Last week I wanted to bake tofu for dinner – the cool, grey day was perfect for turning on the oven.  I often lack imagination, and advance planning, when it comes to a tofu marinade and on this particular evening I wanted something comforting and quick.  I began to have visions of an Alfredo-like dish.  My instinct was to try a more substantive sauce which could make up for the lack of time to soak the tofu in a marinade.  I think I was right!

This week’s vegan links and news

Good morning! I am just in from a delightful 50 minute run and feeling great!  Part of the reason my run was so wonderful was because I was captivated, once again, by the women of Our Hen House.  Podcast episode#122 features an interview with Chloe Jo Davis of Girlie Girl Army which reminded me of how important it is to use any means necessary to spread the vegan message. You don’t have to be a professional animal right’s activist – find a way to incorporate a compassionate message in whatever it is that you already do, whether as a professional or a hobbyist. Inspiring! If you’re new to the Our Hen House podcasts, be sure to listen to last week’s episode, too. The interview with Main Street Vegan author, Victoria Moran is also terrific (I love the Michael Moore story).

I saved a few links to interesting recipes I read about on blogs this week.  I haven’t yet tried but wanted to pass them along:

• Coconut Milk Lentil & Wild Rice Bowl from Daily Garnish
• Easy Pizza from Making Vegan Work
• Raw Food Sun Burgers (No Dehydrator) from Better Raw
• Mushroom, Asparagus, and Spinach Burger from Just the Food

One of the favorite things I watched this week was a PETA interview with actor Michael Clarke Duncan about going veg.

What’s not to love?

My friend Mike (the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary volunteer who rescued Mike Jr.) has a really moving blog post up this week: Funeral for a friend.

I loved stumbling upon this piece, Increasing interest in Veganism, on an Indiana paper’s website.

The Washington Post”s Escapes: New York’s vegetarian restaurant scene is spot on.  I recommend all three restaurants!  In Texas, check out The Best in DFW: Great places for vegetarian dining and in California here is a line-up of  Vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the Sacramento region.

Mark your calendar!

• May 19: Vegan Cuisine: A Simple Art: Ten Course Tasting Menu for the Produce Loving Foodie, Jim Thorpe, PA
• May 27: Veggie Pride Parade NYC 2012, New York, NY
• June 2: Veggie Pride – Chicago, Chicago, IL
• June 9: 2nd Annual VegFest Houston, Houston, TX
• June 9: Flagler County’s first-ever Vegan Fest, Flagler Beach, FL
• June 16 – 17: The Seed Vegan Expo, New York, NY
• June 27 – July 3: 38th Vegetarian Summerfest, Johnstown, PA
• July 1: First Annual Victoria Vegan Fest, Victoria, BC
• July 7: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary July Jamboree, Woodstock, NY
• July 19 – 23: National Health Association: Healthy Living Conference, Hallandale Beach, FL
• August 2 – 5: Animal Rights 2012 National Conference, Washington, DC
• August 2 – 4: BlogHer ’12, New York, NY

Are you organizing an upcoming vegan event? Send me the details!

This week on the blogs

JL goes Vegan

• TUESDAY: Black Bean & Sweet Potato Stew
• THURSDAY: Green Ice Cream {#whatveganseat for breakfast}  Also on Thursday: I Eat Plants: Gingered Asparagus & Leeks
• FRIDAY: One week from tomorrow – A 10-course vegan dining experience not to be missed!

Stop Chasing Skinny

I ruminate on the seduction of the scale in Triathlon is not a diet.    Have you stopped chasing skinny? Submit your story today!

I’m off to enjoy this glorious, sunny Sunday. I hope you enjoy your day, too!

Today on Stop Chasing Skinny I talk about the seduction of the scale: Triathlon is not a diet.

Are you enjoying a bowl of green ice cream for breakfast this morning? How about black bean and sweet potato stew for lunch? Maybe gingered asparagus and leeks as a side with dinner tonight? Those were the three extremely different recipes I offered up this week and I hope you try, and enjoy, them soon!

Today I wanted to give you an update on the event Vegan Cuisine: A Simple Art.

One week from tomorrow FLOW Bar + Restaurant in Jim Thorpe, PA will dazzle us with a meal designed for the “produce loving foodie.”  I have been in close contact with Executive Chef Zachary Pelliccio (and my co-host Lee of The Vegan Version) over the past few weeks and things are coming along beautifully.  We are nearing 50 guests, which has surpassed our wildest imagination!

I had a chance to chat with Zach this week and had a few questions for him.

JL:  What have you enjoyed most about putting this event together?

Chef Pelliccio:  The heartburn…

JL:  Ha! What’s the buzz in Jim Thorpe? Are people excited? Do you expect a large number of non-vegan/vegetarians?

Chef Pelliccio:  This is a great event for the Lehigh Valley’s culinary image. Many vegans and vegetarians in the area, who don’t have many options locally, are excited about this rare opportunity to experience an event that doesn’t happen very often even in major cities. Right now it appears that about a third of the attendees are non vegetarian/vegan.

