After breakfast yesterday, I joined LynnAnn’s “upper body strength” class. We stood, sat on chairs & laid on aerobic steps (which were set up at an incline) for these exercises, which included bicep curls, tricep dips, chest press, bent over rows, and crunches (inc. obliques). We were instructed to choose one lighter weight and one heavier weight as certain muscles are naturally inclined to take more weight (like your chest). One thing about exercising here is the you always stretch before and after an exercise -and none of this 3-second stretching stuff. There is also a concentration on breathing, which is helpful because if you learn to exhale on the movement, you can propel yourself through exercises you never thought possible. I have to say they make the exercise environment here incredibly inviting. Everywhere you turn at Green Mountain at Fox Run, there are pitchers of ice-cold water. In the weight room, there are instructions next to each machine. Gotta love it!

After my upper body had its work out, I moved on to mental exercise with Darla’s class, “Messages from the Past,” which is a class on body positivity. This was intense. Darla started the class by reading the blog post, “Deah, just take off your damn shoe!” posted here on the site/blog, “Leftovers to Go.” We were all taken back to that time that we, too, found society’s message as a pebble in our shoe. We then completed a worksheet where we filled in our experience with our body at different time frames in our lives and what influential events & experiences coincided (or prompted) our perception of our body at these times. There is no doubt that the two life events that coincided with my most self-hate (& excess weight) were the time of my parents’ separation and high school. We were allowed to discuss our worksheet with the pal sitting at our table and I found that sharing allowed me to remove some of the burden of this knowledge while also feeling safe and understood. I guess that’s one of the greatest appeals of this place — you know that while everyone has unique struggles, perspectives & life experiences, they can all empathise. The last exercise of the class entailed us putting our hands on our heart, closing our eyes, then moving our hands to the area of our body we’re most critical of, and repeating a few different phrases to ourselves that Darla repeated. I put my hands on my stomach, which has, since a prepubescent child, been my main source of bodily frustration. I’m usually not inclined to like this kind of “close your eyes” stuff. I’m realizing I associate emotional behavior with lack of self-control as well as with mental illness (which I’ve witnessed). This may explain my inability to label my feelings. Anyhow, when Darla repeated the phrase, “I’m sorry I’ve been so mean to you,” the water works came on (and even now as I type, I feel my eyes welling up – jeez!). I feel angry. I’m angry that my first response toward myself has always been, “you’re not good enough,” or some sort of shaming or negativity. Wtf, Bella? But, as we learn here – we can start practicing self-love and make positivity the habit. It just takes time, practice & patience. I’m ready! Are you??????

After a 3-mile run in the gym and dinner, I, along with everyone else, had the pleasure of being instructed by the chefs on how to cook a variety of greens, including bok choy, ornamental (purple) kale, rabe & swiss chard. Most of the dishes included a couple teaspoons of olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, shallots & rice vinegar. If you haven’t been following my Facebook page, then you may have missed that I am obsessed with Aaron’s cooking – he’s the vegetarian (since 8!) chef who’s been preparing all of my vegan meals with love. You can check out his site, Localvore Catering, here.

Check out our handsome chef crew, David & Aaron:

A few cool things I learned from the demonstration are:

• if you roll a lime or lemon, you release some of the membranes inside, making it easier to squeeze once you cut it open
• season high (literally. season from higher so that salt & pepper doesn’t just plop on one vegetable leaf)
• a shallot can be described as a red onion mixed with garlic and it’s used in a lot of vegan dishes because it has a buttery taste.

What a fun day!

…I can’t believe today is Friday and that tomorrow I leave.

