Last night, as my boyfriend and I were unwinding from Christmas festivities, we decided to throw caution to the wind and make baked goods the way people would after visiting a few houses with a never-ending supply of free booze — so, we didn’t consult a recipe or phone a friend, we just mixed together things we like and came up with the best vegan chai tea muffins ever. We should do this more often. And, next time, actually add booze to the muffin-making activity!

Vegan Chai Tea Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup organic sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup chai tea (I heated 1 cup water and brewed two bags of Ruby Chai Tea from Trader Joe’s – used 1/2)
• 2 Energ egg replacer eggs (3 tsp mixture stirred into 4 tbsp warm water)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cardamom

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Mix together first three dry ingredients, set aside
• In another mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Then, fold in dry mixture.
• We put the mixture into a 24-mini-muffin pan, but you could surely put the mixture into regular muffin pans or into a cake pan. It’ll take about 12-14 minutes for these to be ready as minimuffins. These are not “healthy,” unless you think spices and chai tea make up for an entire cup of sugar and nearly the same of canola oil. If you do, I like your logic – please come fix mine so we can both be happy.

These chai tea muffins made up for the fact that my Christmas dinner consisted of romaine lettuce, 2 Smart Dogs, and some peanut dressing. What can I say? Juggling the holiday season with work and a personal life has meant some things have to be put on the back burner like home-cooked meals, work outs and sanity. I’m not proud of those last two. I’ll ease the pain with another muffin!

I’m glad the Christmas “hustle” is over — the gift buying, etc. But I’m sad the spirit that goes along with it – that spirit that family time is mandatory no matter what’s on my work plate, that feeling that writing cards expressing how much you love someone is the right thing to do, that aura of forgiveness and charity, etc., slowly fades away as we make way to hustle now for another cause – the new year and all the baggage that comes along with it. I’m making extra sure that my favorite memories from Christmas 2011 are etched firmly in there: the words written in the card my boyfriend wrote me (something about love and all that , my three-year-old niece’s smile as she opened presents, and my newborn niece’s “thunder thighs.” Oh those thunder thighs are just the best…

<3,

The Cranky One

I don’t think I need many words to convince you that you should try this recipe…

Dense. Gooey. Healthy.

Yea, this ish markets itself. It’s vegan bread 2.0.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (I used white whole wheat; don’t use bleached or 100% white; if you’re going to use regular whole wheat, use 1/2 ww and 1/2 all-purpose, unless it’s whole wheat pastry flour, which you can use 100%)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze)
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 Energ-E egg replacer or flax egg
• sprinkle of sea salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (the Trader Joe’s ones are vegan)
• 2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries + 1 cup for garnish (use organic!)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 glass dish or loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix together flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl mix together banana, applesauce and liquid ingredients. If you haven’t mashed the banana separately, you can mash it with the liquid ingredients using a fork. When the liquid mix is relatively lump-free, add it to the flour bowl and mix. Add in salt. Fold in chocolate chips and 2-cups strawberries. Pour into baking dish and add a few sliced strawberries on top for the pretty factor.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes. It’s done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out dry.

Nutritional info.:

Nutrition Facts   User Entered Recipe
9 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		222.1
Total Fat		5.0 g
	Saturated Fat	2.8 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.3 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.1 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		158.2 mg
Potassium		298.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		44.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	5.9 g
	Sugars	19.3 g
Protein		4.2 g

Vitamin A	1.2 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	10.6 %
Vitamin C	50.4 %
Vitamin D	1.4 %
Vitamin E	5.0 %
Calcium	4.8 %
Copper	7.8 %
Folate	5.9 %
Iron	8.1 %
Magnesium	12.4 %
Manganese	79.1 %
Niacin	9.6 %
Pantothenic Acid	5.0 %
Phosphorus	10.8 %
Riboflavin	6.5 %
Selenium	27.8 %
Thiamin	9.2 %
Zinc	9.1 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Six grams of fiber a slice? Hot damn!

Eat up!