JL:  Wow! Food is activism!  Can you give us a hint as to what you have planned?

Chef Pelliccio:  I am trying to make this as much of a surprise as possible, but I will say that I want this to be a European Style dining experience; one where you sit down for a few hours and not only enjoy the cuisine but appreciate good company as well.  I have made a strong effort to have the courses mostly consist of locally grown products.  I have also tried to incorporate the various areas of cuisine that I am personally drawn to, while at the same time embracing my rustic style of cooking.  The coursing is a fusion of traditional French and kaiseki.  It is important for me to make sure that I do not overwhelm anyone who may not be as experienced with veganism as others.

See why I love working with Zach?  He is an enthusiastic culinary artist and he is compassionate to his plant-based diners. And he is encouraging his omnivore customers to push their dietary boundaries.

If you have been on the fence about attending this unique dining experience, it’s time to jump off.

Vegan Cuisine: A Simple Art
Saturday, May 19, 8pm
FLOW Bar + Restaurant in Jim Thorpe, PA
$60 for ten courses of vegan cuisine (does not include tax, gratuity, or adult beverages)
CALL to reserve your space today: (570) 325-8200.
(Making it an overnight trip?  Check out the lodging options.)

Last year Chef Zachary Pelliccio made this special vegan dish for me:

Next week he will make 10 plant-based courses for you.  I hope to see you there!

My morning meals have been mostly smoothies for the last couple of weeks – most likely because I have stepped up my fitness quite a bit as I am training for a summer duathlon (run – bike – run).  I love a tall, liquid breakfast after a workout.  Yesterday was a rest day from exercise; I wanted all the powerful nutrition of a smoothie but was most definitely craving a new texture.

I grabbed my usual smoothie ingredients (frozen fruit/ice, something green, plant-based milk, flax or chia seeds and a date or other natural sweetener).  I simply altered the amounts of each ingredient and suddenly I was eating a beautiful bowl of green ice cream.  Same great ingredients – completely different mouthfeel experience.

It’s May and I know I should have visions of asparagus and strawberries dancing through my head but yesterday it was so grey and cool out that I simply wanted a warm, comforting meal.

I had a large sweet potato on the counter and then remembered that I picked up black beans in bulk at the store last week.  Black beans and sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven, don’t you think?  I pulled out a few other veggies and basic seasonings to get my creative juices flowing.

Once I laid out the base ingredients I began to think about spices.  My homemade vegetable stock was made with apples (thanks to a tip from a chef ) so I wanted to build on that subtle sugary flavor when choosing my spices.  I went with cinnamon and garam masala – the result was a thick, stew-like, savory dish with just a hint of sweetness.

What a busy weekend!  I’ve been doing a lot of volunteer work, ranging from researching funding opportunities for nonprofits to directing athletes on a run course during a triathlon.  This morning I ended up going out for a 23+ mile bike ride (my husband, a triathlon coach, is kicking up my training for a late-summer duathlon) instead of perusing the vegan news.  Finally, though, I have found a few links you may find of interest.

This week’s vegan links and news

I guess we can finally put the New York Times Ethical meat-eating essay exercise to rest. Though the essay I’m About to Eat Meat for the First Time in 40 Years won the popular vote (the essayist is now known to be Ingrid Newkirk of PETA), the panelists selected a former vegetarian’s essay -  Give Thanks for Meat – as the winner.  I was kind of over it all until I read NY Times editor Arthur Brisbane’s opinion piece on the contest: In the Middle of a Food Fight.  Overall I found the piece unnecessarily apologetic and that he was placating poor, put-upon meat-eaters but then he completely surprised me with his final paragraph – a disclosure statement. It’s worth a read.

Another great read is Shocking people into going vegetarian? Massive “hot dog” balloon has nothing on bloody chicken pictures on CultureMap Houston. I love activists.

BUST Magazine is taking applications from vegan crafters to join them at their Vegan Craftacular at The Seed in NYC on June 16 and 17.  If you’re crafty, apply!

Are you a cruiser?  Holland America is adding an entire vegetarian menu for its passengers which includes 22 vegetarian and vegan options. The times sure are a changin’.

Mark your calendar!

• May 19: Vegan Cuisine: A Simple Art: Ten Course Tasting Menu for the Produce Loving Foodie, Jim Thorpe, PA
• May 27: Veggie Pride Parade NYC 2012, New York, NY
• June 2: Veggie Pride – Chicago, Chicago, IL
• June 9: 2nd Annual VegFest Houston, Houston, TX
• June 9:  Flagler County’s first-ever Vegan Fest, Flagler Beach, FL
• June 16 – 17: The Seed Vegan Expo, New York, NY
• June 27 – July 3: 38th Vegetarian Summerfest, Johnstown, PA
• July 1: First Annual Victoria Vegan Fest, Victoria, BC
• July 7: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary July Jamboree, Woodstock, NY
• July 19 – 23: National Health Association: Healthy Living Conference, Hallandale Beach, FL
• August 2 – 5: Animal Rights 2012 National Conference, Washington, DC
• August 2 – 4: BlogHer ’12, New York, NY

Are you organizing an upcoming vegan event? Send me the details!

