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Miss Betty the Basset, 1999-2012

Sometimes in life it falls on us to make the most difficult of decisions, and that’s what happened to me last week.  I’ve talked about Betty, my darling, elderly Basset hound, a couple of times, and how she’s been suffering from Megaesophagus for nearly 2 years. It finally got to the point where her body was beginning to shut down, and while I don’t think she was in constant pain, she was clearly miserable. As hard as it was for me to let her go, I could no longer be responsible for prolonging her suffering. She deserved better than that, but even more so, I just love her too much.

I’m so grateful that we were able to find a vet who would come to our home and help Betty to pass over where she was most comfortable and surrounded by her entire family. I hope it was also helpful for our other pets to be able to smell her after she had gone, I hope that gives them some understanding of what happened, and that their sister is gone.

I’m going to take the rest of this week off from blogging to be alone with my memories of Betty, but in the meantime please give all of your pets a big hug because the only thing I know for certain is that they always leave us too soon.

Goodbye my sweet Betty. I’ll miss you forever.


Weep Not For Me

Weep not for me though I am gone

Into that gentle night

Grieve if you will, but not for long

Upon my soul’s sweet flight

I am at peace, my soul’s at rest

There is no need for tears

For with your love I was so blessed.

There is no pain, I suffer not

The fear is now all gone.

Put now these things out of your thoughts

In your memory I live on.

Remember not my fight for breath

Remember not the strife

Please do not dwell upon my death,

But celebrate my life.

-Author unknown

{ 25 comments }
Vegan Tortilla Chips with Black Beans, Corn and Spicy Cilantro Cream

Tortilla Chips with Black Beans, Corn and Spicy Cilantro Cream

I mentioned the other day that I had thrown a fabulous open house for our friends and neighbors- a way to say goodbye and brag a little about all the work we did on the house. The entire menu was made up of finger-foods (makes for easier entertaining!), and these Tortilla Chips with Black Beans, Corn and Spicy Cilantro Cream were one of my favorite dishes. The recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray, veganized and compassionized and healthified for your eating pleasure!

The Cilantro Cream is zesty and just a little spicy. The bean and corn mixture is sweet with a bit of lime that makes the whole bite taste just… fresh.  Light.  Not at all heavy or overwhelming. Plus you can prepare the bean & corn mix, and the cilantro cream a day ahead and just leave them in the fridge until it’s time to assemble. One tip though- you’ll want to make them just before your guests start to arrive so that the chips wont get soggy.

Vegan Tortilla Chips with Black Beans, Corn and Spicy Cilantro Cream

Tortilla Chips with Black Beans, Corn and Spicy Cilantro Cream  (makes 8 servings, 2 chips per person)

Adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup vegan sour cream
  • 1.5 Tablespoons dried cilantro (plus extra for sprinkling)
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or a little less if you’re heat-averse)
  • 1/3 cup sweet canned corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
  • Zest and juice  of 1 large lime
  • Sea salt (about a pinch)
  • 16 round tortilla chips (the kind that lie almost flat)

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl combine the sour cream with the cilantro, cumin and chili powder. Taste and consider adding more chili powder 😉
  2. In a separate bowl combine the corn, beans, lime and salt. Let both bowls sit in the fridge for at least an hour (or overnight).
  3. To assemble, spread 1 teaspoon of the cream mix onto each chip, then top with about 2 teaspoons of the bean mix, and sprinkle with the extra cilantro and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Vegan Tortilla Chips with Black Beans, Corn and Spicy Cilantro Cream
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Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup | www.thatwasvegan.com

Whew… what a weekend! As you already know we put our house on the market and it went under contract really fast- faster than we had anticipated.  As in, we thought we’d probably be moving next spring but now we’re moving this fall, and we wanted a chance to say goodbye to all our neighbors. We also wanted to give them (and our friends) a chance to “snoop” around the house and see all the changes we’ve made, so obviously I had to throw a party, right? Right.

I’m going to fill in some of these recipes over the next few weeks, because they all came out amazingly. Everyone seemed to really enjoy them (even though I actually wrote “vegan” on the little buffet name cards) which was a wonderful feeling. Even my cattle rancher neighbors were spotted chowing down on some of my spinach dip 🙂  And the best surprise was learning that my wonderful next-door neighbors (who always take care of our dogs and kitty cat when we’re out of town) have been eating vegan! I sent them home with some cookbooks and I think I might make them a batch of my chicken-style seitan this week…  But anyway, here’s a list of everything I made:

Yep- it was all vegan! And all sooooo yummy!