<3,

The Cranky One

Since the 4th of July is nearly a day away, I thought I would share appealing recipes I’ve found that would bode over well at a BBQ event (cuz, let’s face it – there’s nothing more American than roasting animal flesh over a grill lol (and oy!)). So, here are some vegan goodies you can bring along with you to convert the masses (*laughs maniacally*) & some great resources:

• VegWeb’s Fourth of July recipe compilation here.
• Oh She Glow’s long-weekend recipe compilation here. The asparagus potato salad and chocolate chip cookie dough balls sound particularly great!
• Chocolate Covered Katie’s Red, White & Blueberries recipe compilation here.
• Diet, Dessert ‘N Dogs’ Patriotic Eats compilation (sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan) here.
• Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad via Oh She Glows here.
• Yukon Gold White Bean Burgers via Peas & Thank You here. These look amazing!
• Southern Macaroni Salad via VegWeb here. Sounds delicious and it’s vegan, but it will sure break your calorie-bank if you haven’t pre-planned (so plan…?).
• Macaroni Salad (more healthy than above) via 101 Cookbooks here. Ditch the cheese.
• Tempeh & Potato Salad via Vegetarian Times here.
• Ginger Lime Edamame Sweet Potato Burgers via Choosing Raw here.
• OMG Oven Baked Onion Rings via PPK here.
• Perfect Grilled Portobellos via PPK here.
• Falafel Patties via Green Food, Green Thumb, High Heels here
• Tempeh BBQ Baked Beans via VegNews here.
• Frankie’s Vegan Spare Ribs via VegNews here.
• Homemade vegan sausages via VegWeb here.
• My “Chicken” Chickpea Salad here.
• My Pasta Bake here.
• My Cheddar and Rosemary Cornbread here.
• For dessert, try: VegWeb’s Strawberry Shortcakes here; VegNews‘ Fresh Strawberry Pie here; Dreena’s Vegan Recipe’s Pecan Pie here; PPK’s Magical Coconut Cookie Bars here or my lemon poppy seed cake here.
• Check out my list of store-bought vegan burgers here.

And, because I love to be bossy, here are some general etiquette and mind-your-health rules to keep in mind:

• 4th of July is a celebration of America’s independence and while that means you are free to eat like a sumo wrestler wading in a pool of potato salad with his mouth open, you can also exercise your independence not to. p.s. If you’re watching calories, stay away from potato salad, macaroni salad, etc. unless you made it. Even if it’s vegan, it’s usually calorific.
• As much as I love big hunks of meat dangled in front of my face – don’t. It was funny the first few times when you did it while saying slyly “mmm meat,” but I was mostly laughing at you. Do it again and I’ll throw your ass on the BBQ and chant “meat! meat!” while beating my chest.
• If you’re hosting a vegan to your BBQ and insist on providing her with vegan options, make sure they are indeed vegan options. I can’t tell you how many times (okay, only 3x) that someone has been so kind as to insist on providing me with non-meat bbq alternatives only to put me in a really awkward sitch when I read the label and find eggs in the hot dog buns and egg whites in the veggie patties, or when I see that you’re grilling my vegan sausage alongside real meat. Don’t let the meats co-mingle with the meat alternatives, people! Treat veganism like an allergy if you have to – yes, I am allergic to meat. I will die if you let my non-meat co-mingle with the meat meat.
• Remember that even one hot dog can set you back 300+ calories, so try to fill up on clean, whole foods like raw veggies, fresh fruit, salads, etc. Or, skip the hot dog bun and use a slice of sprouted bread, a piece of whole-wheat lavash bread or a nice big romaine leaf.

