take a tour. They were beautiful.







Then we hiked back up, got on the bikes, and rode back into the city. We headed straight for Voodoo Donuts and had a glazed and some other concoction with about 83 toppings.






Then we rode back to the hotel, showered and changed, and went to dinner at Portobello, our fanciest meal there. We indulged in Pate al Tartufo (pate with bread, figs, mustard), polenta, and gnocchi. And dessert. If only I could remember what. I just remember it was good. Everything was scrumptious.

Here are some of the other vegan and veg-friendly restaurants we visited:

Vita Cafe: This was a favorite of mine. We biked there for breakfast several times. They have a ton of comfort food and the feel of the neighborhood is great. We even got to know some of the staff pretty well. (Hi, Dave.) If you go, the morning potatoes are a must-try. And if you're gearing up for a day of hiking, do try the porridge; it kept me going for hours. Dan loved the chicken-fried steak. We both loved the corn cakes and scrambles. Across the street they have a place with vegan pizza. In fact at least 3 pizza joints have vegan pizza. I can't recall the names; do the goog before you go, to see what's in the neighborhood you'll be in.

Paradox Palace Cafe: Ok I can't stop thinking about their BBQ Rib & Peanut-Sesame Salad. I cannot remember anything else about the place. Order that.

Bye-and-bye Bar: Vegan bar food? You bet! We had a grilled cheese for goodness sake! And I had the Bye and Bye drink... served in a quart-sized mason jar, I kid not. And they don't skimp on the alcohol. That night we traveled by hotel shuttle, rather than bikes, in case you're wondering.

Blossoming Lotus: Raw food! Loved it. The Nachos were seriously one of the most delectable things I've ever eaten. We also tried the live sampler platter (highly recommend); my favorite on the plate was the cashew hummus. It's only been a month but I cannot remember what else we tried!

Sweatpea Baking Company: More than a bakery! One morning we got bagels and GLOBS of "cream cheese" -- it was a taste of Long Island out west. Their cinnamon rolls are terrific. Everything looked good but we only have 2 stomachs between us so we couldn't try everything we wanted to. Of course, this bakery is part of the Vegan Mini Mall, so we also spent a lot of time (and cash) at Food Fight and Herbivore. In fact last night I made beef stroganoff from the mix I got at Food Fight.


Planning to visit? Make sure to check out Veg Portland before you go!

Christina Cooks Vegan

Do you ever have a realization that something has been there right in front of you, and it totally relates to you and what you love, but you never knew about it? It's surreal, right? Here I am, a vegan, foodie, and dietitian, and I am ashamed to admit I never knew about Christina Pirello. Do you know who she is?

The other day I came home from a jog and plopped on the sofa with my mom, who was visiting for the day. She had the tube on in the background, and there on PBS was a cooking show called "Christina Cooks." The word "tofu" caught my attention so I started to watch. This lovely woman Christina was making 3 recipes containing silken tofu, and ALL were vegan! I thought, how lucky, I stumbled upon "tofu day" on this show, but not only that! I stumbled upon a cooking show that is ALL VEGAN! I couldn't believe it. My mother was very amused by my reaction, I am sure. The show ended with singer/songwriter Jon Michaels playing his guitar and singing right there in the kitchen, which was a nice touch.

I went to Christina's web site, checked out the recipes, and read her story. Christina is the author of the newish book "This Crazy Vegan Life," which I actually have heard of (and flipped through at the bookstore), along with other books. I never knew she had a cooking show too. A Philly native, Christina is a TV personality, talented chef, cancer survivor, and health guru. She's had her show going for SEVEN years! Plus she gives cooking demos and classes, mostly in Philly, but in other cities as well. After spending several minutes on her web site, reading her story and watching her video, I felt as though I've known her for years. Check it out!

I am so thrilled that her cooking show has gone mainstream. Her angle is health, and the "V" word is used sparingly (actually, I don't think she used it at all in this particular episode), so omnivores are her main audience. As such, what a service she is doing not only for her viewers, but for the animals and the environment. Her recipes look delicious and simple; I learned a thing or two about making perfect pan-fried tofu (something that I always manage to mess up, usually due to it sticking to the pan) and other quick and easy delights. She obviously inspires her fans to eat better and get excited about cooking, which is so important for people to include more plant-based meals in their diet.

New study on fruit and vegetable consumption in the US

Today the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a new study called the State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009. This document summarizes data for fruit and vegetable consumption from multiple sources and, for the first time, breaks the results down by state. It also discusses policies and environmental supports that can make it easier for everyone to eat more fruits and vegetables.

