The Politics of Health

I don't know if many of you have realized, buttttttttt it's election season. Are you as tired as I am of political calls, debates and candidate bashing?? I'm very hesitant to write a political blog because I really am not here to argue about politics with anyone (ahem, Jordan). I'm not here to tell anyone how to vote, because honestly, I still don't know who I'm going to vote for. I think all politicians are lying weasel scumbags, and that it's really the lesser of two evils in any election.

However, there are a few very important health related issues coming up in this election that I think people should be informed about. These are just issues that are personally important to me, and I understand that what I think is important may not matter to anyone else. The only thing that is important is that you vote and you make it an informed vote and stay true to what matters to you. No one who doesn't vote should be able to bitch about anything, ever. If you don't put your two cents in now, you don't get to later. Feel free to disagree with anything I have to say, but don't get nasty okayyyyy?!

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. First and foremost, for all my California voters out there, you've probably heard about Prop 37. In the food blogger and health food world, this is probably the biggest deal of anything going on. Prop 37, or "The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act," would basically require genetically modified food products to be labeled and would not allow these products to be advertised as "natural." All it is, is something that would allow consumers to know what they are consuming. It's common sense that this should be mandatory. However, there are some very big opponents of this proposition. Monsanto is a biotech company that was one of the first producers of very dangerous pesticides that are now banned in the U.S. They are also the largest financial contributer to the opposition of Prop 37. Recent studies have shown that rats that consume genetically modified food are more likely to develop cancers and die prematurely. GMOs go almost unregulated in the United States, despite the unknown side effects of these products.

The next issue is one that is very important to most of my friends, being that a lot of you are soon to be entering the health care field. And even if you're not, it's an issue that will affect everyone. Recent polls show that health care is the second most important issue for voters in this election (behind the economy and jobs). The two main presidential candidates differ in their opinions on every aspect of health care. The main component of the difference of opinions is the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Most people think that it is a law requiring everyone to have health insurance, and while true, that this is part of the Affordable Care Act, there are also other provisions that this act would mandate. It would require restaurants to publish caloric and nutritional information on their menus. It would also allow biologic drug manufacturers 12 years of production before generic versions can be developed. These two points, along with a few others were effective immediately. Other initiatives that would become effective over time, are contain provisions to not deny people health insurance coverage based on previous conditions and not require these people to pay higher premiums. Another aspect of this act would be the contraceptive mandate that would require insurance plans to cover many preventative treatments like mammograms and colonoscopies without a copay or deductible. This act also increases Medicaid eligibility and fines individuals and companies that do not have or do not provide health insurance. Keep in mind that this has already passed, and some of these things are already taking effect, while others are scheduled to take effect over the next few years; the issue is not whether or not this will pass after the upcoming election, but whether or not this will be repealed after the election. Since it is such a large overhaul to our existing health care system, there are obviously many controversies within the many aspects of this act, including funding of this system.

(Danielle, you should probably stop reading right here.)

The last thing I want to bring up is (okay ready for the eye roll) the environment. While I think it's great that we are importing less fossil fuels, I think we should be USING less fossil fuels. The United States uses more oil than any other country in the world, and argue if you will, but global warming IS happening. Every step of oil usage is a drain to our planet. Extracting it, transporting it, and then burning it. All bad. And while people may think natural gas is a healthier alternative for our environment, the effects of fracking can be devastating. It would be really awesome if we could explore some green energy sources, and reduce our energy consumption. We only have only planet and it would be cool if we didn't destroy it. Reduce, reuse, recycle. ;)

I know that there are some pretty serious issues going on in this country and to many people, the ones I've outlined here don't even make the top 10, but they are what's really important and interesting to me and most relevant to this blog. These are issues that will affect not only us, but every generation after us. I want my children and grandchildren to live in a safe, clean, healthy world, not some polluted, GMO-filled, cancer cesspool. I just want to emphasize that we are only given one body and one planet, and we should do our best to invest in and protect what we have and try not to fuck it up too badly.

Now enough with the politics, let's make some food!! :)

Pumpkin Cookies OMG.

There is nothing I love more about fall than pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I wait all year for them to start appearing in the grocery store. Every once in awhile you can catch them during the summer but the cinnamony-pumpkiny-chocolatey goodness is just not the same when it's hot out. So this week, in honor of the most perfect weather to ever hit Las Vegas, I decided to veganize them. I mayyyy have gone a little overboard because I made 6 dozen cookies. 6 dozen. 84 cookies. Good thing I've been working out a lot. What am I going to do with all these cookies?! Anyway, they are delicious and cakey and fluffy and exactly what I was craving. Here's my recipe for heavenly fall cookies. :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups brown rice syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!!!)
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used safflower oil)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (you can substitute the coconut oil and the vegan butter for more oil, but I like the flavor of this combo)
1 bag vegan chocolate chips (Ghiradelli chocolate chips are vegan!!)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the syrup, oil and butter in a really big bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The batter will be very wet. Scoop out about a tablespoon of dough per cookie onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes until cooked through. (P.S. Vegan cookie dough means you can safely eat it raw. You're welcome.)

