The Cute and/or Delicious Giveaway

It’s that time of year again! Not back-to-school time or autumn-is-upon-us time… it’s Vegan MoFo time! After switching to November last year, MoFo is returning to October for its fifth season (!). I’m not slacking off this year; I’m planning a bunch of themed posts and topics. And I want y’all to read them! To shamelessly win your loyalty, I’m hosting another giveaway! Last October I offered up autumnal-themed goods, but this year’s gifts are more varied. However, they all fall into one of two (if not both!) categories: cute and/or delicious. (No affiliation with the similarly titled (and delightful-to-read!) Cute and Delicious blog.) Up for grabs is the following collection o’ swag:

One lucky winner will receive:

• A set of cute, anthropomorphic-veggie-featurin’ recipe cards made by the wonderfully talented Michelle of My Zoetrope, who creates eye-poppingly bright and cheerful artwork. These are so darn cute that it hurts me to give them away.
• All four delicious flavors of J.J.’s Cocomels. Words cannot describe how ecstatic I was when I discovered that my beloved co-op carries Cocomels. They’re strategically placed right by the register, ensuring that I nearly always fall into the spontaneous-purchase trap and impulsively buy one (or more…) of these sweet, sticky, melt-in-your-mouth-amazing morsels of chewy deliciousness when I do my weekly shopping. My favorite flavor is Fleur de Sel, but you’ll also get to taste Original, Vanilla, and Java.
• A delicious and cutely packaged organic, fair-trade dark chocolate bar. I can’t speak to this specific flavor, but rarely does the combination of dark chocolate and orange disappoint.
• Three undeniably delicious Larabars. As a nod to last year’s giveaway, these are vaguely autumn-themed – I’m including Ginger Snap, Apple Pie, and Chocolate Coconut Chew. Okay, maybe the last one is more of a salute to the end of summer than the beginning of autumn.
• One cute little vegan-themed pin from Herbivore. This one features a sweet little elephant using her trunk to hold up an umbrella.

Sweet selection, right? Well, I’m gonna make you do a little thinking if you want a chance to win. As I said before, I want to keep you reading my little old blog, so I’d like to know what makes you return to the blogs you love best. Is it witty writing? Photographs that make you drool on your keyboard? Recipes that inspire you to run to the kitchen immediately? Tips for vegan living? Product reviews? An indefinable je ne sais quoi?

So, to be considered for the giveaway, leave a comment letting me know what keeps you invested in the blogs you love best. For extra entries, feel free to do one or both of the following (and leave another comment letting me know you did!):

• Tweet about the giveaway
• Mention it on your blog

Anyone can enter; just be sure to leave an e-mail address so I can contact you. I’ll choose a winner on Wednesday, 6th October, around 7:00 PM CST. Good luck, dear readers!

Welcoming Autumn (without photos of leaves, apples, or pumpkins!)

Happy autumn, my Northern Hemisphere friends! Happy spring to any Southern Hemisphere folks. :]

Equinox.

Isn’t this a great photograph? It’s by Juan Carlos Casado, and it’s a really fantastic time-lapse photo from last year’s equinox:

This unusual time-lapse image shows the rotation of the Earth from the vantage point of Ecuador on the day of the Equinox in 2010. As the Sun passed directly overhead then sank into the west it burned a bright path across the middle of the sky in the long-exposure image. Then, as the sky darkened, the stars became visible, the Earth’s spin making them trace their own circular paths about the north and south celestial poles. This picture combines daytime and night-time photography and uses the equatorial location to show both northern and southern hemispheres of the sky together.

Pretty cool, right? Check out more gorgeous astronomy photographs here.

What are you doing to welcome autumn? I plan on baking cinnamon buns this weekend…

Obligatory Brownie-Baking

A little over a year ago, I tried a brownie recipe that yielded deliciously unhealthy brownies that tasted amazing hot out of the pan, fairly disappointing when cooled, but fantastic straight out of the freezer. Apparently September is the month in which I crave brownies, because yesterday the Chocolate Craving Fairy smacked me on the head with her Chocowand and sprinkled Cocoa Fairy Dust on me, and I had no choice but to bake brownies. No choice.

This time around, I selected this highly rated VegWeb recipe to fulfill my chocolate cravings. Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone; I used coconut oil instead of canola oil, whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour, and I added a dash of cinnamon to the batter. I also slightly (maybe?) overcooked them – usually I undercook my baked goods, and in an effort to not remove my brownies from the oven prematurely, I think I instead left them in there a tad too long. Oy.

Brownie nomz.

They look okay, though, right? And for the most part, they are. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that these brownies boast the coveted thin, crunchy top layer that, to me, is the hallmark of a true brownie. No sham of a cake square masquerading as a brownie has that crunchy top! And these are definitely more fudgy than cakey, which is probably my number one requirement in a brownie. They also taste deliciously chocolaty, possibly due to another substitution I nearly forgot – Dutch-processed cocoa for half of the cocoa amount called for in this recipe.