But enough about finger foods- I have the “fall bug” and I only want to think about soups. Especially the thick, rich, creamy kind that would make any omnivore say “That Was Vegan?”

Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup | www.thatwasvegan.com

 True story: After Jason ate this soup he accused me of being some kind of sorceress for being able to make it taste so cheesy 🙂

Vegan Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup | www.thatwasvegan.com


Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Serves 6
So creamy and thick and delicious, you'll have your omnivore guests asking "That was vegan!?"
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Ingredients
  1. 1 small onion, chopped
  2. 1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
  3. 1/4 cup Earth Balance
  4. 1/4 cup flour
  5. 1.5 cups soy cream
  6. 1.5 cups non-dairy milk of choice
  7. 2 cups vegetable stock (or water plus 1 bouillon cube)
  8. 1 head of broccoli (about 1/2 lb, or a little bit more), chopped
  9. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  10. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  11. 1 bag Daiya Cheddar shreds
  12. 1/3 cup Daiya Jack wedge, cubed
  13. Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Water sautee onion for 6-7 minutes, then add powdered garlic and leave in for another minute or so. Melt in the butter, then sprinkle in the flour, mixing everything together into a paste. Keep stirring for at least a minute or two.
  2. Add the cream, milk and stock and bring to a boil, then add the chopped broccoli (even the itty-tiny pieces!). Reduce heat to medium and let it simmer covered for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli is soft. It'll be nice and thick now!
  3. Stir in the spices and cheese until the whole thing is melty and gooey and you can't wait another second. Top with some fresh ground pepper and serve with a chunk of crusty bread!
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
{ 58 comments }

I know I kind of went quiet on the subject after posting the original Do Vegans & Vegetarians Think They’re Better Than Everyone Else post… but I wasn’t ignoring you and all your great comments. I was just ruminating. Stewing. Marinating, if you will.

I have some really strong feelings about this, and have had some really negative experiences, and I just couldn’t decide if/how much I should share.
But here I am, and I’m going to share. At least a little.

The original post included quotes from a recent NPR story discussing whether we, as vegans and vegetarians, think we’re somehow superior to meat eaters. Some of us do, some of us don’t. As much as the haters would like to lump us all together as if we’re one person, that’s not the case.  Bruce Friedrich from Farm Sanctuary really summed it up when he said “Everyone knows there are saintly meat-eaters and cruel vegetarians…” No matter what we eat, there is no one size fits all.

But what actually defines “thinking we’re better“? Is it when we badger others about their eating choices, or is it simply when we try to share information? The definition is going to vary from person to person, but I’m willing to bet that a lot of omnivores would say that all vegans and vegetarians think we’re better, even if we never make a peep about it. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think some people hear the word “vegan” and automatically insert the word “militant” ahead of it. Or “crazy”. Or “annoying”, etc.

And I’m sure there are these big, bad militant vegans out there, somewhere- but I’ve never met them. I’m not going to say that there isn’t a single one (because there are) but I think they’ve become a bit of an urban legend being bandied about by a certain group of omnivores trying to justify their own food choices.  I’ve had the privilege of meeting and getting to know many vegans and vegetarians through my local meetup group as well as through the blog, and I feel pretty confident when I say that none of them would ever physically or verbally attack a stranger for ordering meat in a restaurant, or yell at some random child on the street about the horror stories of slaughterhouses (and yes- I actually read that on a message board once, that vegans had done this to someone’s child.)

Do we want to share our passion for animal welfare and the benefits of a plant-based diet? Yes, absolutely. Are we annoying about it sometimes? Sure, probably.

Wanna know what else is annoying (not to mention insulting and hurtful)? Omnivores verbally attacking vegans, unprovoked, for our food choices. I’m going on record right here, right now that I believe this happens far more often than the other way around. (Let the flaming begin! But before it does, please know I’m not generalizing all omnis. I have plenty of friends with whom I can freely discuss food and not come to blows!)

I have two stories where this has happened to me. I try not to let things bother me, but these 2 instances have kind of stuck in my craw. They are also instances where I, the vegan, did absolutely nothing to provoke either attack. Honestly!