The report lists the top states for fruit and vegetable consumption, and the bottom ones. It's interesting to note that most of the former group are blue states, while the latter group are the red states. Does this mean that Democrats care more about what they put in their bodies? Or is there some other explanation?

While all states are well below recommendations, those states doing a better job of eating their 2 or more fruit servings and 3 or more vegetable servings are, for adults:

District of Columbia - 20.1 percent
Vermont - 17.9 percent
Maine - 17.7 percent
Hawaii - 17.5 percent
New York - 16.5 percent
Massachusetts - 16.4 percent
Connecticut and New Hampshire - 16.2 percent (tie)
Arizona and California - 16.1 (tie)


Among the states most in need of improving fruit and vegetable consumption are (among adults):

Mississippi - 8.8 percent
Oklahoma and South Carolina - 9.3 percent (tie)
Alabama - 9.8 percent
South Dakota - 10.0 percent
West Virginia - 10.3 percent
Kansas - 10.6 percent
Kentucky and North Carolina - 10.8 percent (tie)
Arkansas and Missouri - 11.2 percent (tie)

(Taken from a press release from the Produce for Better Health Foundation.)

Healthy Savings from Mambo Sprouts

Coupons are awesome. They're a main reason I subscribe to my local Sunday paper--they have pages and pages of grocery store coupons. But most weeks I'm disappointed, as more coupons get left behind than clipped. This is because the vast majority of them are for products that I wouldn't buy: heavily processed foods, cleaners that harm the environment, sugary cereals, mixes and similar things filled with preservatives, refined sweets and beverages, and junky bars, cookies, and salty snacks.

This is why I am a frequent user of Mambo Sprouts coupons. Companies that offer coupons through Mambo Sprouts are carefully selected to be organic and/or natural, healthful, and good for the environment. The Mambo Sprouts folks have been around a long time -- I remember using the coupons years ago, back when "green" was just a color and when "organic" was a term most people thought were reserved for certain chemists. I'm sure I've saved over $350 on Mambo Sprouts coupons alone! Now, of course, they have a cool web site with recipes, articles, shopping, events, and printable coupons, in addition to their traditional coupon book and mailer.

Right now Mambo Sprouts is celebrating back-to-school with product savings that appeal especially to families like mine. For example, there's a coupon for $.50 off two Clif ZBars for kids, a convenient mid-day snack option on the go or packed in your child's backpack (they're organic and made with whole grains). They also have one for $1 off Robert's American Gourmet -- the folks who make Tings. Ben loves finding Tings in his lunchbox, and I feel good about it because they look and taste like "cheese puffs" but they're 100% vegan, baked (thus low in fat), and gluten-free (they contain only corn, expeller-pressed oil, nutritional yeast, and salt). Just a few of the kid-friendly savings include $.75 off a Healthy Valley product (have you tried their bars?), $1 off Ian's organic cookies (the chocolate chip buttons are vegan), and buy-2-get-1-free Stretch Island Fruit Strips. They also have $1 off my favorite coffee -- Equal Exchange (organic and fair-trade) AND my favorite tea -- Good Earth. They also have one for $1 off any Seventh Generation cleaner, which I always need!

You can get Mambo Sprouts coupons at Whole Foods (they have a special collection called "The Whole Deal") and at most health food stores (just ask the store manager or use the online store locator), and you can receive them by mail (they come with a newsletter with informative articles and recipes too) by signing up at their web site, mambosprouts.com. You can also print some (but not all of the ones from the booklet) from the web site. I recommend both getting them mailed to you AND signing up for their enewsletter, so you can get updates on new product savings, including online-only coupons.

The best thing about Mambo Sprouts (besides the money I've saved) is that I don't have to spend a lot of time combing through a newspaper or coupon web site to get the ones I really want--they've done the work for me!

Vegan at LAX

Note: This post nwas written on September 13, 2009

So here I am at the LA Airport and I have some time to kill so I whipped out Dan’s computer for a bit of a rant (for once, I left mine at home on vacation).

Dan and I are on our long-awaited trip out West, celebrating our landmark 10th anniversary. We’re waiting to board a plane to Portland, OR, America’s vegan-and-bike-friendly city, and we can’t wait. But first we must endure airports.