This week on the blogs

JL goes Vegan

• MONDAY: First Annual Connecticut Vegetarian and Healthy Living Festival: A Recap.
• WEDNESDAY: Socca. Finally.
• THURSDAY:  This week on I Eat Plants: An interview with a chef + Cinco de Mayo (vegan-style) and my Red Radio interview.
• FRIDAY:  Vegan Food Activism on Our Hen House + NYC volunteer opportunities at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.  Also on Friday, Healthy Living Blogs posted an interview with me as part of their Friday Feature series.

Stop Chasing Skinny

Have you stopped chasing skinny? Submit your story today!

Good Friday morning to you!  I’m on my way up to Harriman State Park in New York to help out at the TriRock triathlon.  My racing – most likely a duathlon this year – will happen later in the summer so I’m excited to volunteer for this early race.

As many of you know, I serve on the advisory board of Our Hen House.  At a recent meeting with OHH co-founders Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan they asked me what I had been up to. I told them and the next thing I knew I was (happily!) writing a guest post:

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the piece If You Write It, They Will Read; If You Bake It, They Will Eat: Vegan Food Activism With JL Fields and I hope you’ll share your “food activism” stories in the comment section of the post on Our Hen House.

You also probably know that I am on the board of directors for the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.  For New York City WFAS fans who find it tough to get upstate to volunteer, I have two ways for you to get involved in NYC:

• Join WFAS at the NYC Veggie Pride Parade on May 27.

This event is a fun annual tradition where the streets of the Village are temporarily taken over by a peace-loving mob of kale-crunchers. It all ends in a daylong exhibition at Union Square Park.  Contact WFAS if you’d like to volunteer or march with the WFAS team. Show your support and veggie pride!

• On June 16 and 17 WFAS will be at The Seed (a vegan experience in SoHo, for which I serve as an advisor). Can you volunteer at the exhibit table?  Contact WFAS!

If you do plan to visit Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, you may want to go up on June 2 for this fabulous event:

Have a great day!

I am loving the responses to the socca post yesterday! I was so happy to learn that there are many socca fans but also that I wasn’t the only one who delayed the skillet flat bread experience. If you missed the post, be sure to check out my Socca-Style Pizza “Bread” recipe!

Last week I announced my new online column on Small Bites, the food blog of my local paper. This week in I Eat Plants I interview a non-vegan chef of a non-vegetarian restaurant about why he is so vegan-friendly.

I hope you’ll check it out. Tonight Dave and I are going to the five-course beer tasting dinner that I mention at the conclusion. Woot!

Elsewhere this week:

• My latest piece for ElephantJournal.com is up: Cinco de Mayo – Vegan Style!
• I’m on Red Radio! Yep, Erin Red interviewed me about going vegan, being an activist and how and when I stopped chasing skinny. Take a listen!

Hope you’re having a great day!

There are some food blog trends I just don’t jump on right away.  I fought the green smoothie. Then I made one and wondered what took me so long. Love affair!  It took me quite awhile to try overnight oats and when I did I knew why I resisted. They are not at all for me.

Then I heard about socca.  A lot. I saw many recipes and clearly this was very easy to make and quite the rage. I simply wasn’t interested.  Over the weekend, however, I decided it was time to finally try this “flat bread.”  I put out a request on Twitter, asking for favorite socca recipes that required baking (versus stove-top or broiler methods). Katelyn of New Kid on the Vegan Block directed me to her favorite recipe.

I followed Katelyn’s recipe and used a 15-inch cast iron skillet (it’s huge but the only cast iron that I have).  The only thing I would change next time is to bake it a few minutes longer and skip the broiler step. As you can see, my broiler is quite uneven and browned it way too much on one side; it was actually a gorgeous golden color straight out of the oven.

One bite of the socca and I got it. It rocks.

Inspired by a tweet from The Spicy Vegan about a fabulous bean and tomato dip she created in the Vita-Mix I decided to whip up a dip/spread for the socca.  I had cooked chickpeas in the refrigerator (made the day before, in the pressure cooker, with a little olive oil, garlic, onion and lime juice) and dumped one and a half cups (about the same amount as a full can of chickpeas) into the Vita-Mix. I added a can of diced tomatoes (with juice), two cloves of garlic, a pinch of cumin and the juice of half a lime.  I blended it for less than a minute and the result was a very creamy dip / spread.

Next time I will use less tomatoes or more chickpeas, as the tomato flavor was strong when I sampled it from the blender.  However, once I spread it on the socca and took a bite, the tomato taste was very tempered.  This piece of socca and dip, with a side salad, made for a perfect lunch.

Fully on the socca bandwagon, the next day I decided to try a pizza.  The result wasn’t quite socca and it wasn’t quite pizza. It was, however, quite delectable.