If you’re like most people I know, you’re going to eat meat (maybe I need to join meetup.com to find some local vegan friends, eh?). Here are some things you can do to mind your health:

• Choose organic. Just say no to second-hand drugs.
• Choose humane. (I hear the Vegan Police scoffing and saying “humane meat is an oxymoron!” but I am ignoring them). I am actually not sure there are hot dogs out there with the 3rd-party-verified “humane” certification. A simple Google search did not yield much…
• Choose “Uncured” or “No added nitrates.” Unfortunately, even “no added nitrates” hot dogs have nitrates in them – they’re just naturally occurring. The New York Times has an excellent article on nitrates in hot dogs here. Basically, “natural” hot dogs tend to be better, but they still have nitrates in them even when they say “uncured” or “no added nitrates.” Why are nitrates bad? Most scientists believe that consumption of nitrates is linked to an increased incidence of colon cancer and diabetes. Good rule of thumb – the less processed the better. If it’s some weird amalgamation of animal fleshes and loads of unpronounceable ingredients occur in the label, just say no. Applegate & Boar’s Head are the brands I see many of my healthy-blogger peers use.
• Choose low-sodium options.
  
• Try a SmartDog. I get that hot dogs can tie into nostalgia, but if you’re open to trying a healthy, delicious, non-meat alternative, I suggest SmartDogs. You’ll need two per bun to get the fulfilling bite-full, but you’ll still only rake in 90 calories, 0g fat & 12% of your daily iron. Only sucky thing is that two of ‘em will = 26% of your daily sodium cap, but eat clean the rest of the day and you’re golden!
• Watch your buns. Heh, “buns” But, really – it’s very hard to find 100% whole-wheat hot dog buns. Nature’s Own offers 100% whole-wheat hot dog buns, but they, unfortunately, also have dough conditioners in them. That aside, they’re one of the best options aside from using Ezekiel sandwich bread, or whole-wheat pitas as buns. You’ll be surprised that seemingly healthy options, like Oroweat’s 100% whole wheat hot dog buns, have high fructose corn syrup!

and, I leave you with this

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOM!

<3,
The Cranky One

A very special someone celebrated his birthday recently — someone who loves film, steam punk, archaeology and, apparently, cranky bloggers. Yep, that would be my boyfriend! He also happens to love poppy seed cake and, man, does he deserve one all to himself on his birthday.

Determined to make him the best vegan poppy seed cake out there, I found myself in a sticky spot when I couldn’t find a promising recipe online. Since I couldn’t risk a mediocre cake on someone who’s so clearly extraordinary, I decided to use the base of my favorite no-fail chocolate cake [via Vegweb here], omit the cocoa and add the lemon, almond and poppy seed flavors that I know he loves. It tasted like perfection and had a dense and super moist texture that made me wonder if the Cake God had come down and added her miraculous touch. It’s.that.good.

For all my health-conscious readers…this is not a “healthy” cake, so don’t bake it and then eat it out of the 9×13 pan with a shovel lol. Unless you’re the birthday boy (or girl), of course, in which case – dig in!

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake (AKA “Birthday Boy Cake”)

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups vegan sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick spray.
• Mix together first four dry ingredients, then add in wet ingredients.
• Make sure you mix thoroughly, then fold in poppy seeds
• Pour mixture into pan and bake for 40 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick to make sure it comes out dry (that means done and voila!)
• YUM!

Frosting

• I used my favorite butter cream frosting recipe from The Vegan Chef, here, but substituted one tablespoon lemon extract for the two teaspoons vanilla.

Nutritional Information for one 1/18 slice without frosting

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe 18 Servings Amount Per Serving Calories 253.9 Total Fat 10.2 g Saturated Fat 0.8 g Polyunsaturated Fat 3.4 g Monounsaturated Fat 5.5 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 269.9 mg Potassium 43.7 mg Total Carbohydrate 39.1 g Dietary Fiber 0.8 g Sugars 22.7 g Protein 2.5 g Vitamin A 0.0 % Vitamin B-12 0.0 % Vitamin B-6 1.0 % Vitamin C 3.6 % Vitamin D 0.0 % Vitamin E 9.8 % Calcium 3.2 % Copper 3.2 % Folate 1.8 % Iron 2.5 % Magnesium 2.9 % Manganese 14.0 % Niacin 1.4 % Pantothenic Acid 1.0 % Phosphorus 4.0 % Riboflavin 1.0 % Selenium 10.3 % Thiamin 2.9 % Zinc 2.3 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

It’s on my to-do list to “healthify” this cake by subbing in whole wheat pastry flour for the refined white flour, apple sauce & vegan sour cream for the oil, maple syrup for the sugar, etc. I’m sure it will taste like an entirely different cake, but hopefully it will still taste delicious and satisfy a hankering for poppy seed cake! I’ll keep ya posted.