But they’re not perfect. This might be my own fault; the substitutions and the brownies’ extended stay at the Oven Express Inn & Suites might’ve rendered them less than delicious. Their edges are far too crunchy, and the coconut oil lends a very faint coconut flavor that seems slightly out of place and really just detracts from the chocolate. (The Chocolate Craving Fairy just pelted me with cocoa beans for that one.) Judging from the comments on the VegWeb recipe, these should have been freaking amazing. So maybe I should give this recipe another shot. In fact, I think I’ll make the search for a perfect brownie part of my Vegan MoFo 2011 plans. Oh yes, folks, MoFo is back this year, and I’ve got a Google Doc overflowing with ideas. October is going to be bangin’ – stay tuned for recipe comparisons, veganized childhood favorites, and a pre-MoFo giveaway!

Are you participating in MoFo this year? Do you have a theme? And do you have an awesome brownie recipe I should try?

Moria of Mine

There’s a new lady in my life. She’s a little bit smelly and she occasionally poops on the floor and she has a beard. Meet Moria, my sweet new doggie:

Moria & me!

I adopted Moria just over a week ago. She’s a year and a half old, so she’s mostly house trained, but she’s still got a fair amount of that puppy playfulness that’s so fun. She’s predominantly Brussels Griffon, although she’s listed as a mix on her adoption papers. But that adorable beard and those big, expressive eyes are pure Brussels Griffon!

I’ve been intending to adopt a pup for a couple of months now. My frequent visits to the local Humane Society proved fruitless, but when I saw this sweet girl bashfully staring at me when I stopped by an adoption clinic at PetSmart, I was instantly taken with her calm demeanor and charmingly silly appearance. I think she looks like an Ewok; others say she’s more akin to a Wookiee. Whatever Star Warsian species she resembles, she’s just plain cute… especially when she’s panting:

Pantyface.

If you’re wondering why I named her after something from Middle Earth and not the Star Wars universe, well, female Ewok names are awful! And she’s a bit like a Dwarf, what with the beard and all, so I thought Moria was pretty fitting. The jury’s still out on her middle name, however, so feel free to share suggestions!

Post-walk tiredness.

Expect to see more of my girl’s bearded face in upcoming posts, and check back soon for a giveaway!

Windy City Weekend Eats: Part 2

Welcome to Part Two of my Chicago eats recap! Part One featured vegan diner food and fantastic pho, and Part Two only gets better.

After slurping pho for lunch, S and I switched to forks for our dinner experience. The next restaurant on the docket was Karyn’s on Green, where we transitioned from a fast-casual lunch to a fancy-schmancy sit-down dinner. I dined at Karyn’s Cooked last year, so I knew I could expect delicious, delicious eats from a Karynian establishment, and I wasn’t disappointed. I don’t have a photo, so you’ll just have to trust me. S ordered a pizza with arugula, caramelized onions, potatoes, and a cheezy topping, and he graciously let me share, so I can vouch for its deliciousness. I chose the Sweet Pea Risotto, which features white truffle oil, sweet peas, and pea pods. I’m not sure I can adequately describe how fantastic this was. Perfectly creamy, the entire risotto was infused with a delicate sweet pea flavor, turning it a gorgeous shade of light green. The crispy pea pods were a perfect textural counterpoint to the otherwise creamy dish – it was very well-balanced. It was also quite filling; S had to help me finish it. I’d absolutely love to recreate it, but I’m not sure I could do it justice!

Beyond its amazing food, Karyn’s had fantastic customer service. Through some oversight or miscommunication, S and I weren’t given menus for about ten minutes after being seated (we did have bread with an herbed butter to munch on, however), and our server was extremely apologetic and offered us a round of free drinks on the house. We both chose the specials of the night; S’s featured muddled watermelon and other things I can’t remember, and mine was a minty, chocolaty affair that was a rich, creamy delight. We rounded off our meal with a to-go dessert, a chocolate-peanut butter pie that I might have eaten for breakfast the next morning. Maybe. I can’t say for sure. Overall, our experience at Karyn’s was fantastic, and I still dream about my risotto.

Our final eating destination was a new-to-Chicago establishment, Native Foods. The Wicker Park location opened in early August, and it seems like it’s already gained a fan following. We just beat the lunch rush on Sunday and sat outdoors munching on a meatball sub (S) and a chicken-ranch burger (me). This is the type of thing I’d never make on my own, so I loved the opportunity to try it!

I swear it wasn't this neon IRL...