<3,

The Cranky One

1. My feelings on animal-centered amusement parks are evolving. Went to the Long Beach Aquarium with my mom and niece and couldn’t help but feel – gee – is this aquarium just another example of people’s exploitation of animals? I don’t think anyone could argue that it’s not. I know I sound like such a downer – but, seriously, after watching The Cove my eyes have been opened as to how these sorts of places tie into larger challenges with animal exploitation. And, adding to my belief that we’re so schizoid in our sentiments about ethics: a cafe at the Aquarium boasted fish tacos on the menu. That’s like going to a museum of natural history and then eating at their restaurant…where they’re serving people on kebabs. Just sayin’.
2. Remember I mentioned here that I go out to eat at least once a week and only order an iced tea? My trip above proved no exception. We went to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., located across the street from the LBA, and, clearly, I didn’t deem anything on the menu worthy of its price or hassle to veganize (options were scarce even for vegetarians – this place does, after all, have “shrimp” in its namesake!). And, again, I don’t mention these food-tease outings to complain, but rather to illustrate that I am sufficiently happy to dine with others and wait til later to enjoy my own cooking. And, man was that worth the wait.
3. My elbow is pretty much 100%. How do I know? Well I didn’t faceplant in crow pose today. And *grins* I can do chin ups again. Yeya.
4. I think I food shop too much because Trader Joe’s is like my Cheers: everyone there knows my name. It’s creepy in a wonderful sort of way. And, today as I was browsing, I appreciated all of the cool new (or at least new to me) vegan items they have in the freezer section (all sorts of Asian-food-inspired entrees, sides and soups; veggies; grains; ice cream (obvs. my fave is the vegan mochi, which I’m still obsessed with); and a new salad dressing in the fridge section (HUMMUS salad dressing!). And, I love how vegan foods are easily identifiable w/ the “v” symbol they use.
5. Re-watching The Royal Tenenbaums with my boyfriend made me realize how much I love the movie and how much it reminds me of one of my favorite novels, Franny and Zooey. I have an affinity for representations of dysfunctional families – especially families involving artsy children. Not that I have anything in common with that.
6. Is anyone else watching Platinum Hit? It’s become part of my Friday tradition. I love watching the contestants come up with lyrics and melodies at the drop of the hat. Very inspiring! I’m a big fan of Jes – I love the tone of her voice and she has quite a range!
7. I did not work out enough this weekend :/ But, I have this week (and forever lol) to make up for it — I think I’m more of a weekday warrior than a weekend warrior. And, I plan on weighing in on Thursday with stats for the past week and a half, since I plan on doing some cool new workouts I want to talk about
8. I can’t wait to share the recipe for these vegan corn dog minis tomorrow:

They’re made with wholesome ingredients, taste delicious and are sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

Any random thoughts on the weekend to share with me?

Night night!

<3,

The Cranky One

Hey guys!

A friend of mine recently came to me because he found out his daughter was intolerant to gluten. I do not live a gluten-free lifestyle, but have access to many of you in the blogosphere who do, so I reached out to my friends on Twitter and have compiled the resources you pointed me to. I also hope to reach out to more of you via this blog post. Here’s what I’ve gathered so far:

What is Gluten Intolerance? Celiac Disease?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and malt. People who are intolerant to gluten thrive on a gluten-free diet and may or may not have Celiac disease (apparently it’s hard to test for and results are often unreliable). Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder (not an “allergy”) in which the gluten protein cannot be tolerated by an individual and actually causes damage to the small intestines (and prevents nutrients from absorbing into the system). Untreated, Celiac disease can lead to a person becoming malnourished and/or getting osteoporosis, thyroid disease and/or cancer. So, it is imperative that people with this disease eat a gluten-free diet. The symptoms of gluten intolerance include: abdominal cramping/bloating, diarrhea, constipation, depression, and anemia (among lots of other unsavory things).
Tasty Yummies’ Pumpkin, Ricotta & Gruyere Gluten-Free Pasta

Reliable Resources:

• Celiac Disease Foundation
• Celiac Sprue Association
• Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation
• Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program
• Gluten Intolerance Group of North America
• National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
• This gluten-free cheat-sheet [click here] created by Allison St. Sure of Sure Foods Living and posted on Cook IT Allergy Free is awesome since it lists what grains are not allowed on a gluten-free diet, common foods that contain wheat, ingredients that may contain gluten, foods & other things to watch out for (like soy sauce and hoisin!), and the grains, flours & starches that are permissible on a gluten-free diet.

Gluten-Free Recipe Blogs

This is not an exhaustive list, and while I am vegan and some of the below are also vegan, my friend and his daughter are not, so any non-vegan recommendations would be appreciated as well!