<3,

The Cranky One

It was boxes of raisins. A sign above the basket read, “please take only one.” Yea, lady, no need to worry, seriously. We walked off shaking our heads.

Raisins?! Raisins?! That’s almost as bad as handing out toothbrushes on Halloween!

Easter was no exception for our anticipation of sugar and my parents always delivered. I can still taste a white chocolate and Oreo Easter bunny I was given. I remember my mom saying, “you don’t have to eat it all today.”

Duh, I don’t have to, mom! But I sure want to!

I ate it all that day. And it wasn’t even hollow. D’oh!

Older now. Wiser. And certainly less fun, I wonder if I’m slowly transitioning into that old lady who hands out boxed raisins and crushes the hearts of children everywhere.

As I perused the aisles of Target yesterday in the attempt to pick out Easter goodies for my niece, I kinda worried. I saw all of my childhood favorites – Peeps, Cadbury Eggs, plastic eggs filled with every chocolate candy I grew up binging on — Butterfingers, M&Ms, Reeses — stacks and stacks of different flavored Easter bunnies, jellybeans, cake mixes alongside Easter-themed frostings…I couldn’t help but wonder where to draw the line between not being that aunt who gives her niece raisins, the person who doesn’t project her insecurities about the past onto a 3-year-old who has no idea what a binge-eating disorder is and who has responsible parents to dole out the goods, and staying true to the little voice inside of me that said, “you can be a fun aunt AND still be vegan AND still be health-conscious.” That’s a lot of quandary to encounter in the middle of an aisle at Target, eh?

I think I’m just at that point where I’m beginning to wonder who I will be as a mother and standing there between the Dora-themed chocolate eggs and sheep-topped Pez dispensers, I had a glimpse of just how incredibly paralyzed I felt in determining what was the right thing to do. Is it rude or presumptuous to forgo giving your niece non-vegan goodies because you are vegan? Is one little pack of candy made with high fructose corn syrup and red dye 40 really the devil? Am I simply falling victim to nostalgia and marketing campaigns by thinking I really need to buy any of this anyway?

How will it be with my future (way future) children? Will my kids feel jipped and trade their lunch money for the taste of Twinkies and Ding Dongs that are forbidden at home? Will I actually “forbid” any food?

Then, doubt and insecurity vanished. No way! There really is no need to compromise. I’m going to be that cool mom that bakes the best and most delicious treats out there that are also purposefully healthy and vegan! And, if my kids want to taste a freakin’ Twinkie, they can go right ahead because I know they’ll end up disappointed and feeling bad for their peers who think those dessert-freak-of-natures are actually good. And, since I’m sure they’ll be googling and youtubing right after they pop from utero, I can show them this and ask them to google “where does gelatin come from.” Gotta love the information age. I think my approach will be all about open and honest communication.

That, and traumatizing them with this! BUAHAHAHAHHA!

I am evil.

While I think what, how and why you eat what you do is important, I think it’s more important to empower children to start thinking about those things for themselves. And perhaps simply lead by example when they’re too young to care? I can only sit here arm-chair theorizing.

Anyway. I decided to forgo the candy for my niece with the exception of some Florida Natural jelly beans made from fruit concentrate. There will be plenty of candy from elsewhere, guaranteed. And she can enjoy the cool activities and dvd of the Velveteen Rabbit that I got her instead

I do wish, however, that they had a vegan version of this chocolate bunny because this is insanely cool in a sick and twisted way that I fully appreciate…

And it would tie in great as a sequel to The Velveteen Rabbit, right? This is what happens to the stuffed rabbits that actually got incinerated dun dun dun! They turn zombie! And then into chocolate? Hmm there are too many meta narratives going on here, I can’t keep up.

