Vegan Dining hall events of the week and convincing some meat eaters

These are vegan chile rellenos...basically bell peppers roasted with rice and seasonings and black beans...pretty fricken good. And below is vegan vegetable soup, which I was too full to try, but took a pic since it was lovely.

The other vegan events of the last few days was creating a facebook group convincing meat eaters to try being vegetarian for a week and vegetarians to go vegan for a week. Way more people joined than I thought so now I have multiple friends embarking on veganism and vegetarianism this week, super exciting. If you have a face book please ask your friends to join!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57322264041

Ideas for Oreos?

So there's always this enticing ice cream sundae station that I pass by longingly every day. But I happened to notice that one of the bowls has crunched up Oreos....which are vegan...havent figured out something good to do with them yet but I'm thinking something involving soymilk...maybe bananas...any ideas?

Veg Club

So I haven't talked much about it, but at the beginning of the year I started a Vegetarians Club and then combined with an animal rights club called Banana Slugs for Animals, I hate the name and don't like promoting PETA, but other than that, it's a good place for me to start my life of vegan activism. Last quarter we did lots of tabling. My big projects though, not being the leafletting type, were to organize a movie night with a big projector and all where we watched Fast Food Nation, a good flick if you haven't seen it. It is not only entertaining (has a funny story line and great cast), but also can turn omnivores into herbivores, namely my ex-boyfriend, who continues to not eat meat. My other project was to get Tofurky to donate a bunch of deli slices right before Thanksgiving. We set up a table around lunchtime by the bookstore and gave out free samples. Not a singe person didn't like it, it was really nice to see some people be surprised by the good taste of meat alternatives. It was also fun hollering at people and giving out free stuff, I mean who doesn't like free stuff (actually surprisingly a lot of people don't, considering how many couldn't spare a second for some "CRUELTY FREE TURKEY!" or "FREE TURKEY ALTERNATIVE!" or even when we were desperate "FREE FOOD!") And plus I still have some leftover slices in my fridge!

This quarter, I'm heading in a different direction. I'm doing a campaign asking people to "Go Veg" for a week at our leafletting table. They sign a clipboard with their email, get a free veg starter kit and I send them a follow up email with recipes and info. Pretty excited. Also my friend Maggie and I are working on a sign asking kids to request cage-free eggs in their food at the dining halls (cage free is available upon request, but few know it is). And also to get info sheets on every table at the dining halls about the veg lifestyle (ie famous vegetarians, facts, etc).

Hoping for a fun and active quarter. Comment if you have any fin ideas for the club!

I just got HOOKED UP

So when I asked the dining hall manager for a new bottle of the vegan mayo that I had guilted the staff into purchasing about a month ago, he came with a few more surprises. After our conversation about getting some vegan cheese and meats in the sandwich bar, he had obviously taken me seriously as he told me to hold on for a sec and promptly returned with the items in the picture. Apparently he tried to order sliced fake meat for the sandwiches, but ended up with entire fake chickens..but what the heck! He got a really nice and tasty buttery spread made from almond oil and with a slight orange flavor and three types of cheese. Not only did he order this stuff for the dining hall, but let me take back everything pictured to "try out". Being vegan around here is kind of like being a princess. Well, not really and not always, but you get my drift. This was a great experience.

My favorite dining hall snack

If I happen to be hungry at any time other that the two prescribed meal times during the day, the dining hall experience is particularly frustrating. With french fries and rice crispies the stand out vegan options, I've found myself searching for a reliable, nourishing, and delicious snack... and that I have found. This masterpiece was the result of a few variations of peanut butter and banana sandwiches to produce the grand-daddy-of-'em-all. This creation consists of:

toasted wheat bread

sliced bananas

slices almonds

sprinkling of brown sugar

sprinkling of cinnamon

(and raisins are great, but not always available)

It's the perfect snack as the ingredients are almost always available and it is absolutely mouthwatering good, plus this creation seems to inspire others every time I eat it. More often than not,  someone at the table asks me for a bite and once asked me to make them the same thing, it often sparks a conversation too about how vegan food is good food.

Some great vegan surprises in the dining halls!