• Celiac Chicks
• Cook IT Allergy Free [they've got an iPad and iPhone application for gluten-free eaters here]
• Diet Dessert ‘n Dogs
• Gluten Free Easily
• Gluten Free Girl
• Gluten Free Goddess
• Gluten Free Mommy
• Green Vegan Living
• Sure Foods Living

Gluten Free Products

I know that gluten-free eaters need to be wary of cross-contamination and proper labeling, so these are some products that are explicitly marketed as gluten-free (not an exhaustive list):

Breads/Tortillas

• Dr Schar brand
• Ener-G brand
• Food for Life’s Ezekiel Bread
• Glutino brand
• Udi’s brand

Cereals

• Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes
• Bakery on Main Gluten Free Granola
• Brookfarm Gluten Free Macadamia Muesli
• Enjoy Life Gluten Free Cereal
• Erewhon Gluten Free Cereal
• Nature’s Path Organic Gluten Free Cereal
• Udi’s Granola Gluten Free Cereal

Cookies

• Dr. Lucy’s <–I’ve tried these and they are amazeballs
• Glow Gluten Free

Crackers

• Crunchmaster <–I’ve tried these and they are amazeballs
• Mary’s Gone Crackers <–I’ve tried these and they are amazeballs
  

Frozen Foods

• Amy’s Kitchen – See their Gluten-Free line
• Bell & Evans – See their Gluten-Free line
• Caesar’s Pasta – See their Gluten-Free line

Dry Pastas

• Ancient Harvest Gluten-Free Pastas
• Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Pasta

Other

• If you would like to try your hand at baking some gluten-free goodies, Bob’s Red Mill offers lots of gluten-free flours (I usually see people using a mix of chickpea and fava flour for best results) – see here
• Also, note that grocery chains like Trader Joe’s explicitly mark “gluten free” on their gluten-free products and have a list here [links to PDF] of those items. You can also check out Gluten Free Pantry here - they are an online store featuring gluten-free pantry items.
• There are tons of awesome gluten-free cookbooks, including BabyCakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles
• Check out No Meat Athlete’s guide to gluten-free (& vegan) baking here
• Check out Oh She Glow’s compilation of Panera-inspired GF (& vegan) baked goods here

Eating Out

Restaurants are becoming more and more knowledgeable of gluten-free eating and are making clear designations on their menus of gluten-free options. Any recommendations of specific restaurant chains that are especially good at catering to gluten-free eaters?

Can You Help?

If you have any suggestions, tips, resources, etc., please post in the comments section. I know my friend is so appreciative of any help!

<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

Since it’s winter break and I’m making a point to truly sit back and reflect on ways to ensure that I can maintain a healthy diet even when times get really tough (as they did last semester and as they will, invariably, next semester), I thought I’d share some of the ways I’ve been planning meals to save time (and money!):

• Find recipes that are easy, cheap, delicious and easy to spice up. Make a batch of one or two of your fave recipes on Sunday night and eat them throughout the week. I always change up recipes by adding different spices, a different type of bean, salsas, turning it into a soup, eating it with hearty whole grain bread, adding hot sauce, etc.
• Make sure your pantry and fridge are stocked with the staples, like beans, veggie broth, vegetables & fruits, non-dairy milk and …

Tortillas, pitas

Canned organic tomatoes. If you’re weary about BPA from cans, try Eden’s new amber glass jarred tomatoes

Brown rice [basmati pictured] and other whole grains

Tofu, tempeh, or seitan

• Get creative!

Some of my favorite things to make from these staples include:

Pictured: brown rice, lentil bolognese, & tofu taco “meat”

I love to make lentil bolognese, which only requires a few ingredients (& a bit of chopping). It has 85.83 calories, 0.95g fat, 5.53 g fiber, 4.44g protein per 1/2 cup serving.

I also love to have a batch of brown rice (made without oil) ready as a blank palette. Per 1 cup cooked, brown rice has 216 calories, 2g fat, 10mg sodium, 45g carbs, 4g fiber, 1g sugars, 5g protein. I like to eat 1/2 cup cooked brown rice with steamed veggies, in stir frys, with tofu or Italian Tofurkey sausage with veggies or edamame (pictured below).

Having a batch of cooked beans or canned beans around comes in super handy to throw into salads, burritos, enchiladas,

I love to simply saute chickpeas with a tablespoon of hoison sauce and throw into tortillas with spinach. A half cup of cooked garbanzo beans has 143 calories, 1.3g fat, 359mg sodium, 27.1g carbs, 5.3g fiber, 5.9g protein.