Ok, spill. Am I the only one who’s had an identity crises in the middle of a food aisle? If you have children, how do you approach what you feed them? If you don’t have kids, and already worry about it like I do, how do you think you’ll approach it?

If you’re interested in making your own Easter treats this year, why not try some of the following?

• Oh She Glow’s Spring Chick Cupcakes [here]
• Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Healthy Easter Ideas [here]
• Vegan Dad’s hot cross buns [here]
• Golubka’s raw vegan quail eggs (these seem rather difficult to make yourself, but I just admire how they did this!) [here]
• VegWeb Vegan Cadbury Eggs [here]
• Vegan Sugar Cookies [here]

<3,

The Cranky One

The following recipe was inspired by 101 Cookbook’s Carrot Oatmeal Cookies recipe…until I realized that peeling baby carrots to make 1 cup of shredded carrot is about as fun as peeling my own fingers (since that’s what happens, and baby carrots were all I had on hand). So, I decided I’d take the base of the carrot oatmeal cookies recipe and turn it into a chai tea cookie (the inspiration for that was my overwhelming tea selection hehe!). These turned out amazingly delicious because the coconut oil with the shredded coconut and the subtle hint of chai and then the nut crunch…well…it’s pretty much heavenly. I made these with my soon-to-be-three-year-old niece who, I’m sure, filled the recipe with love.

Chai Tea Hazelnut Cookies (Vegan)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup multigrain hot cereal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup hot chai tea
• 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, heated

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Mix together dry ingredients, then add in wet ingredients.
• Place on cookie sheet (I lined with foil, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray)
• Cook for 10 minutes, until edges are golden brown

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
26 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		158.0
Total Fat		12.8 g
	Saturated Fat	9.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.5 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	1.8 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		64.1 mg
Potassium		53.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		12.9 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.1 g
	Sugars	3.7 g
Protein		1.6 g

Vitamin A	0.0 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	1.0 %
Vitamin C	0.4 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	2.0 %
Calcium	2.2 %
Copper	4.0 %
Folate	1.5 %
Iron	3.5 %
Magnesium	3.8 %
Manganese	31.6 %
Niacin	0.5 %
Pantothenic Acid	1.0 %
Phosphorus	4.2 %
Riboflavin	0.7 %
Selenium	0.1 %
Thiamin	4.0 %
Zinc	3.6 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

<3,

The Cranky One and her partner in crime
We’re special. The cookie sugar-high didn’t help.

I remember thinking she was crazy, but being intrigued by the reasoning behind her food choices. She is no longer blogging, but I still remember shaking my head at her eats and saying “never.”

…and we all know how “nevers” fare in my world

[source]

I bought my first box of dates from Trader Joe’s recently on a whim, anticipating I’d be disappointed, but eager nonetheless. I’ve seen a lot of vegan bloggers use these little cockroach-looking things in desserts and even savory dishes, but c’mon…how good can a palm-tree-fruit really be?

Damn freakin’ good. That’s how good.

Dates taste like a thick and gooey slice of  caramel-covered jam. They are insanely sweet. Maybe it’s my uber-sensitive taste buds from clean eating, but after one bite I actually made the squishy face that signifies “man, that’s sweet!”

And, it figures — dates are loaded with sugar! The nutritional composition of two large Medjool dates (40g): 110 calories, 0g fat, 10mg sodium, 31g carbs, 3g fiber, 27g sugars, <1g protein. <– That’s more sugar than what’s in a bear claw pastry from Panera Bread. But, with fruit, you get the sugars in an unrefined and more wholesome vehicle that also includes natural fibers

I scoured the web for recipes that involved dates and found loads of awesome-looking ones. I settled on a dateball (these are very popular among raw and vegan foodies).

Then, the day I planned on making them, I found out I had the perfect date…My niece!

And I didn’t want to introduce her to a dateball. I figured we’d have a better (& funner) use of our time (and her picky taste buds) if we made a muffin or bread of some sort. I wasn’t too impressed with the recipes I found online since they mostly called for white flours and refined sugars. So, I revised my favorite maple pumpkin spice bread recipe to include dates and please my favorite date.

