Questions Answered
What's your favorite thing to snack on during the day?
Hmmm that is hard because I don't snack on the same things all the time but I really love oranges, carrot sticks and hummus and popcorn. I get a lot of snack samples so I generally snack on those- right now it's Primal Strips and Danielle Crispy Fruit Chips (which are totally addictive).
I notice that you travel a lot. What city do you most enjoy eating in? Are there any cities that you have found to be surprisingly vegan friendly?
Yes my husband and I are really into traveling and have had to force ourselves to cut back a lot this year (2010). Last two we were gone almost every weekend to various spots including (but not limited to) Montreal, Toronto, Boston, NYC and Portland, ME along with camping weekends in the summer. As well we went to Disney for our honeymoon last year and Christmas this year and a Cruise last September.
I love to eat in NYC, Toronto & Montreal- who wouldn't there are so many vegan/vegetarian restaurants as well as a ton of vegan friendly restaurants.
As for cities that are surprisingly vegan friend I'd have to say Disney World haha I know it's not a city but it is honestly surprisingly vegan friendly and the chef's will do whatever they can to make sure that you have a great vegan dining experience.
As for an actual vegan friendly city I would have to say Portland Maine. Honestly there are not a lot of vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurants in Maine (at least that I have found) but Portland turned out to be great. There is a vegetarian restaurant The Green Elephant as well as a raw restaurant GRO which are both great and the Whole Foods there has tons of options.
What do you feel like you're missing in life (if anything)?
A career. I have a great husband and family but I wish I could have a career that I dream of ....owning a vegan cafe.
do you have any vegan shopping list suggestions? vegan lover grocery list :)
Our usually weekly grocery list consists of:
Lots of fresh veggies that look good
Onions (lots of them)
Garlic
Bananas
Apples
Beans
Non-dairy milk (depends on what is on sale at our co-op)
Cereal
Vegan Red Wine for me
Vegan Porter or Stout for hubz
Other Items we pick up frequently:
Nutritional Yeast- I use this in everything
Balsamic Vinegar
Almond Butter
Rolled Oats
Canned Tomatoes
Whole Wheat Pasta
Whole Grain Rice
Dark Chocolate
Taco Shells
Bearitos Refried Black Beans
Frozen Veggies (usually spinach, cauliflower, broccoli & brussels sprouts)
tofu
tempeh
We occasionally pick up these:
tofurky
vegenaise
vegan cheese slices
veggie burgers
veggie dogs
soygurt (I love Whole Soy)
Non-Dairy Ice Cream (love Coconut Bliss & Tempt)
Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Agave
Tamari or Shoyu
Pure Maple Syrup
Brown Rice Syrup
Raw nuts & seeds (cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds)
Coconut Oil
Safflower OIl
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
What's the most annoying question you get asked by non-vegans regarding your food choices? And how do you answer it?
I think this is true for most vegans but it's the "where do you get your protein"- In response to this I say that protein is not one of the major concerns that vegans or non-vegans need to worry about and since i eat tons of beans, tempeh, tofu, almond butter and quinoa I get more than enough protein.
I also get "Oh you CAN'T eat that [non-vegan item], right?" and I think it's important for non-vegans to understand that I CAN eat whatever I want, however I choose not to eat animal products and I choose not to for various reasons.
Lindsay, I am trying to be vegan, I have been a vegetarian for years, but I find it hard to think about cooking meals for the family and wonder what do you cook for dinners that are fast and easy for a meat eating family?
Great question! I'm all about fast and easy recipes especially during the week. I try to stick to 30 minutes or less to prepare a recipe. If you are dealing with a meat eating family that are not fans of tempeh, tofu or seitan then I would recommend considering beans or meat analogues for protein. Gardin makes some really great vegan meat analogues that taste really good.
I also always keep about 10 cans of various beans/legumes such as kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans and canellni beans in the cupboard. These are great to toss with pasta and veggies or to whip up a quick veggie chili. One of my favorite things to make that are fun for everyone are lentil tacos- basically make them just as you would with meat but substitute a can of lentils for the ground meat (or you can use veggie ground round).
I also recommend planning a menu for the week and finding one day a week that you have time to prep dishes for the week (for me this is usually Sunday). This gives you the ability to make quick, healthy and tasty meals for the family. Prep veggies, marinate tempeh or tofu or even cook up some brown rice and store it in the fridge so you can easily put a meal together. Making fast, easy and healthy vegan/vegetarian meals doesn't have to take time and if you prep things ahead many meals can be thrown together in 10 to 15 minutes!
Here are some yummy easy recipes your whole family might like:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/quinoa-chili/
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/baked-pumpkin-mac-and-cheese/
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/pulled-shroom-sandwich/
If you could eat anywhere you like (past or present), where would that be?
Oh that is a tough one! There are so many places I am dying to try but if I had to say one hmmmm or maybe 2 I'd have to say I would absolutely have to go back to Chennai Garden in Manhattan it's a vegetarian Southern Indian restaurant that is so good and I love that their menu has the items that have dairy marked so you don't have to ask a million questions: http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/chennai-garden/
However if there is one restaurant that I am dying to try but haven't made it to yet it would have to be Fressen in Toronto. I visited their sandwich shop Urban Herbivore and honestly the best sandwich I have ever had and I would love to try their sit down restaurant: http://www.fressenrestaurant.com/
What are some of your favorite websites and/or blogs?
Ohhh this is a tough question because I have soooo many favorites!
Since I love so many blogs and read tons I'll just list a few that I read daily:
http://carrotsncake.com/
http://fitnessista.com/
http://vegancrunk.blogspot.com/
http://anotheronebitesthecrustblog.com/
http://eleanordashwood.blogspot.com/
http://ohsheglows.com/
http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/
http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/
Honestly there are too many to name but you can always check out my blog roll which has a more extensive list.
As for websites I really love:
http://tastespotting.com/
http://vegnews.com/
http://www.happycow.net/
http://www.menupages.com/
http://veggiething.com/
just to name a few!
what is your biggest inspiration, food wise?
My biggest inspiration is my husband- if it wasn't for him being vegan I would have never started my blog which originally was about my experiences being a vegetarian girlfriend but cooking vegan for my boyfriend hence "cooking for a vegan lover". Cooking wise SusanV of Fatfree Vegan Kitchen was the first vegan and blogger that I encountered and she inspired me to blog as well as create my own recipes.