Recipe for Tofu “Taco Meat”

Ingredients

• One package organic firm tofu, drained
• One 14.5-oz can organic diced tomatoes (I like to use fire roasted)
• Two teaspoons vegan taco seasoning (from Trader Joe’s)

Directions

• Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray, heat on medium heat, saute tofu with all ingredients while breaking up into crumbles. Cook for about 10 minutes, until tofu and tomatoes absorb some of the extra water.
• Nutritional information per 1/2 cup serving (7 total): 65.35 calories, 2.85g fat, 237mg, 1.36g fiber, 6.21g protein
• Serve in corn tortillas with lettuce, salsa (cilantro, diced jicama, guacamole, etc.!)

Local Events Coming Up

• Vegan Cooking with Chef Joni Newman, author of The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, at Whole Foods Market in Long Beach this Thursday the 13th, 6 – 8:30 pm. Free! See here.
• The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life book signing with Melisser Elliot at Doomie’s Home Cookin’ in Los Angeles, this Friday the 14th, from 7-9 pm. [via Quarry Girl]

Do you plan your meals for the week or take it day by day? What are your fridge and pantry staples?

<3,

The Cranky One

If at first you don’t succeed…
Round 1: Lopsided coconut turds

Add more flour. Words to live by!
Round 2: Perfection! [photo cred]
I had to borrow my “after” picture b/c these cookies disappeared more quickly than the clothes of sorority girls on spring break!

Vegan Coconut Macaroons
Original recipe from Veganbaking.net here, revised a bit below

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup non-dairy milk
• 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups shredded coconut
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, non-dairy milk, brown rice syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Mix in the shredded coconut.
• Now add in the all-purpose flour and mix until well incorporated.
• Form mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet (I recommend using foil paper sprayed with cooking spray or parchment paper – these suckers do stick). Bake for 10-15 minutes.

My boyfriend loved ‘em and he’s a macaroon connoisseur

Try these for Thanksgiving!

<3,

The Cranky One

Comforting. You make almond milk tea a la Fitnessista & HEAB

Try it — 40 calories and it will blow your mind. I heat 1 cup of water with 1 cup of almond milk, then add tea and steep as usual. Sweeten with stevia. Tastes better than Starbucks, no lie!

Heart-warming. You spend the day baking with your adorable niece. I’m still finding flour handprints across the house like little happy ghosts.

Delicious. You then enjoy the products of the baking…
Vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies inspired by Keri’s Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies [here] – Recipe to follow

Mind-boggling. You watch “Wonder Pets” with your niece which features a Bengal Tiger who only likes her celery with curry. You sit fixated wanting both to gouge your ears so as not to hear another song and yet transfixed, wondering where in the world Wonder Pets will go next….turns out Costa Rica! Woo-hoo! My mom’s homeland. Apparently there’s a gecko there that needs saving…
They’ve got a very vegan message, if you ask me.

Balanced. You read an 18th c. satire by Daniel Defoe to balance out the lost IQ points from Wonder Pets.

[source]

Redeeming. You hit the gym, rocking your Medusa-like afro, and find that running is getting easier on your knees, and you’re able to rock 6 miles. The strength training must be helping. Talk about a gratifying feeling!
Frightening people with my hair since 1983

Worth sharing…

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (Recipe based off of Keri’s vegan Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies here; referred to me by VegMuffinMan); I tried to health-ify them a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons soymilk
• 3/4 cup vegan organic sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together flours, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together vegan butter, apple sauce, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla extract.  Gradually add in dry mixture until well combined. Fold in oats, and chocolate chips and evenly distribute. Spread by heaping tablespoon onto a cookie sheet, by the dozen. Bake 10-15 minutes.