(Perfect) Date & Pumpkin Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup grape seed or canola oil
• 3 tsp. Ener-G egg replacer mixed separately with 4 tbsp. water
• 1 cup organic pumpkin purée
• 3/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted & somewhat shredded
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Whisk together flours, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and allspice in large bowl.
• In a blender, blend together pumpkin and dates so that dates are chopped (not liquidized)
• Whisk together maple syrup and oil in separate bowl. Whisk in egg replacer, then pumpkin-date puree and vanilla. Stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture with spatula; add hazelnuts. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool on rack 5 minutes, then unmold, and cool on wire rack; or transfer to serving platter, and serve warm.
• Nutritional Information per slice (8 big slices total):
  

Nutrition Facts via SparkPeople Recipe Calculator User Entered Recipe
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		386.0
Total Fat		19.0 g
	Saturated Fat	1.6 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	4.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	11.4 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		175.6 mg
Potassium		273.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate		53.9 g
	Dietary Fiber	7.2 g
	Sugars	23.8 g
Protein		5.9 g

Vitamin A	95.5 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	4.5 %
Vitamin C	3.7 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	21.4 %
Calcium	10.0 %
Copper	10.8 %
Folate	3.9 %
Iron	9.1 %
Magnesium	7.7 %
Manganese	67.5 %
Niacin	2.5 %
Pantothenic Acid	2.9 %
Phosphorus	6.3 %
Riboflavin	2.3 %
Selenium	1.4 %
Thiamin	4.4 %
Zinc	7.5 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

This bread is insanely good. Like crazy good! Sure, a slice is full of calories, but look at the wholesome ingredients and remember that all calories are not created equal.

Want to read more on dates (the fruit kind, not the awkward Sex and the City kind)? Check out a cool write-up on NPR here.

Do you like dates? What are your fave date recipes? And, since I love wordplay – who is your “perfect date”? I gotta say, outside my niece and boyfriend, I’m pretty sure Neil Gaiman is my perfect date

<3,

The Cranky One

Dairy Free Mochi “Filled with creamy coconut milk in a trio of flavors: mango, coconut, chocolate”
Six-piece pack $3.49
I am in <3… I used to yearn for mochi – but no longer, no longer! One piece (and it’s big): 130 calories, 4g fat, 10mg sodium, <1g fiber, 15g sugars, 0g protein. These are freakin’ delicious – go get them now!

The ingredients list is rather decent in that most of the items are pronounceable and recognizable. The only exceptions include: maltodextrin (a food additive usually used to sweeten, so it’s often in candy bars), dextrose (aka glucose), carrageenan (a food additive, vegan, that works like gelatin and comes from seaweed). I will keep a box of these in stock for an occasional indulgence.

While the mochi, above, is the best Trader Joe’s new item, there are some other vegan finds worth mentioning:

Fully Cooked Falafel

For three falafel balls: 320 calories, 19g fat, 490mg sodium, 6g fiber, 5g sugars, 8g protein. The ingredients list is pretty legit, except that it does have enriched unbleached flour and a couple safe, though unnecessary, additives that made me not buy ‘em. So, I have no idea how they taste. If I may offer an alternative, I’d go for Falafel Republic’s falafel instead (sold at Costco) because they have less ingredients and way less calories and fat per serving (compare, for three: 210 calories, 7.5g fat, 630mg sodium, 6g fiber, 1.5g sugars, 10.5g protein).

Organic Oats and Flax (Individual Packets Oatmeal) $3.29 (8-pack)
These individual portions are cool enough — they’re vegan and have minimal ingredients. However, the second ingredient is “organic dehydrated can juice solids.” I’d skip these and opt instead for the “Organic Multigrain Hot Cereal” in TJ’s freezer section, or for Country Choice’s Organic Multigrain Hot Cereal (also sold at TJ’s) since you can choose to sweeten these or not.

Rice & Vegetable Bento Box
$5.99

For 1 serving (5 oz; about two in the box): 190 calories, 4g fat, 280mg sodium, 7g fiber, 3g sugars, 5g protein.