Before I rant, allow me apologize to Reno. Reno, I am sorry. I misjudged you. And I’ll miss you. I fully expected to have major problems finding decent food in Reno, but boy was I wrong! First of all they have the most amazing Whole Foods I’ve ever been to, with more vegan choices (local to the CA Bay Area) than I’ve ever seen. They actually have a Trail Mix "Bar" (not a bar like a wrapped snack, but like a salad bar)! Perfect with our morning oatmeal! And fortunately, we stayed at a hotel that is walking distance from the Whole Foods. Furthermore, we enjoyed s dinner out at a Thai restaurant that made everything vegan for us (thanks, Thai Lotus). And we enjoyed yummy dinner one night at Pneumatic, an all-vegetarian restaurant downtown. Thanks guys. I took some great pics there but my memory card got corrupted and is unreadable.

Anyway, to add to the vacation serendipity, yesterday we drove to Lake Tahoe for a day of biking and sailing, and happened upon a natural foods store (and I mean happened upon – we were looking for the bike trail that goes along the Truckee River and we went totally the wrong way and saw it, our own oasis!) called New Moon. We asked the folks there for directions and they got us back on the path, and after our 12-mile ride we lunched there, enjoying a 100% raw meal that was absolutely outstanding. We got the sprouted lentil salad with Indian spices and a cilantro dressing as well as the Raw-Co, a “taco” whose shell was red cabbage and innards were all sorts of delicious fresh veggies, seeds, soaked nuts, sprouted beans, and herbs/spices, served with a raw lemon tahini sauce.. Nothing could possibly beat this healthful, energizing, delicious lunch on this gorgeous day after a long ride. Plus the folks there were super-friendly.

So this morning we said good-bye to Reno, and now we have this horrific layover at LAX. With no time (or appetite) for breakfast this morning, getting off that plane, I was HUNGRY. No more trail mix, soy Jerkey, or Lara Bars (our usual travel fare); I wanted a real meal. Unfortunately the only places (without leaving security) to eat here are Burger King, Starbucks, a fish restaurant, and a California Pizza Kitchen kiosk (with ready-to-go food).

First, to Starbucks. We got a fresh fruit salad. A little pricey at $5 and change, but that’s no surprise at a Starbucks. Some of their drinks cost the same. (They also have nuts, trail mix, and oatmeal, all of which are good choices, but we were growing tired of these foods and craved a salad.)

Next, to CPK. They had 3 salad choices! Yeay! Oh, wait, ALL THREE have CHICKEN. Shame on you, CPK.

Next to the fish restaurant, called Gladstone’s Fish. They have salads on the menu! And it’s a sit-down place so surely they can make salads to order, right? WRONG. They flatly refused to make us a salad without some sort of meat in it. Shame on YOU, Gladstone’s Fish.

Next, to Burger King. They have a side garden salad, bird flesh optional! Yeay! So I got it. Imagine my surprise when I was told how much it costs – $5.79. Not that this is a terrible price for a salad, but this is Burger King for goodness sake. The guy in front of me got a ginormous burger with fries and drink... for around the same price. No wonder cash-strapped folks skip the salad and go right for the burger and fries! Understandably, they would rather pay less than a penny per calorie of food (typical “value meal”) than several cents per calorie (vegetables). What this comes down to, I have figured out, is that Burger King penalized people who try to eat well. How dare they charge so much for a salad, which by the way, as evidenced by the photo above, contained lettuce, five pathetic little baby carrots, four tiny cherry tomatoes, and of course the obligatory croutons and cheese (straight from the “garden”). I understand that they operate on volume, and thus must charge more for a salad (which also has a far shorter shelf life than, say, frozen french fries). But if they charge so much, no one buys it and the price has to stay high. So that said, why not reward people who want vegetables instead of fatty, salty food for lunch, charge them a fair price for the salad, and raise all other menu items by 1 cent? Call it BK’s own health tax. And imagine if their competitors did the same! Judging on this country’s current fast food consumption rate, I bet if they did this, they would make a huge difference in the morbidity rate in this country. But they’re not in the business of health, they’re in the business of profit.

The salad was surprisingly good. The vegetables were very fresh (I like to think this isn’t due to the addition of some chemical to retard spoiling, but I’d rather not go there right now). They also had lite Italian dressing (vegan), by Ken’s. The cheese was in a separate section so easy to omit, and the croutons came in an individually wrapped bag (there were about 49 ingredients in there, some not vegan, so I skipped them). An addition of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit (from Starbucks) would have made it better; in hindsight that is what I should have done. But it’s hard to be creative when you’re hungry. So... next time.

Off we go to Portland, where fresh, delectable plant-based meals abound.

PeTA's Save The Whales Campaign

If you haven't seen PeTA's recent billboard, feast your eyes.