• 28 Servings
  Amount Per Serving
  Calories		119.1
  Total Fat		5.2 g
  	Saturated Fat	2.1 g
  	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.1 g
  	Monounsaturated Fat	1.6 g
  Cholesterol		0.0 mg
  Sodium		35.8 mg
  Potassium		32.8 mg
  Total Carbohydrate		17.3 g
  	Dietary Fiber	1.2 g
  	Sugars	9.2 g
  Protein		1.5 g

  Vitamin A	0.2 %
  Vitamin B-12	0.2 %
  Vitamin B-6	0.3 %
  Vitamin C	0.1 %
  Vitamin D	0.0 %
  Vitamin E	0.4 %
  Calcium	0.3 %
  Copper	2.6 %
  Folate	0.4 %
  Iron	1.8 %
  Magnesium	2.1 %
  Manganese	4.3 %
  Niacin	0.5 %
  Pantothenic Acid	0.4 %
  Phosphorus	1.4 %
  Riboflavin	0.7 %
  Selenium	2.7 %
  Thiamin	1.0 %
  Zinc	0.9 %

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

Enjoyable.

How were your weekends?! Have a Starbuck’s swap to share?

<3,

The Cranky One

The school year started up again, which means the luxury of making delicious vegan food from scratch is limited…or at least contingent on my work-load. So, I’ve found a product (new to me, but not new on the market) that has been helping me munch between activities…behold….

LightLife Smart Dogs Veggie Protein Links

Yes, it’s a vegan hot dog. And, yes, it’s a processed food. You guys know I usually stray from these types of foods, but like my Italian Tofurkey sausage, there are just some foods that I’ll bend the rules for. Plus, I like to consider these foods vehicles…

for my peach salsa, cucumber, onion, lettuce, whole-wheat bread, what-have-you.

Here are the stats:

Nutrition
Per Single Serving
Serving Size (1) link (42g)
Servings per package: 8

Ingredients: Water, soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, evaporated cane juice, less than 2% of: natural flavor (from vegetable sources), natural smoke flavor, garlic powder, paprika oleoresin (color and flavor), yeast extract, xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, fermented rice flour, salt, potassium chloride.

I’ve read mixed reviews about these hot dogs, but I think they’re great. Obviously, if you heat one up and eat it alone it’s not going to taste exactly like a real-meat hot dog.  I think that’s a good thing. Like with any other hot dog, the focus is on the toppings, no? Plus, only 45 calories each and no fat = good. Compared to the 240 calories in each of my fave Tofurkey Italian sausages, it’s a nice swap once in a while.

You can find these at Trader Joe’s. To see other vegan meat substitutes, click here.

What are your guys’ favorite vegan or vegetarian hot dogs or sausages? Any brands I should try?

Give-Away Alert

• Wanna win a P90X DVD set? All you have to do is comment. You have ’til Sept. 31. [here] Don’t all of you enter ‘cuz I wanna win, too!
• Wanna win a pair of Lucy work-out pants? Click here – you have ’til Friday

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. Curiosity talkin’ here: Did you hear Starbucks is going to remove the “Tall” size option from their Drive-Thru menus (though they’ll still offer the option). Do you think this is really to make it easier on the consumer (as they say), or is it to make less people opt for the small size? Thoughts?! [read here]

Some of my fave items from Trader Joe’s…

Any new grocery store finds that make the “fave” list?

Enjoy my lisp!

…and tune in later for Nadia’s 11th (wow!) weight-loss update!

<3,

The Cranky One

I’ve received a response from my e-mail to Claim Jumper regarding their vegan options and the following are their suggestions:

“The following is a list of selected items that are/can be prepared Vegan with little or no alterations:

• Soft Pretzel — Comes brushed with butter, so ask for no butter
• Candied Walnut and Asian Pear Salad — Ask for no Blue Cheese Crumbles
• California Citrus Salad — Ask for no Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Crunchy Spinach Salad — Ask for no bacon, or feta cheese
• House Salad — Ask for no bacon, egg, cheese or croutons
• Our Citrus Dressing is the only Vegan salad dressing option, but it is delicious!
• Roasted Vegetable Soup
• Thai Cole Slaw
• Shoestring French Fries
• Fresh Charbroiled Asparagus
• Seasonal Roasted Vegetables or Steamed Vegetables
• Baked Potato
• All of our pizzas and calzones can be made without cheese.
• Our sourdough bread, French bread, wheat bread, and squaw bread are all made without eggs, milk or whey.

We are currently in the process of compiling nutritional data on our vegetarian items and that information will be posted as soon as it is available. I hope this information is helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me again if you have any additional questions or need any clarification. Thank you for choosing to dine with us!” Thanks, Claim Jumper, for taking the time to respond!

My original post dated April 6th, 2010:

Hey guys!

