Saturday, October 1, 2011

Vegan MoFo: Day 1!



Hi everyone! Happy MoFo! Naturally when I should have a phenomenal day of food to start this month off with, I work a wedding and have nothing to show you. I have a backup plan though! I found this fun little survey with the A-Z's of vegan food and though this may be the perfect way to kick off MoFo!

ABC's Of Vegan Food!

A is for Avocado: How do you like yours prepared?
By now we should all know that I LOVE avocado! I love it on rice and beans, I love it in salad, I love it by itself with a little sea salt and pepper. However, my favorite way to eat it is mashed on toast/english muffin.

B is for Bread: Regardless of nutrition, what is your favorite type?
GF bread pretty much sucks but if we are talking no limitations from nutrition or intolerance, I'm going for bagels all the way. Pumpernickel if you want to be specific :)

C is for Chocolate: What is your favorite kind currently?
I love all chocolate. I'm not picky. Dark chocolate is always best though. Right now I've been eating squares from my Endangered Species dark chocolate with mint bar that I received in my CVL Vegan Swap Package from Isobelle. I really like this bar, the chocolate is dark and rich and almost fruity and the mint is more of a feeling in your mouth than a taste...if that makes any sense :)

D is for Doughnuts: You might not currently eat them, but what kind do you fancy?
I couldn't tell you the last time I ate a donut but favorite flavors are pumpkin and chocolate coconut.

E is for Egg(plant): How would you like yours prepared?
The original version of this survey said eggs which is silly bc those are clearly not vegan so I amended it to say eggplant :) I know eggplant is one of those veggies that people either love or hate and I LOVE it! Most of the time I'll eat it roasted or grilled, as babaganoush or spicy eggplant salad. Mmmm.

F is for Falafel: Yay or nay?
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!

G is for Groceries: Where do you purchase yours?
Grocery shopping is kind of a process for me. I usually get all of my harder to find vegan/raw items and produce at Whole Foods. I get staple/pantry items from the regular grocery store. I also shop at Trader Joe's once in a while. ANd various other small stores when I happen to run into something interesting.

H is for Hot Beverages: What is your favorite hot drink?
I'm a total coffee freak. I've been trying to cut it down to one small cup in the morning (down from super giant) and instead of an afternoon cup I've been drinking green tea. Mmm.



I is for Ice Cream: Pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.
Oooh tough choice. I really like the So Delicious Chocolate brownie ice cream. Call me old fashioned but I love a colorful burst of sprinkles on my ice cream.

J is for Jams or Jellies: Do you eat them? If so, what kind and flavor?
I don't eat jam or jelly at all really, but if I'm using it for baking I LOVE the flavor of apricot butter. This is strange because I don't really eat fresh apricots and rarely eat dried, but I love the taste of apricot butter. Maybe I should bake something with apricot butter now ;)

K is for Kashi: Name your favorite Kashi product?
I used to eat Kashi a lot but now I don't eat it at all. I used to eat that blueberry cereal? And the Go Lean Crunch.

L is for Lunch: What was yours today?
I wish I had a pic but it was basically grilled veggies over brown rice at the wedding I worked.

M is for microwave: What is your favorite microwave meal/snack?
I don't really eat a ton of microwave food...I do like popcorn but I'm trying to switch over to air popped.

N is for nutrients: Do you like carbs, fats, or proteins best?
I am a total carb freak! I love carbs but now that I'm gluten free I rarely eat the carbs I love (bread!). I love my grains, starches and breads but moderation is key. I love avocado and nuts as a form of healthy fats and also nuts for protein.

O is for oil: What kind do you like to use?
I don't use a lot of oil. Ever. I'll use a drop of olive oil if oil is totally necessary when cooking.

P is for protein: How do you get yours?
I used to eat a lot of tofu and whatnot but I've been sticking more toward less processed forms of it, such as nuts, seeds, beans/chickpeas/hummus, and protein shakes after workouts.




Q is for Quaker: How do you like your oats?
Oh yeah here we go! My favorite combos!
Peanut butter, banana and coconut


Raisins, walnuts and coconut.


Even in a smoothie! Blueberry muffin smoothie including overnight oats.

R is for roasting: What is your favorite thing to roast?
I love roasting everything!


Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, sweet potato.


Cauliflower and green beans.

And pretty much every other veggie I can roast!

S is for sandwich: What’s your favorite kind?
Give my whole gluten situation, I don't eat sandwiches anymore. I will eat open faced sandwiches on gluten free bread, such as...

Peanut butter, banana and cinnamon.


Mashed avocado with tomato.

When I was eating gluten, these were two of my favorite sandwiches...

Bagel with tofutti cream cheese.


Check out this pretty wrap! Mesclun greens, tomato, shredded carrot, tofurkey and hummus on a whole wheat wrap. That was my favorite combo, I ate it for lunch at least twice a week. Not anymore...although I guess the push toward more whole foods is way more beneficial than eating the yummy wheat lol.