Seriously, try not to eat them. 

Enjoy with a (soy) pumpkin spice latte, or my favorite, a soy chai. Yummm. Happy October everyone!!

Best Day of My Life.

If you know anything about me at all, you know I have a huuuuuuuge Jason Mraz obsession. I love love love Jason. I even have a Jason Mraz tattoo.

Smilers never lose and frowners never win, so let the sun shine in :)

Let me just break down the reasons I am a Mraz Maniac. First of all, he is so talented and witty and funny. His music can put me in a good mood no matter what. His voice makes my knees weak. He is a vegan!! (and I recently read an article where he said that being a vegan makes him better in bed! :o !!!) He lives on an avocado farm (and I love guacamole) in San Diego (one of my favorite places). He is a total hippie and cares about the environment and saving the planet and all that good stuff. But most importantly, and the biggest reason I love me some Mraz, is that he is exactly as awesome up close and in person as he is on stage and in videos and anywhere else you see him publicly.

Last year, my aunt and I drove 5 hours to and from San Diego just to go to his concert and turn right back around and come home. I thought that day was magical because I got to meet Toca, his drummer for that tour.

I know it's blurry, but it's what I've got.

Well yesterday, I topped the magic of that day. I went to Jason's concert here (yay!!! Thank you for coming to Vegas!!!!), and it was aMRAZing!!!!!!! I had much better seats this time (thanks Deedee!).

Anyway, aside from the spectacular performance, I got to meet Jason (and some other band members)!!!!!! 

Pinch me. That really happened.

Me and Mona Tavakoli

Praying that I can have his children??

By far, greatest thing that could ever happen to me. I'm still shocked that it did. I'm literally the happiest person on the planet. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you all my aMRAZing, perfect, spectacular, happiest day ever. 

"I've got peace in my heart, got peace in my soul, wherever I'm going, I'm already home." <3

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies!!

The best part of baking vegan treats is that you can lick the spoon (ok and the bowl) and not get sick from salmonella or other weird things. So today, on my favorite day of the week, while watching Lifetime movies (seriously, who comes up with these plot lines?!), I decided to make oatmeal cookies! They are super delicious and pretty healthy too. They are similar to the recipe in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, but I made a lot of alterations. Here's my recipe! :)

Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup oil (I used half coconut oil and half Earth Balance, melted, but any oil will work)
1/4 cup chopped nuts, I used almonds
1/2 cup dried fruit, I used 1/4 cup each dried cherries and golden raisins

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and combine thoroughly. The dough will be very wet. Stir in the fruit and nuts, and roll the dough into 1 inch balls (I just dropped mine in a little circle-like blob). Bake for 9-11 minutes. It makes about 28 delicious cookies!

Ta-Da!!! Heavenly. 

My Favorite Hippie Places in Vegas!

I have officially embraced my hippieness. I am a full-fledged, kombucha-drinking, vegetarian, hot yoga, Jason Mraz- loving hippie. Las Vegas is not a typical hippie epicenter, however, it is diverse enough to supply a couple of awesome places that I loooooove. Here are my absolute favorite hippie places in a very non-hippie city. 

My favorite place in the city is my kitchen, but to be there, I have to make a couple other stops first.

For grocery shopping, I love Sunflower Market and Trader Joe's. They have healthy products that are really affordable. I love Sunflower Market for the variety of bulk foods. They also have a lot of exotic flavors. I like Trader Joe's because of their selection of organic products. Plus they have a lot of healthy prepared and frozen foods for easy meals. Every once in awhile I want a really obscure product or some kind of organic vegetable that's hard to find, I'll go to my favorite place in the world, Whole Foods. I love it. It's expensive, otherwise I would shop there all the time. I love the food bar too ($5.99 on Wednesdays!!!!). Plus they sell desserts from one of my favorite restaurants, which leads me to...

The Red Velvet Cafe!!! Everything they have, they can make in a vegan version, but it's not their lunch that I love. It's their cookies!! All of their desserts (including the cookies sent from heaven) are vegan and less than 200 calories. The chocolate chip heaven cookies are fluffy little balls of buttery amazingness and are only 27 calories! 27 calories!!!!! Really!! I don't know how they do it. I'm baffled. I've tried recreating them at home, and I can't. Their too perfect. Their cakes are amazing too. All whole wheat and delicious. 