The first happened last year. Picture three couples sitting around a table, 2.5 of which are omnivores. I’m the lone vegan. Now, I knew that certain members of the group had the potential to be hostile, so I had actually resolved ahead of time to not even mention the “v” word- and I didn’t until a few of the others started asking me questions about what I eat, how much weight I’ve lost, etc. They were honest, good-natured questions and I’d answer each one, then change the subject. I was actively trying to turn the conversation away from veganism. So we’re eating lunch, and I’m minding my own business, crunching away  on my salad (the only veg item on the menu- a fact I didn’t complain about or even mention!) when all of a sudden one of the other girls, out of nowhere, bursts out with “Vegetarians are so annoying. What’s their problem? God it makes me so mad!

Now, she knows I’m a vegan- and I can only surmise that vegans were included in her statement about vegetarians- but what could I do? Get into a brawl? I’ll admit I considered that option, but instead I looked at her and said “Seriously?” then looked around at everyone else to see if I was the only one witnessing this ridiculousness. Dead silence at the table for about 30 seconds until someone, thankfully, changed the subject. Now, if in the middle of her eating her lunch I had started talking about slaughterhouses, factory farms, animal cruelty, or even cholesterol, I would’ve been labeled as a Militant Vegan, right? I would’ve become the story she told to her friend over cheeseburgers and milkshakes, in an attempt to rationalize her food choices. “Vegans are horrible, you wouldn’t believe how rude this one vegan was to me at lunch the other day…I could never be vegan.”

Yet she, as an omnivore, is allowed to say that to me? The most maddening part is that even just defending myself probably would’ve earned me the militant title too, I’m pretty sure.

Incident #2 was a bit more recent and a lot more tricky. I was going to be surrounded by a lot of people (which I find difficult to begin with), and there were two in particular that I knew were just itching to start trouble. Picture the Mean Girls animal fight scene  (and no, it’s not often that I compare myself to LiLo). Again, I went into it keeping to myself. I really just tried to not talk to anyone about anything. A few people asked me questions about my diet, and I was actually the recipient of some very unexpected kindness, which was a nice surprise. But, of course, the close-minded mean girls always rear their ugly heads. It was just one comment but it was directed directly at me, and it was mean. And it was 100% related to my dietary and lifestyle choices. Did I mention it was really mean? This time brawling wasn’t an option at all (which sucks because this time I was assured a win!)… and neither was defending myself. It was late, there were too many people around, so I just turned on my heel and left the room. What else could I do?

People want to complain about “Militant Vegans” and “Vegan Police”, but my experiences have been the opposite.  Granted, these are just my experiences- other people’s may be vastly different.

I do want to say though, that while this type of situation makes me sad and angry, I wouldn’t give up being a vegan for the world- I love it and I’m proud of the way I live my life. I have no problem standing up for my beliefs and I love talking to (open-minded) people about animals and veganism and health, but sometimes we have to choose our battles. And I’m madly in love with the vibrant communities of vegans that are springing up all over the world, both online and IRL! You guys are all so awesome!

And, if you’re really good, maybe I’ll share some stories about the times I did decide to brawl 🙂

{ 41 comments }

Mexican Cabbage with Sriracha-Agave Tofu

Vegan Mexican Cabbage with Sriracha-Agave Tofu

Mexican Cabbage with Sriracha-Agave Tofu

Can you guys believe it’s October? Sadly I wont be participating in MoFo, but can’t wait to read all the great posts from my fellow bloggers!

Have you guys tried Happy Herbivore’s Mexican Cabbage? I love, love, love this dish. It’s simple, filling and low fat… and really low calorie too! I make it a few times a year, in all kinds of weather, but when the temps start to drop I want a slightly heartier version- and that’s where my Sriracha-Agave Tofu comes in!


Mexican Cabbage with Sriracha-Agave Tofu (makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Get your tofu in the oven, then prepare the Mexican Cabbage. As soon as the tofu is done, chop it up and mix into the cabbage. Easy Peasy!

Enjoy!

{ 10 comments }

September’s Vegan Food Swap

This was my first vegan food swap and IT WAS AWESOME! If you haven’t heard of the Vegan Food Swap, well… it’s where people swap vegan food. Pretty simple, right? Cat from The Verdent Life pairs you up someone to send you a box, and third person for you to send one to.  Lots of fun, and the cool part is that you don’t need to be a blogger to participate- it’s open to readers too! Check out the details on how it works, and maybe you’ll join for October’s!