T is for travel: How do you handle eating while traveling?
I don't know if I'm the minority here but I really don't stress much when I travel. I carry some snacks with me such as Larabars, nuts, trail mix, fruit, etc. I also know that I can find fruit or veggies most places. 

U is for unique: What are some of the unique foods that you like?
Hmm, I don't know what I eat that is really unique? Maybe you guys can tell me!

V is for vitamins: What kind do you take?
I take a multivitamin (when I remember), Vitamin D (when I remember), and extra Vitamin C (when I remember) around the change of seasons and in the winter when I am more likely to get sick. I'm also about to start a raw apple cider vinegar regimen...1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar in 8 oz water in the morning and again at night. This alkalizes your body and it is the healthiest state your body can be in. I have a crappy immune system, I get sick easily and it takes a while for me to get better. I also bruise easily and I can have these bruises for 2 weeks. I've been checked and I'm not deficient in anything except a minor Vitamin D deficiency so we don't really know why this all happens but I just do my best to take care of myself.

W is for Wiener schnitzel: Do you ever recreate this traditional Czech food?
Couldn't think of anything better for W? How about waffle toppings? Way better topic. Just sayin' ;)

Y is for Youth: What foods remind you of your childhood?
Honestly, I was a total junk food kid. I'm still surprised by how many veggies I eat now. When I was an omni my diet was VERY limited...I was super picky and rarely would try anything new. Ever since I went veg I've been far more adventurous in what I try and I eat so much healthier.

Z is for Zucchini: How do you prepare it?
Yum, I love zucchini. I love a good zucchini pancake, grilled or roasted zucchini, stuffed zucchini, zucchini noodles, etc. So good.


Zucchini noodles and sauce!

OK, those are my vegan food ABC's! I guess this is an appropriate way to start off MoFo! I started a little list of topics to post for MoFo and would love to hear more about what you guys would like to see! Have a great Saturday!












15 comments:

  1. This is an awesome way to start MoFo! And for the record I am a total pumpernickel bagel freak! OMG, love love love. Even though I don't have them very often, they're a special treat. And coffee, as well. Two of my weaknesses :)

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  2. Great way to start Vegan MoFo. Am I the only one who thinks "happy mofo" just sounds so wrong? I must be a prude--swearing (or alluding to swears) makes me blush.

    Weiner schnitzel is a total cop-out. How about favorite water bottle, whipped cream alternative, or Whole Foods yay or nay? I'd love to hear your thoughts on Whole Foods.

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  3. Fun way to kick of MoFo! I agree that avocado and bagels are two of the best things around. I'm not GF, but I don't eat bread often either...bagels are always tempting though. And your wrap of times past is really enticing.

    Good luck with the cider vinegar regimen. I am a total believer in the benefits of raw apple cider vinegar. I think it can cure almost anything...I even brush my teeth with it. But, even though I'm a total vinegar freak, it's difficult for me to drink it in water, I just pour it liberally over at least two of my meals each day...don't know whether it works the same as drinking in water though.

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  4. Ooh yeah, I always want to start the day with warm lemon juice but I don't ever have time! Apple cider vinegar is supposed to be great for a lot of reasons though.

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  5. Wow, I'm so glad you guys liked this post!

    Nikki - Thanks! Pumpernickel is SOOOO good! I still eat wheat once in a while and a pumpernickel bagel is always worth it. ANd coffee is just the perfect way to start any day!

    Sage - Thanks! Aww that is refreshing that you don't curse. I curse a lot more than I let on and it is a terrible habit. I know, it was such a silly W and there are so many better ones, as you've listed! Maybe I'll do a post on Whole Foods since there has been a lot of interest in it.

    Rose - Thanks :) Bread is just so comforting, and so delicious. I loved those wraps and I remember how excited I was when I cut that particular one open because I knew I'd get an awesome pic. I'm such a nerd! I am going to get cracking on the apple cider vinegar. I'll let you know how it goes!

    FF - I've heard that the warm lemon is supposed to be good. I hope the vinegar water drink isn't too gross!

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  6. Well at least you didn't re-use that Brown Rice & Cauliflower pic. Yes, I recognize the other ones.

    Give me new photographic content!!!!!

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  7. LOL I was definitely NOT going to be taking a ton of new pics for this. The only new one is the coffee pic. I will not deny that these are recycled because that was the point but that other one was definitely a new one!

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  8. Cool post! I liked reading all of these things about the way that you eat! I haven't seen one of these before.

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  9. Thanks Isobelle! These are fun to fill out :)

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  10. Holy guacamole, I loved this post! I can tell you were very thoughtful with your responses, and I really enjoyed reading it! In the morning, when I brew coffee - I will raise my mug to you for this excellent opening to MoFo. :)

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  11. Ingrid - Thanks so much! You are awesome, so glad you liked it! Cheers ;)

    Jeni - Thanks! Happy MoFo to you too!

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  12. Fun survey, and I enjoyed reading your answers. I'll pull this out when I need a post this month.

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  13. Thanks ladies! Can't wait to see your answers Jenny!

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