My new favorite vegan restaurant is Pura Vida. Chef Mayra makes amazing Cuban/Caribbean fusion vegan food that is to die for. I've eaten there twice and both times were spectacular. The appetizers, meals, desserts and drinks are soooo tasty. So happy to be introduced to this place!!!

Firefly is my very favorite restaurant in the world. They don't have a lot of vegan options, but they have sangria, and really, what else do you need??

And the most inappropriately named restaurant in Vegas (Ok, that's not true)... Pho Kim Long. 24 hour pho is the best thing ever. Everyone always tells me I have the most colorful pho they've ever seen. A lot of places don't have vegan pho, but they do and it's amazing. Plus, they have really good pad thai. 

After all that eating, some calories will need to be burned. This is where Vegas Hot! comes in. I've become so obsessed with hot yoga, I can't even tell you. I feel so energized and refreshed after. Plus I'm super flexible now. ;) (Sorry Mom) Plus they have a little vegan cafe downstairs with fresh coconuts and yummy smoothies!

Also if you're a regular reader (then I love you), you know how much I love running, so I love this running trail right by my house that leads to a park by Mountain's Edge. I like hiking so I can run up this little hill and go for a little hike that overlooks the city. When I have a little more time, I love to go to Mount Charleston and Red Rock. It's perfect weather for Mount Charleston right now. It's a lovely Wednesday tradition. :)

World Market is where I go to explore and find exotic little trinkets and all kinds of stuff. They have everything you can possibly imagine. They have cute little dishes and jewelry plus wine and all kinds of foreign food items. So fun to just peruse the aisles and hang out. 

Ok, this one's a little stereotypical so roll your eyes now. Herbally Grounded is a really cool specialty store that I go to when I can't find what I need anywhere else. They have this whole wall of random teas in giant canisters. They have every health food item you could possibly imagine. It's awesome!!!

My last favorite place is Dead Poet Bookstore. It's an adorable little used bookstore with books overflowing over every shelf from floor to ceiling just waiting to be read. There aren't really a lot of bookstores left here, which is why I love this one so much. There are little hidden treasures around each corner and table. I love reading, and I love discovering little random books. 

So those are the places you can find me when I'm not at work or asleep or doing something productive. I hope I don't have any stalkers that read this... ;)

Flirting With a Plant-Based Diet

If you're a regular reader (thank you!!!!!!), you know that I haven't always been a vegetarian. For those of you that are interested in this kind of diet, it can be a difficult transition, especially if you aren't used to preparing your own meals. But fear not!! I'm here to help :)

The easiest way to transition to a plant-based diet is to start small, and cut out one thing at a time. The first time I thought about trying a vegan diet, I jumped into it full on. It took a little adjusting and a lot of experimentation with some unfamiliar ingredients, but I had a lot of free time, so it wasn't too difficult. You can read my earlier posts to see why I fell off the wagon, but I had some life catastrophes and eventually got it together enough to focus on my health again. 

This time when I wanted to move towards a vegan diet, I started slow. I started by eliminating meat, then seafood, then eggs, then dairy, and eventually all the small products that you don't realize aren't vegan like gelatin, red food dye, etc. Right now I'm working on giving up dairy which isn't too hard except for cheese (I just love cheese!!) and hidden dairy in prepared foods. I'm accomplishing this by not allowing any animal products into my kitchen. If they aren't around me to eat, then I won't be able to eat them unless I'm out somewhere. But sometimes you really just crave these foods. There are some really awesome alternatives out there for those of you trying to transition to a veggie diet or just trying to cut back on animal products, or even those of you that just want to give Meatless Mondays a shot. Here are some of my favorite. Keep in mind that, while these are good substitutes, they aren't going to taste exactly like the real thing. You have to let them be their own ingredient and embrace the delicious flavors they bring to the table.

Meat Substitutes

Tofu- The most familiar kind of meat substitute is honestly not my favorite. I find it a little bland and a weird kind of texture. However, if you press out some of the moisture and marinate and bake it, it firms up a little and tastes better. I find it better as an ingredient in dishes, rather than the star of the show. 

Seitan strips- These are strips of wheat gluten, that when cooked (like in the stir-fry I made today) tastes similar to beef.

Tempeh- This is a fermented soy product that has a nutty, smokey flavor. Really good for barbecue substitutes. 

Eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms- These veggies have a meatier texture and can really stand up to the pressure of being a main course. I slice eggplant and zucchini really thick and grill it like you would a steak, or sautee them for fajitas. Mushrooms are good grilled for burgers or sauteed as a substitute for beef. 

Beans- Full of protein, and endless in varieties, beans add bulk and substance to any dish. 