I was paired up with a blog reader in California named Thang who prefers savory and spicy over sweet. Luckily my local vegan store Nooch carries plenty of yummy items to choose from! As you can see from this cell phone pic taken in my office moments before packing up the box, I sent he:

  • a cup of Dr. McDougall’s spicy szechuan noodle soup (which Thang tells me she ate first!),
  • a package of Leahy Gardens instant macaroni and cheese,
  • a bottle of Parma- chipotle cayenne flavor
  • a bag of Stonewall Jerquee teriyaki beef (I’ve had these, very yum!)
  • a tube of Hurraw lip balm, black cherry flavor

Not pictured is the note which also didn’t make it into the box. Sigh. I took a picture of it and emailed it to her, ha ha. Let’s just hope I get better at this next month, right?

I was also matched up with the fabulous Cobi of Veggietorials and she sent me so many delicious vegan treats!

Sorry for yet another cell phone picture. I didn’t have my camera at home the day the package came and I think we all know these packages weren’t going to stay intact very long 🙂 Cobi sent me raw, sprouted teriyaki sunflower seeds, dark chocolate sweetened with coconut, coconut-chocolate chip cookies, crispy seaweed snacks, moong dal and a beautiful card. I tore (practically simultaneously) into the cookies and sunflower seeds and they were amazing. EVERYTHING was amazing, but those two were my favorites. Thank you so much Cobi!

Confession time: I ate almost that entire bag of sunflower seeds that first afternoon, but it wasn’t my fault! I was rushing home just after lunchtime (which I had skipped because I was driving) to get the house ready for a last minute showing (this was before we went under contract). Showings are a little stressful because I have to get all 3 dogs out of the house and the aren’t great on leashes (at least not as a group) nor do they like riding in the car… but I’m jumping ahead of myself.

So I’m driving home, thinking about how little time I have, when I see two dogs- a golden retriever and a corgi- running up a busy street, towards an even busier intersection. They were alone and even though I was running late there was obviously only one choice to be made, so I swerved onto a side street ahead of them and jumped out of the car. Luckily they were both very friendly and had no compunctions about getting into a car with a stranger! Literally, I said “Who wants to go for a ride in the car?” and they couldn’t get in fast enough!

They had collars but no tags, so this clearly wasn’t going to be a quick and simple rescue mission. I got back on the road towards home but had no idea what I was going to do with them once I got there. Potential buyers were going to be at my house in an hour, and I didn’t think I could handle these two on leashes in addition to my 3 crazies, so I called my realtor. She lives just a couple doors down from me and said I could bring them over to her house. She called the local Humane Society and made a ‘found dog report’ and less than 10 minutes later was on the phone with the doggie’s owner who’s fence had blown down. Phew, crisis averted!

Here’s a pic she took of the two cuties at her house- such good dogs!!

But wait, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with sunflower seeds and cookies, right? Well, when I got home after dropping the dogs off at my realtor’s house, Cobi’s package was waiting on my front porch. So as soon as I straightened up and got the dogs over the park, I was finally able to tear in and eat my first food in about 8 hours. So, long story short, I owe Cobi and even bigger thank you because if it wasn’t for that box of treats I wouldn’t have eaten for another couple of hours!

{ 8 comments }

Prepare To Have Your Mind Blown…

I have news! Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have already heard, but in the last week and a half we accomplished 3 things:

  1. We put the house on the market…
  2. We received a full-priced offer…
  3. We went under contract!

Crazy, right? We weren’t actually planning to sell until next spring, we were just going to put it on the market for 2 months as a sort of test to see what kind of feedback we got. Considering that the people who made the offer were the very first to see the house, I’d say that’s pretty good feedback 🙂

Here comes the mind-blowing part: Check out these before & after shots. We did all the work ourselves (I was the designer, Jason the manual labor, ha ha)… I wont bore you with the entire house, 100% of which is remodeled, I’ll just share a few of my favorite spots.


 

The Kitchen: BEFORE

The house was built in 1978 and never really updated before we bought it (unless you consider adding a new layer of wallpaper every year “updating”). It was in good condition but really dated.  Highlights of the kitchen (before) included appliances that barely worked and wallpaper everywhere, even over the outlet covers… PS- these pictures were taken during the inspection, so the millions of pieces of furniture and dusty tchochkes? Belonged to the previous owner… Just wanted to make that crystal clear 🙂

Kitchen: BEFORE

Kitchen: BEFORE


 

The Kitchen: AFTER

Brand new everything! We reconfigured the layout to give us more space, and actually pushed the peninsula out about 8 inches farther than it had been and added the breakfast bar.  The kitchen opens into the family room and that same stone facade is on our fireplace too, to tie the rooms together.

This is where the TWV? magic happens!