There are nine flavors in this box! 1. pumpkin (kabocha!) with shiso seasoning, 2. spicy long beans, 3. eggplant with miso paste, 4. soba salad with oyster mushroom, 5. shiitake mushroom with edamame and carrot, 6. baked tofu with teriyaki sauce, 7. brown rice with seaweed and sesame seed, 8. curry flavored brown rice, and 9. teriyaki flavored brown rice with vegetable.

I am impressed with how few funky ingredients there are given the amount of different flavors in this box! Some of the funkiness present includes: maltose (a refined sugar), coagulant (magnesium chloride – a chemical compound used in tofu products made from soymilk; it is considered safe), gellan gum (an emulsifier/thickener/and stabilizer). The silly thing is that all of these more questionable, though safe, ingredients appear in the tofu dish, so if you just didn’t eat #6, you’d be golden!).

I also wish the tofu used was organic…

Roasted Seaweed Snack
$0.99/pack

Per serving (1/2 package): 30 calories, 2g fat, 50mg sodium, 1g fiber, 0g sugars, 1g protein. Ingredients: seaweed, expeller pressed canola oil, sesame oil, sea salt.

Seems so weird to snack on seaweed, but ever since my band-mate’s wife got us the stuff for our road trip, I’ve loved it! Mmm tastes like the sea! Take that, Ursula!

Vegetable and Grain Salad (pre-made, in the refrigerator section with the pre-made sandwiches) $4.99
This is basically a bed of cabbage topped with marinated bulgur (in the style of vegetarian kibbeh). I love that the ingredients list is totally legit — nothing weird! Ingredients are: cabbage, cooked bulgur (marinated with olive oil), garbanzo beans, tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh dill, cumin, salt  & pepper. 190 calories, 9g fat & 6g fiber per serving (two total). Too bad this little package is so expensive

Other new products, vegetarian not vegan, that you might want to know about:

Sprouted Multi-grain Bread
This is Trader Joe’s version of sprouted Ezekiel bread. It would be worth to try if you’re interested in trying sprouted grain bread (which I love and have written about here), but only if you’re on such a severe budget that it’s worth the $0.50 cent difference you could use to get Ezekiel bread. The reasons Ezekiel bread is better include: organic, no additives, vegan and 100% whole grain. The Trader Joe’s version has honey, cornmeal and soy lecithin. TJ’s version is $2.99; Eziekel is $3.49

Whole Grain Tortillas $2.49/6-pack
These are new whole grain tortillas that have added flax and rolled oats. They actually seem rather decent except that they are not vegan (they have honey) and they have a few added ingredients that you won’t find in my favorite tortilla brand (you guessed it…), Ezekiel, such as guar gum, baking powder, & cultured wheat flour — none of these are harmful or from animal sources, they’re just simply not present in Ezekiel’s. These are also not organic. Per tortilla: 120 calories, 2.5g fat, 180mg sodium, 4g fiber, 1g sugars, 3g protein. Compare to Ezekiel: 150 calories, 3.5g fat, 140mg sodium, 5g fiber, 0g sugars, 6g protein. (Ezekiel $2.29/pack)

Found any new yummy foods or rediscovered an old favorite?

<3,

The Cranky One

Did you guys make any new year’s resolutions? Fellow blogger Rachel’s video post on the “Resolutionaries” invading the gyms was hilarious [here]! I’ve already seen the beach full with runners whereas, before the new year surge, I was one of a few running in the middle of the day. And while i don’t endorse this kind of “encouragement”…[source]

I also think being realistic about the long-term feasibility of goals is key (coming from someone who thought she could maintain a 2-hour work-out/day regiment. D’oh!) 

Anyway…

I didn’t make any resolutions that began specifically on Jan. 1st., since I use every day to evaluate and revise my goals, but I do use the new year spirit as an opportunity to suck up as much second-hand motivation as possible! And, even though I didn’t make a specific Jan. 1st goal, I really appreciated MizFit’s post asking the question: “If today were 12.31.11 & you were reflecting back on the year whats the BIGGEST healthy-living accomplishment you would have achieved in the previous 365 days?” For me, I want to be able to look back and say, “I’ve finally achieved a healthy body image and relationship with food.” I’ve made a lot of progress towards the goal, but it’s certainly something I still have a lot of work towards achieving this year. I think it’s important for me to evaluate what mini-goals I should strive for that will help me accomplish that big goal. I’ll also continue doing the things that make me feel fit and healthy like eating as clean as possible and running.