Offensive? Sure. Effective? Maybe. Attention-getting? You bet. And that has been PeTA's strategy from day 1. The billboard has created quite a buzz, which, of course, is PeTA's goal. I found it kind of funny in a satirical way, with a healthy dose of discomfort over their choice to call large people whales. Yes, it stings, for those of us who are heavy or really anyone who's ever struggled with weight or loves someone who does. But it's important to look at the big picture: Will some people identify with it and maybe pass up their burger tonight? Maybe, maybe not. Will they think twice next time they hear something about the cruelty on factory farms? Perhaps. Will they listen up next time they hear about yet another study suggesting that vegetarian diets protect against obesity and chronic disease? Maybe. Advertising experts tell us that we need multiple exposure to an idea before it becomes part of our consciousness. Is PeTA going on that theory? I'm not an advertising expert or psychologist, so I do not know; I'm just putting ideas out there.

What I do know is that the American Dietetic Association's (ADA's) response to it was almost as inappropriate as the ad itself. Watch this video:




I found Zied’s “Vegetarian diets CAN be healthy IF PROPERLY PLANNED” remark (I lost count after 4 times) far more offensive than the whale ad.

Meat-containing diets CAN be healthy IF PROPERLY PLANNED too, but she, as most do, confirms the ideology that eating animals is the norm and that eliminating their consumption is something to be approached “with caution.” The ADA is doing nothing to challenge this ideology, which is literally killing millions of people in the form of preventable chronic diseases.

Furthermore, Zied attempted to contradict the assertion that vegetarians weigh less than their omnivorous counterparts by claiming that the ADA Evidence Analysis Library tells us that there are other effective ways to lose weight besides going vegetarian. That was not the issue, and no one is disputing otherwise. Did she selectively ignore ADA's very own position paper on vegetarian diets, part of the Library, which clearly states that vegetarians have lower BMIs than meat eaters? Who’s selling the distorted messages here?

Quick (REALLY!) Eggplant and Quinoa Salad Recipes

My evening of cooking started out rough. I boiled a cup of quinoa while prepping some organic broccoli I bought from my local organic farmer at the farmers' market last weekend, and while doing so I noticed a LOT of aphids on the broccoli. I did a quick soak in warm water and rinsed them once more, but still found hundreds of these little buggers clinging to and hiding in the otherwise gorgeous broccoli florets. So one centimeter at a time, I went through the broccoli with TWEEZERS and removed these creatures. After clearing six florets, I gave up and threw the rest away. Which I absolutely hate to do. The whole ordeal took a little over an hour! Ben (who just turned 4 last week) said "MMM broccoli!" so I gave him the bug-free greens and he gobbled them up with some pasta and tomato sauce. I was planning on eating together, the 3 of us as a family, but the broccoli took so long and Ben was hungry, so I had little choice but to feed him first and make something for Dan and me.

Ben's dinner done, I opened the fridge in frustration, poking through the veggie drawer, wondering what to make for the two of us.

I spied a bug-free (!) eggplant I'd purchased from the same organic farmer, so I scrubbed it while trying to figure out what to do with it. Eggplant is usually a production for me -- in casseroles like vegan eggplant parmesan, or in ratatouille, or sauteed for a long time. None of those ideas appealed to me. Another challenge with eggplant is that it soaks up cooking oil like a sponge, so it's easy to prepare a dish with too much fat. Under pressure, I created the following recipe, which was ridiculously easy and honestly, absolutely delicious. Redemption.

QUICK and Tasty Eggplant

• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 medium to large eggplant, cubed into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil (depending on the size of the eggplant)
• 1-2 tbsp Balsamic Glaze (such as Blaze)

Place the broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally to cook evenly, for about 8 minutes or until tender. Drain out the excess broth in a colander by shaking the eggplant around.

Return the eggplant to the pot, add the oil and balsamic, stir until well blended, and serve.

Unbelievable!

As you can see by the photo (click it to enlarge), I also made Quinoa Salad. This dish, though never prepared exactly the same, is becoming a staple in my house. Here's all you do:

Quick Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups water
juice of 1 large lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
handful of fresh flat parsley, chopped
1-2 scallions, white and green, thinly sliced into rounds OR 1/2 small red onion, chopped finely
1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes, halved, OR 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (packed in oil and drained)
1 can (1.5 cups) beans (I like chick peas best), drained and rinsed
Freshly ground sea salt to taste

any raw veggies, finely chopped, such as:
* bell pepper
* celery
* carrots
* cabbage
* spinach

optional:
* chopped olives
* nuts (sliced almonds, pecans, or pine nuts work great)

Simmer the quinoa in water for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients. When quinoa is done, transfer to a bowl and fluff. Let cool or not (warm is nice too) and add remaining ingredients. Toss well.

This is really nice on a bed of fresh salad greens.