Kitchen: AFTER

Kitchen: AFTER

Kitchen: AFTER


 

The Powder Room: BEFORE

Remember in A Christmas Story when the dad says “He looks like a pink nightmare”? This room was a wallpapered nightmare! If you had any questions about the age of the woman we bought the house from, I think this picture tells you she was, umm… not young.  And yes, that was some sort of podium with a book on it. In front of the toilet. Klassy.

Powder Room: BEFORE


 

The Powder Room: AFTER

I think this proves that in small spaces, less is more. Especially when you’re talking about flowered wallpaper. Don’t you just love vessel sinks?

Powder Room: AFTER

 


 

Backyard: BEFORE

Look at this ugly dried out backyard… doesn’t look like a very nice place to hang out, does it?

Backyard: BEFORE

 

Backyard: AFTER

This was the most expensive project of the house, I think… And the only one that we contracted out. They dug into the hill and installed those stone walls, and we put sod everywhere. Jason put in the fence to keep the puppy dogs safe! The back deck/backyard is my favorite place to be. Look how private it is! The hill behind is part of our property, and is protected by covenants so nothing can ever be built up there.

Backyard: AFTER

Backyard: AFTER

These little guys love to hangout back there too!

Ok, those were just a few of my favorites… and now all I can think about is how much I’m going to miss this house!

{ 23 comments }

Vegan Mozzarella Sticks

Vegan Mozzarella Sticks

Mozzarella Sticks

These were good. Really good. So good, I wish I could say the recipe was my own.

I made a few changes, of course… I used Teese instead of Daiya because I’ve never in my life seen blocks of Daiya like he describes. Oh, and I added some extra sea salt. Yum. It was amazing the way the breading stuck to the cheese- and oh that cheese! So gooey. These tasted exactly like the non-vegan kind you’d get in a restaurant.

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Revisiting Old Friends

Partly because I was without a camera last weekend (when I do much of my cooking for the week ahead) and partly because I haven’t been the most inspired home cook lately, I decided to visit some old friends.

We had Cauliflower n’ Cheese twice (gawd do I love leftovers!):

cauliflower n cheese

I rekindled my romance with some Korean Sweet Potato Noodles:

Vegan Spicy Szechuan Kale with Sweet Potato Noodles

I also whipped up some “Cheater Pho“:

Ramen Pho 2

And these little maple-angels also made an appearance- I only wish I had made more of them:

And that’s about it- a week of visiting with old food-friends 🙂

{ 5 comments }

Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble

Vegan Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble

Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble

I go through phases where I eat a lot of tofu scrambz… and then hardly any tofu scrambz.  Sometimes on a Sunday I’ll whip up a humungous batch and eat it for breakfast all week long, and part of what makes it such a fun dish is that you can put nearly anything into it. And really, as long as you’re water sauteeing your veggies instead of using oil, and aren’t over doing it with the vegan cheese or meat, it’s a really healthy and low-cal dish!

Back in February (gawd how time flies!) I posted the recipe for my more traditional version, made with a softer tofu, kale and (of course) Daiya:

Spicy Vegan Tofu Scramble

That version had spicy Field Roast sausage in it too. Looking at that picture makes me want to make a big ol’ pan full of it tonight, actually! But let’s try and stay focused on the one with sweet potatoes.

I used extra firm tofu this time, and kept the veggies in larger, more substantial chunks.  This was really a hearty scramble, perfect for these colder mornings. The basic seasonings stayed the same though, it’s just a little sweeter this time around.

Vegan Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble

Sweet Potato Tofu Scramble  (4-5 servings, depending on appetite)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tub firm or extra firm tofu, pressed well (extra firm will give you chunkier pieces)
  • 1 small onion, your favorite kind (I like red or sweet), chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, your favorite color (or do half n’ half, that’s what I did!), chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 heaping teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed or powdered
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • a few sprinkles of pepper
  • 2-3 Tablespoons of maple syrup (if desired)

Directions:

  1. Spread the potatoes out on a plate and cook in a microwave until soft, about 5 minutes.
  2. Water sautee the onions and peppers until soft, 4-5 minutes. Make sure there’s not much water left in the pan. If you used an extra firm tofu, chop it up and add it to the pan. If you used regular firm, you can break it up in the pan with your spatula.
  3. Mix in the sweet potatoes and all the seasonings, except the syrup. Stir really really well so that all the tofu is evenly coated. If it’s too dry, add a couple teaspoons of water.
  4. Keep mixing until everything is warmed through, then taste and adjust S&P. The last step is to stir in the maple syrup.

Enjoy!

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