Oh Claim Jumper. l love your big booths, your dim lighting and your chocolate cake the size of my large 5-head. But, you’ve got some issues. Like, maaaaaajor issues. Freud would call them attachment issues — you’re totally attached to high calories and perhaps this is a subconscious effort to remain childishly plump, but you’ve got to grow up sometime and grow a pair…of discriminating and fully-conscious eyes (all the better to see nutritional info. with! buhaha!)

Here are the vegetarian options at Claim Jumper and ways I think you can make them vegan. I’ve noted the nutritional info. for these items because, well, it’s shocking (but we knew that already!). They recently did something abominable…they got rid of their veggie burger (it was a Boca patty loaded with avocado and caramelized onions) and my go-to item! They’ve replaced it with a vegetable sandwich with goat cheese and portabello mushroom. Bleh. It tastes alright (though I get it without cheese and the huge mushroom, and change the bread lol), but it’s no veggie burger and it’s also harder to de-calorie-fy (<– yep, that’s a word

Vegetarian Options

Appetizers

Fire Roasted Artichoke (Seasonal)
Marinated and grilled artichokes served with garlic mayo 10.95
1165 calories, 13g sat. fat, 1986mg sodium, 35g fiber, 23g protein
Bottom line: Well stab my (artichoke) heart — run away from this “vegetable” dish that’s really fat with a side of artichoke! Presumably vegan if you don’t use the mayo,but who cares? Don’t eat it.

(Small Bite) California Quesadilla
Grilled corn tortillas filled with jack & cheddar cheese, fresh avocado, green onions, mild salsa & black beans. Served with salsa ranch 10.95
834 calories, 22g sat. fat, 1504mg sodium, 9g fiber, 31g protein
Bottom line: By “small bite” they must mean “feat in engineering”! How you can inject that many calories in something small is crazy sauce! Split this with 4 friends and you’ll be alright except you’ll probably each just get a crumb since it’s a “small bite.” To veganize you’d have to ask for it w/o cheese and verify the beans are not cooked in lard.

(Small Bite) Oven Roasted Tomato Flatbread
Baked in our stone hearth with alfredo sauce, mozzarella and smoked gouda cheese, roasted herb tomatoes, fresh oregano topped with fresh spinach 4.95
591 calories, 17g sat. fat, 970mg sodium, 3g fiber, 20g protein
Bottom line: What did you expect? It has alfredo sauce and cheese! Can’t veganize this one.

Avocado Rolls
Wrapped with crushed chilies, sweet red peppers and fried crisp with ponzu ginger dipping sauce 9.95
894 calories, 6g sat. fat, 1883mg sodium, 15g fiber, 14g protein
Bottom line: Sounds delicious, but if I’d like to keep a lid on the junk in the trunk I’d see if they could steam instead of fry, and then I’d split with 4. This is potentially vegan — but you’d have to ask your server for the deets.

Nacho Platter
Melted jack & cheddar cheese, black beans, diced tomatoes top crisp chips with fresh guacamole, sour cream & chives. Served with mild & roasted salsas 8.25
2246 calories, 41g sat. fat, 2243mg sodium, 24g fiber, 77g protein.
Bottom line: A misanthrope’s delight. I think I gained a pound just reading about this dish.

Pizzas

Tomato Basil Pizza
Fresh roma tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and chevre cheese 9.95
1163 calories, 27g sat. fat, 2357mg sodium, 6g fiber, 54g protein
Bottom line: I’m noticing a trend in these dishes and wondering why I’m even bothering…

Classic Cheese Pizza
With marinara sauce, mozzarella and fresh oregano 9.95
Nutritional info. unavailable, but I think we don’t really need to confirm what we already can surmise, ya know what I mean?

Entree Salads

BBQ Salad
With corn, black beans, jicama, tomato, green onions, cilantro & crisp corn tortilla strips. Topped with sweet BBQ sauce and tossed with homemade ranch dressing 12.50
(Info. includes the version with chicken) — 1009 calories, 12g sat. fat, 2120mg sodium, 10g fiber, 65g protein
Lighter portion 9.50 (info. includes the version with chicken) — 701 calories, 10g sat. fat, 1310mg sodium, 5g fiber, 47g protein
Bottom line: I’d get the lighter portion (sans chicken, of course) and order without BBQ sauce, dressing or tortilla strips. I’d then add salsa for dressing. I can’t give exact nutritionals, but I guarantee that would knock off a few hundred calories and most of the fat.