So here is some evidence of some serious positive change in the dining halls. I mean I thought I had it good with a salad bar and nightly tacos. But occasionally the usually dairy-laden dessert table greets me with the pleasant surprise of vegan sweets or a vegan soup! Here is a little collection of those surprises:

Vegan Berry Turnovers
these were so nice to see one moring, and even better to eat. I think I'm even going to ask for the recipe. The were flaky and delicious and the inside was good too, although a bit too sweet for me.

Vegan Cupcakes
Yep, that's right this is a tray of vegan cupcakes in a college dining hall. And good ones at that. The cake part was pretty good, but the frosting was reallly realllllly good and plus they were super cute.

Vegan Chili

I've seen this a couple times, and I make a bee line for the stuff when I spot "vegan" in the title from halfway across the floor. It has various beans, corn, tomatoes, onions and maybe some more. And it's goooood. In fact I don't think anyone would even realize it's meatless if it weren't for the sign that gives it away.

Back on campus...a dish!

So fall quarter has officially begun. Back to class, back to dorm life and back to the dining hall. After visiting the nutritionist at the end of last quarter about healthy vegan choices and a healthy vegan diet in the dining halls, I am excited to put the new info to work. She gave me an outline of serving sizes and such and basically I learned that I am actually alright with protein, but need some more starch. It's just tough when you love veggies like I do! Here was one of my first meals:

Kung Pao Taco Salad

From the taco bar I took a taco shell, black beans, rice, cilantro. Then I took some Kung Pao tofu (some apparently chinese sauce on tofu) and put it inside for some more protein. I topped it with bell peppers, tomatoes, frozen corn(literally!) , and olives from the salad bar. The salad is just mixed greens and a healthy handful of mushrooms. Oh and some cantaloupe. 

Organic

Some late New Years resolutions for the dining hall:

-use as much of the organic salad ingredients (the salad bar has a side with only organic ingredients)

-eat more protein!

-talk to the dining hall staff to put up a sign informing students that free-range eggs are available upon request.

-talk to dining hall staff to put up flyers at the tables promoting a vegetarian lifestyle.

-get vegan cheese and tofurkey slices (we have mayo and fake chicken now!).

Product Review: Celebration Roast

My mom bought me one of these bad boys the other day and thanks god she did. The Celebration Roast by Field Roast meat alternative company. It was filled with some squash apples and mushrooms, so obviously it was delicious. I had it for dinner, then on my sandwich the next day and then it was gone! And it only could have been one of my meat-consuming family members! Really though, it tasted so much less processed and salty than Tofurkey. It gets 5 stars for sure. A great alternative to traditional meat alternatives. Also I checked out their site (www.fieldroast.com) and it looks like they make a ton of good stuff. Can't wait to try the Chipotle Corn Cutlet soon!

Since it was only a buck...

With the knowledge that Duncan Hines Baking mixes are vegan, and with the knowledge that they are on sale for just a buck at the supermarket, I somehow convinced myself it was a good idea to experiment with the hydrogenated-oil-laden-and-god-knows-what-else White Cake Mix. So here goes Deliciously Crappy Cake mix treats.

Deliciously Crappy Cake Mix Treats

1 box Duncan Hines White Cake mix

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

sprinkles (optional)

tofutti

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350. Mix together everything but the tofutti.

2. Bake for 12-15 in a cupcake pan.

3. Let cool and top with tofutti.

Hot Cocoa-Nut...Hot Chocolate's rich tropical aunt!

I just stumbled upon a jewel of a hot chocolate recipe. In desperate need of a mug of cocoa the other night, I found myself with only a sip of soymilk left in the carton! Tragic? Not quite! I could have mixed in some water, but when I spotted some coconut milk left over from the sweet potatoes, I jumped on the opportunity to create! And good thing I did, because I will never be making hot cocoa the old school way again after I concocted this treat! It was soooo good, the coconut milk made it seem so rich and the flaked coconut added some fun texture, not to mention the flavor! Give this on a try!

Hot Cocoa-Nut (Coconut Hot Chocolate)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. cocoa powder (see note above)

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 tbs shredded coconut

Directions:

In a large mug, mix together cocoa powder, sugar, and non-dairy milk.

Whisk together with a small fork until blended.

Add the rest of the coconut milk and microwave on high for one minute; stir.

Sprinkle shredded coconut on top, Enjoy!