Outside of physical-health-related goals, I look forward to enjoying the things I’m passionate about — singing and writing — and the people (and fur babies) I’m passionate about! This will also be a year that marks a significant lifestyle shift as I finish my final semester as a master’s student and begin my search to find a full-time writing gig (that is if my singing career doesn’t serendipitously take off in a tour bus ). How exciting (and nerve-racking!)!

What’s something you want to have accomplished by 12/31/11?

Cool Stuff in the News

• Packaged meat to feature nutritional labels, effective Jan. 1, 2012 [here] Awesome! Wonder if  fruits and veggies will be next? Would that be necessary?
  
• “Humane” is to be a new label trend on grocery items now that research by the Chicago food industry shows that consumers rank animal welfare high on their list of concerns. “Whole Foods is launching a program developed by a group called the Global Animal Partnership that will rate products on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their animal-welfare standards” [here].
• Restaurant trendspotters predict that pies will replace cupcakes in prominence and that root vegetables will compete with meat as the star of entrees [here] Awesome news about the veggies!
• Hungry Girl premieres on Cooking Channel this Saturday, the 8th, at 4pm ET/1pm PT: “Tune in for guilt-free tips, restaurant-ordering tricks, Lisa (HG herself!) cooking in the kitchen, and all kinds of fun. The first episode is all about… PIZZA! Do NOT miss it. And don’t miss tomorrow’s email for a sneak peek at the episode!” [via e-newsletter here]
• Article about how the mind and body cannot be extricated when it comes to your health here: “The point now is that the emotional centers of the brain, which regulate our behaviors and our responses and our reactions, are physiologically connected with — and we know exactly how they’re connected — with the immune system, the nervous system and the hormonal apparatus. In fact, it’s no longer possible, scientifically, to speak of these as separate systems, as if immunity was separate from emotions, as if the nervous system was separate from the hormonal apparatus.”
• Calorie counts appearing on fast food menus in CA [here]

Happy new year, every one!

<3,

The Cranky One

Gotta make this quick — giant paper due tomorrow — but I wanted to share two amazing recipes from Thanksgiving, both from Post Punk Kitchen (recipes linked below).

Pumpkin Pie Brownie (Vegan)


Nutritional Facts per 1/8 slice (calculated via Spark Recipe Calculator): 319 calories, 12g fat, 4g fiber, 3.7g protein

Freakin’ delicious. Fickle taste-tester approved.

Cornbread Stuffing with Pears and Pecans (Vegan)

Nutritional information per 1/12 serving (calculated via Spark Recipe Calculator): 335 calories, 20.6g fat, 4.6g fiber, 6g protein

Even though this is technically two recipes in one — you gotta make the corn bread from scratch first — it is so worth the effort. Seriously. If you’re watching calories, just use less olive oil and add more veggie broth instead.

Thanksgiving was a great day, especially because it began with a 10k!  It was such a beautiful day for a run alongside the beach AND I beat my last 10k time of 1:08 and came in at 56:58! That translates to an approx 9:14 mile pace. I’m stoked. I’m definitely going to make the Long Beach Turkey Trot a tradition — it was a very well-organized race!

Three Interesting Articles to Share

• 11/28 – Op Ed in NY Times by Michael Pollan (<3!) and Eric Schlosser called, “A Stale Food Fight” here. Explains why the Food Safety Modernization Act should be passed.
• 11/27 – “The New Front in the Culture Wars: Food” in The Washington Post here
• 11/22 – “Divided We Eat: What Food Says About Class in America” in Newsweek here

Alright, off to finish my paper on an obscure piece of 18th c. British lit that nobody outside a tiny niche of academia cares about!

<3,

The Cranky One