Veggie burgers, hot dogs, crumbles, and more- A few brands like Morning Star, Gardenburger, Boca, and Amy's make really good veggie burgers, hot dogs, vegetarian frozen meals and all kinds of stuff! I have a box or two of veggie burgers and a pack of Smart Dogs on hand for meal emergencies, but I really prefer to make my own if I have time (check out my previous posts for a really yummy sweet potato and black bean burger!!). 

Lentils, quinoa, and other grains- Lentils and grains can add bulk to soups, salads and really any dish. Plus they are full of protein!

Egg Substitutes

Tofu- Tofu has a really eggy consistency to me which makes it perfect for a breakfast scramble. It is also an awesome substitute in baked goods and desserts.

Ground flax seeds- Mix ground flax seeds with water to create an egg substitute in baked goods.

Dairy Substitutes

Soy, coconut, hemp, rice and nut milks- I personally use almond or coconut milk in my kitchen, but there are a ton of varieties available now. Try out a couple and pick your favorite! They also make these in to ice cream and coffee creamer. This is the easiest dairy item to substitute for me.

Vegan cheeses- My favorite brands are Veggie Slices and Daiya. There are a bunch of varieties and flavors available, even at the regular grocery store. They are usually soy or nut based.

Nutritional yeast- Nutritional yeast is kind of powdery and flaky and can be used to make cheesy, creamy sauces. 

Vegan butter- My favorite brand is Earth Balance. It tastes just like real butter to me.

Coconut oil- Earth Balance is pretty expensive so a lot of times, I will use coconut oil instead. It is solid at room temperature so it subs 1:1 in baked goods. 

Applesauce- Sounds weird, but it can substitute for butter when you're baking. I usually do half applesauce and half fat, like coconut oil or vegan butter to keep it moist. 

There are a lot of other easy swaps out there too, and don't be afraid to create your own dishes! I make a ton of meals that don't require substitutes because they are delicious and satisfying on their own. Experimenting and trying new ingredients is half the fun (and eating your experiments is the other half!). Once you try these fun new ingredients, you'll see how easy it is to eliminate animal foods from your meals. Let me know what you try and how you like it. I love getting your feedback. :)

I Love Lentils

I had the perfect Sunday today. I came home from work last night, made a little midnight snack, took a bubble bath and read until the sun came up. I got to sleep in today, and when I woke up I cleaned up the house a little and went grocery shopping. If you read my last post, you can see that I've been a little grocery deprived, but I definitely made up for it today. I now have enough groceries to last the next month or two. I have a new rule that if I really want to cook more vegan recipes and eat less dairy, then I probably shouldn't bring animal products into my house. Then I won't be tempted to eat them.

Yeah, a little overboard.

Anyway, I had to put these groceries to good use so I got started prepping my veggies and packing everything up in the fridge and started brainstorming new recipes. I turned up my Jason Mraz playlist (I am so excited to see him on October 7th I can't even stand it!!) and got to cooking for the rest of the afternoon. I bought a huge bag of lentils today, and I was really craving hummus so I made some lentil hummus. Then I thought back to my year in Reno and remembered this really yummy lentil loaf that I made. It was like meatloaf, but with lentils instead of meat. It wasn't a vegan recipe, so I pretty much just made something up until I got the flavor and consistency I wanted today. Here's what I came up with. Pretty tasty if you ask me.

Zucchini Lentil Loaf
2 cups dry green lentils
5 cups water
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 zucchini, diced
1 cups diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped kale (you could use spinach too)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, and basil

For the glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, cook the lentils in the water over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, until they're tender. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the oil over medium high heat, and add the onions, garlic, zucchini, and kale. Cook until the veggies are tender, and the kale has wilted down a little bit. Add the veggies to the lentils, and puree a third of the mixture (I used an immersion blender, but a food processor or regular blender would work fine too). Combine with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spread the mixture in a large casserole dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until it is firm. After 20 minutes of cooking, top with the glaze and bake for another 10 minutes.

This was seriously delicious.

If you're not a vegetarian, meatloaf is a great way to sneak veggies into your food. When I used to cook for my little brother every night at our old apartment, he would turn his nose up at anything remotely healthy, so I had to get stealthy. I just started pureeing veggies and putting them into everything he ate. The greatest victory came when I made a batch of meatballs that used about a half a pound of meat and about 2 pounds of veggies, full of spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes. He told me they were the best meatballs he had ever tasted. Boom. Trickery. Some of my favorite sneaky combinations are turkey meatloaf with apples and dried cranberries, pumpkin puree stirred into tomato sauces, zucchini and mushroom mixed in to meatloaf or meatballs, and chopped spinach stirred into lasagna filling. Carrots, celery and onions can sneak into just about anything too.

My lentil hummus was much more simple. I pureed 1 1/2 cups cooked green lentils with 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup roasted red peppers the juice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper, while streaming in 1/3 cup olive oil. I can't wait to spread it on some pita bread. Nomnomnomnom