Native Foods does faux-meat really, really well, so it makes total sense that their new location was hoppin’ on a Sunday afternoon! My chicken-ranch burger was the special of the day, so I got a free side. Obviously I chose the sweet potato fries, and they were crispy, sweet, and salty perfection. I also got a lavender lemonade, which hit all the right notes – tart and tangy with the slightest floral flavor.

And that’s all she ate! Despite trying four fantastic vegan-friendly restaurants, our Google doc has many more options yet to be tasted. I resolve to one day try the famous Chicago Diner, Handlebar Bar & Grill, the Loving Hut, the Green Zebra, and one (or two… or three) of the vegan-friendly bakeries in Chitown.

Windy City Weekend Eats: Part 1

Although I didn’t spend last weekend in Portland with all the cool vegan kids, I’ve had my fair share of adventures this summer, including an action-packed weekend trip to Chicago with my manfriend, forthwith to be known as S. We had a great time, and I’m breaking up my recap post into two parts because it’s just too darn long (twss)!

So, Chicago. S and I have both done most of the standard Chicago touristy activities, so instead of taking photos at the Bean or buying overpriced mass-produced souvenirs at Navy Pier, we chose events that appealed to our interests. We took an architecture boat tour of the city (#protip: If you take the 8:00 AM tour, tickets are 50% off), visited the Museum of Science and Industry (agriculture [read: dairy] exhibit, gag!), marveled at the Baha’i Temple, checked out Ikea (my first time!), and ogled cute animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo.*

And, of course, we ate. Weeks prior to our trip, I created a Google doc with a list of possible eateries, so when we felt rumbly in our tumblies, we pulled the document up on my man’s phone and found somewhere nearby to eat. (Incidentally, I have almost been convinced that smart phones aren’t the devil now that I’ve learned how frakkin’ easy it is to navigate public transit with one. You basically say, “Oh, I would like to take the bus to Destination X; tell me how!” and the smart phone is all, “Yes, my liege! beep boop beep Here are step-by-step instructions on how to reach your destination! It will take you this many minutes and this many stops and, also, feel free to watch your progress via this small blue dot moving along this map! Have a great trip!” For those of us prone to travel-induced anxiety, it’s a godsend.)

Anyway, we ate. On Friday night, our first stop post-Madison and pre-Chicago was Ravinia Park, where we watched Fellowship of the Ring on a huge open-air screen while the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played the soundtrack live. Oh yes. It was as awesome as it sounds, despite the fact that we were 4,395 miles from the screen and had to perch atop a picnic bench to be able to distinguish Sauron from Saruman. After the movie ended, we hightailed it to – wait for it – a vegan-friendly 24-hour diner. 24-hour diner, y’all. Pick Me Up Cafe is located in Lakeview and has some amazing vegan options. It took me ages to decide between french toast and tostadas; I couldn’t decide if I wanted brekkie food or dinner food at 1:00 in the morning! S had less trouble deciding and chose a seitan-based sandwich, the details of which I cannot remember because I was waffling back and forth between my two options. Ultimately I went for the french toast, and I did not regret it:

Toast of the French!

Pardon the crappy colors, but it was late/early, the diner was dark, and I wanted to get my toast on! This is French toast like I remember it from my pregan days, thickly sliced and super filling. And our waitress even let me know that the butter on the side was vegan! Rapture! I also shared a creamsicle milkshake with S, and it was sweet and cool and delicious. Diner food at its finest.

Our next meal of note was a first for me. I’d never had pho before, but S is a bit of a pho connoisseur and has sung its praises repeatedly. So we were thrilled to discover that Chicago has at least one vegan pho option, Bon Bon Sandwiches in Wicker Park.

Phantastic!

This was the perfect meal on a rainy Saturday (it cleared up later, never fear!), and I really enjoyed the variety of flavors in each spoonful/chopstickful. S said the broth was not as flavorful as its beef-based kin, but adding various sauces and spices helped. I’d love to try to make this some time!

And that’s all for part one. I’ll finish up soon, I promise. And in the meantime, let me know if you have any tips for making homemade pho!

*Re: zoos. Zoos aren’t very vegan. As an institution, I feel pretty darn uncomfortable with them. Keeping animals in captivity for the sake of keeping them in captivity is ethically wrong. But I do think zoos can do some good when they promote breeding in species that are endangered because of something good ol’ humankind has done to them or their environment. And I also think they could conceivably foster awareness in visitors, particularly children, who might have that “aha!” moment when they realize that the cute animals they’re seeing in zoos are not so different than the cute animals that are butchered and cooked and served up for dinner. For me personally, any interaction I have with animals, at a zoo or elsewhere, reminds me why I’m vegan and reinforces my belief that I’m making the best choice I can. In my ideal, vegan-friendly fantasy world, zoos would be replaced by centers for the rehabilitation of injured animals and the breeding of endangered animals, and they’d be open to the public in an educational capacity so families could come and learn about our multi-legged friends. A girl can dream, right?!