Maybe it’s the holidays. Maybe it’s the weather – there is over 2 feet of snow outside. Maybe it’s all the diet commercials on TV (I can be oppositional that way). I don’t know what it is but lately, I’ve been HUNGRY and craving foods that are definitely NOT diet-friendly. Now that doesn’t mean I’ve […]
This past Thanksgiving was my first time making my own cranberry sauce. Growing up, we always had the kind that came out of the can and jiggled on the plate. This is a very simple recipe and it takes hardly any time at all to prepare. It is very tart so if you like your […]
It happened right before I became Vegan. Literally, just a few months before I committed to a cruelty-free lifestyle. I discovered that I loved spinach artichoke dip. Tom and I traveled back to Wilmington, North Carolina – the place we eloped to – for our one-year wedding anniversary in 2008. We had become vegetarians the previous […]
Recently, I purchased and redeemed a gift certificate from Cinnaholic Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls and OMG! We are talking major deliciousness here. Cinnaholic, one of the first all-vegan bakeries in the San Francisco Bay area, is owned by Shannon Michelle and Florian Radke. The vegan couple planned to open a bakery that offered many different goodies […]
After all the latkes I made for Chanukah (over 8 lbs. of potatoes, 5 zucchini, 2 yellow squash and a bunch of carrots worth), I didn’t want to even look at anything fried or made with potatoes for awhile. But that took away one of my favorite treats: french fries. Searching through the pantry for […]
Tonight is the first night of Chanukah. One of the best things about Chanukah is that the holiday requires you to eat fried food so there is no way to feel any guilt over indulging a bit. After all, the holiday is all about oil. Still, I use safflower oil which is a healthy oil, filled […]
A couple of weeks ago, Tom and I were both sick with really bad colds. When Tom gets sick, a long nap always makes him feel really better. While he was sleeping, I took advantage of the time to make him a surprise – something he hasn’t had since we became Vegan – macaroni […]
No matter what goes on in our lives, we always have things to be thankful for. We may not have a home of our own right now but we are thankful for whatever roof is over our heads. We have been victims of multiple crimes but we are thankful for all the people helping us […]
In the old days, during the 20th century P.V. (pre-vegan), I ate a TON of fast-food. In fact, I’m quite embarrassed to say here just how much fast-food I ate but given that I’ve lost over 110 lbs., I guess that’s no shock. One of the foods I had absolutely NO willpower around was Wendy’s […]
With the holidays coming up, most people are thinking about food: family dinners, huge feasts and of course, for Vegans, the issues of whether and/or how to deal with meat-eaters. Sadly, over 280 million turkeys will be slaughtered this holiday season so their carcasses can be stuffed and presented as the main event on the […]
In this season of giving thanks, Tom and I received a gift yesterday – a nicer place to stay that’s 50 miles closer to the city. We also got to buy some groceries and I was craving fresh vegetables something bad!! Usually we eat a very healthy Vegan diet filled with dark greens and tons […]
November 1st is World Vegan Day and November is Vegan Awareness Month. While I wrote this poem last summer, I thought World Vegan Day was a perfect time to post it here on The “V” Word. “Personal Choice?” Confusion, fear, panic I don’t understand what is happening Voices all around me, meaningless But heavy with […]
Given that my life is currently like a cross between a Lifetime movie and a Law & Order episode, I haven’t been able to indulge in one of my favorite activities: cooking. Besides not feeling well enough most of the time, I don’t have my cookbooks, my utensils and gadgets, my pots and pans or […]
This photo courtesy of Peacefood Cafe When we needed a place to take a friend out for her birthday dinner, I don’t know why Peacefood Café popped into my mind. I had never been there before and can’t remember ever walking past it. Maybe I read something recently about it. Whatever the reason, I’m so […]
But for those of you who just have to have your pasta, here is an indulgent dish that tastes as beautiful as it looks. I call it Three Green Pasta because it is filled with a bounty of green goodness: broccoli, asparagus and spinach pasta. Bell peppers and grape tomatoes add flavor as well as […]
I just finished reading “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Whenever a book is made into a movie, I have to read the book first. Since I love the written word, I usually find the book much better than the movie – richer in detail, deeper and more complex. Not to mention, the screenplay is […]
And guess what? We didn’t wait until Sunday for brunch. Tom and I actually went back to Gobo during the week for another delicious outdoor dinner. We made sure to order different items from the menu because we both get into the habit of finding favorites and sticking with them. This time, we had the […]
Now that I’m back in the city, I don’t have to cook every single meal myself. New York City is home to nearly a hundred vegetarian restaurants so when I can’t stand the heat, I can get out of the kitchen and enjoy someone else’s cooking for a change. One thing, however, always seemed to be missing […]
It’s summertime and that means fresh fruits and vegetables. We wait all year for our favorite sweet and succulent flavors to come back into season. Some of us get to grow our own vegetables, some of us go to farmers’ markets, and some of us enjoy the better selection at the grocery store. But what […]
The first time I went to North Carolina I had two things on my mind: getting married and eating BBQ (and not necessarily in that order). Tom and I were eloping. It was just the two of us and our dog Benny, who was our Best Man. There were only a few months between our […]
When you hear the name Woodstock, you probably automatically think of the famed music festivals held in the ‘60s. Actually, the events were held in Bethel, N.Y. but Woodstock is still considered the home of American music, arts and crafts. Walking through Woodstock is like stepping back in time. People smile, say hello and make […]
Today is my 500th day of being Vegan. In less than 2 weeks, it will be my 2 year anniversary of going veg. Since I am obsessively introspective, it is only fitting that I use these milestones as opportunities to reflect upon what I have learned and experienced since making such life-altering decisions. But there […]
Between Tom and I being in between homes and living out of bags like nomads since last winter and the effects that has had on my health (including being out of work), we have missed out on a lot of things. We haven’t seen or spoken to our friends, we haven’t been able to attend […]
I knew this would happen sooner or later. When I named the group of recipes “Extreme Vegan Makeover,” I knew that eventually I would want to post a recipe that wasn’t a veganized version of some other recipe. Then what would I do? I know! Just post the recipe and some pictures that make your […]