Vegetarian Cobb Salad

Danish bleu cheese crumbles, avocado, corn, black beans, diced egg, tomatoes with homemade Danish bleu cheese dressing 12.50
(Info. includes the version with chicken and bacon) — 1829 calories, 41g sat. fat, 3104mg sodium, 12g fiber, 110g protein
Lighter portion 9.50 — 1265 calories, 30g sat. fat, 2080mg sodium, 7g fiber, 74g protein.
Bottom line: Unless you’re trying to win a contest for eating the most calorie-filled and protein-injected salad, stray far away from this beast. You’d have to take so many things OFF this salad to make it healthy or vegan, that you might as well get the produce bar and make your own.

Chinese Salad

Crunchy noodles, almonds, sesame seeds, green onions, carrots, basil and cilantro tossed with sweet & spicy peanut dressing 12.50
(info. includes version with chicken) — 890 calories, 10g sat. fat, 1483mg sodium, 8g fiber, 66g protein
Lighter portion 9.50 — 673 calories, 10g sat. fat, 1146mg sodium, 4g fiber, 46g protein
Bottom line: Not sure how the lighter portion has the same amount of fat as the hefty portion. Take off the crunchy noodles and get the dressing on the side if you’re vegetarian and health-conscious. If you’re vegan, avoid the dressing as well.

Entrees

Vegetarian Stuffed Baker Idaho
Stuffed with seasonal veggies, melted jack & cheddar cheese and fire-roasted salsa 9.95
818 calories, 17g sat. fat, 5124mg sodium, 14g fiber, 34g protein
Bottom line: If you’re vegetarian and order this “as is,” this is actually one of the best options on the menu calorie-wise. But why order “as is” when if you ask for “light on the cheese,” “no butter on the veggies” and “light oil,” you could knock off at least a hundred calories and more likely a couple. To veganize, I ordered without cheese, asked for a sweet potato instead of an Idaho (sweet potatoes are more nutrient-rich and DELICIOUS) and requested that my veggies be steamed without butter and no oil. I’m guessing the calories came in around 300 calories.

Vegetarian & Goat Cheese Sandwich
Marinated eggplant, zucchini and Portobello mushroom in balsamic vinaigrette with onion, carrots, sliced avocado, oven roasted tomatoes and field greens. Served on grilled herb bread with fresh pesto sauce and goat cheese 8.95
1227 calories, 17g sat. fat, 2215mg sodium, 19g fiber, 52g protein
Bottom line: If you’re a calorie-conscious vegetarian, order w/o goat cheese and with the pesto on the side (that way you can just dab a tiny bit — pesto alone has around 230 calories per 1/4 cup (per Calorie King)). I’d also switch the bread to a rye, whole-wheat or squaw. I’m waiting to hear back from Claim Jumper, but it’s usually safe to assume pesto is vegan.

Vegetarian Bow Tie Pasta
With spinach tortellini tossed with homemade alfredo sauce 12.50
Nutritional info. unavailable, but alfredo sauce + tortellini = calorie catastrophe.

Lighter portion 9.50

Bottom BOTTOM Line: Get the produce bar and a bowl of vegetable soup (82 calories per cup! and it’s made in veggie broth), or the vegetarian baked potato (w/o cheese for the calorie-conscious or vegans).

If you’re feeling crazy and un-vegan (then you’re probably one of my friends — hi!), you can order a slice of the Chocolate Motherload Cake (see what I meant about maternal attachment issues, CJ?). Coming in at 2723 calories and 55g sat. fat, you’ll be sure to feel a dare-devil’s euphoria even if just for a second. Keep your doctor’s (& therapist’s) numbers handy, though, the physical and mental remorse is sure to kick in at some point. You could always split a slice with your 20 closest friends.

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. I’ve sent an e-mail to CJ asking if the beans are vegan, if the herb bread is vegan and verifying a couple things (oh and also asking where I can find nutritional info. on the specifically “vegetarian options” like the BBQ salad w/o chicken). I’ll amend to this post when I get it.

p.p.s. Thanks to reader Sam for pointing me to this info.!