I Did It!

Okay, I am patting myself on the back tonight.
I have tried making seitan before but it never came out as good as I would have liked. I have a texture issue and anything that is spongy or squishy just isn't for me. At our anniversary party on Sunday a friend brought the most amazing barbeque seitan riblets. They were firm and oh so good. They key was to knead the vital wheat gluten for a long time and then bake it.

So tonight I made up a fried chick'n seitan recipe. I used vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, spices, soy sauce, and water. I mixed this all together and kneaded it for a good 10 minutes and then I let it sit while I heated up the broth. The broth consisted of water, soy sauce, and the same spices that I used in the dough. While that was coming to a boil I cut the wheat meat into small cutlets and then laid them in a baking dish. When the broth came to a boil I turned it off and poured it over the cutlets. Then I put it into a 350 degree oven and let it cook for 30 minutes. Then I flipped all the cutlets and let it cook for another 20 minutes.

This is what it looked like when it was done baking.
Then I made a brown gravy from Dreena Burton's cookbook and steamed some broccoli. Then I dredged the seitan cutlets in a mixture of flour, panko bread crumbs, paprika, salt, and pepper and then dipped them in soy milk then again in the flour mixture. I pan fried them in a cast iron pan. I poured the gravy over the seitan and had the broccoli plain. I used some of the seitan broth in the gravy in lieu of vegetable broth. The seitan was so firm and so good and I have a lot left over for tomorrow. Seitan is packed with protein (1/4 cup vital wheat gluten has 23 grams of protein) and when nutritional yeast is included there is even more protein, and B vitamins.

I'm waiting for Steve to get home to get his opinion on it. Keller liked it dipped in ketchup but tonight he was all about eating beans.

30 Days; Animal Rights

We just watched the Animal Rights episode of 30 Days and it was amazing, although we kept our eyes closed for most of it. I have to give a huge shout out to George the hunter from North Carolina.

George had amazing insight into the animal rights movement, He was a brave person. George was quick to pick up on the rhetoric of some of the activists. There was a lot of talk comparing the Holocaust with animal cruelty as well as in your face videos from PETA and their activists.

Steve and I had a lot to say about the video after seeing it and what we had a hard time with was exactly what George did, hard core, do it this way or your wrong, mentality. Being mean to someone or spewing out facts isn't the best way to get someone to listen to your ideas. The most effective parts of the video were the footage from a factory farm and the kill shelter. These scenes, although sad and sickening made us remember why we are vegan and glad to be so. These were also the turning points for George and his views on animal cruelty.

Will George give up hunting? No, he said he wouldn't in the show but he did say that he wouldn't stand for animal cruelty anymore. I support George. Steve and I joked that PETA would probably revoke our vegan status for saying that we can understand George's point of view about hunting. Even though we can understand George, we went vegan because we didn't want to be party to the suffering of animals. So, we think that it's awesome that George saw for himself how animals are treated and that he changed his view about factory farming. We say end the abuse of animals first and then let's talk about going vegan.

30 Days: Animal Rights

I am waiting for Kari to get home so we can watch this episode of 30 Days, on HULU, called Animal Rights.



The premise is that a hunter spends 30 days with a PETA activist and her vegan family. We are both Morgan Spurlock fans, creator of 30 Days and Super Size Me, and were both excited about the episode about Animal Rights and sad because we don't have cable.

But HULU keeps adding more decent content like 30 Days and very nicely The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. If the idea of watching TV shows on your computer makes you cringe just plug that bad boy into your 65" plasma (right, easier said than done if you don't have a Mac).

On a side note, my friend who works for Comcast said that major internet providers are discussing charging by the byte instead of monthly flat rates for internet connections. If that happens, I will have to go back to reading books.

I'll let you know how the Animal Rights episode goes.

McFarlane Hockey Figures

Thanks Uncle Tim for the tip on where to find hockey action figures. There is not a big selection of companies making them and McFarlane makes some really cool ones. Keller is the proud recipient of Cam Neely and Joe Sakic (in Quebec Nordiques sweater).

We know it is a while before Keller's Birthday, but he is requesting a hockey goalie.

I'm not sure where he gets it but here are some quotes while he was playing with them.

• "Where is the goalie?"
  
• "This one is the best hockey player in the whole wide world."
• "I'm the roughest, toughest ..."
• "I'm Cam Neely, no I'm Cam Neely."
• "If you don't wear a helmet you will die."
• "I sounded the alarm on Global Warming," no wait, that was John McCain (Have you seen his lame political ad?).

Friends are Great...

Until they take advantage of your semi-inebriated state and get you to agree to things that nearly killed you last summer. Let me fill you in...

Last night we had a party to celebrate our 8 year anniversary. It was really fun hanging out and talking with friends. I happily drank homemade Sangria throughout the night and was too busy talking to eat much food. I was happy.

Then my friend started talking to me about doing the Tri for the Cure again this summer- she has already been training. Me? I've been training too - my right bicep with beer curls. Then her friend started telling me that I needed to do it again, "I'm doing it and I haven't done anything to train yet" she said. Then Steve chimed in "well, Kari you've been erging" Yeah, 3 times, like that's going to help me get past the starting line. Normally, I don't do much drinking but with Steve off for the summer we have been drinking a little more than normal. Here is where it all went wrong.

This is the conversation starting with me to the friend of the friend

Noooo, oh I don't think it's a good idea (the tri for the cure). I nearly died last summer.
You what?
Yep, nearly died- dehydrated beyond belief, cold, chills, hallucinations
okay, maybe I was exaggerating a bit. I was very dehydrated and chilly but the hallucinations were more of a longing to just be able to sit down and rest.
Wow, staying hydrated is key huh?
Oh, yeah! Afterwards, I felt like I did when I gave birth...I'm telling you just like I told my midwives - "I am never doing this again"!
Oh come on it will be fun and there will be a group of our friends at the finish line with Mojito's!
Mojito's huh?
Yep.
Hmmm, okay!

This morning in my hazy stupor I called out to Steve "Do you remember me agreeing to do the Tri for the Cure last night" "Yeah" he replied, "good luck with that". Apparently, I am a sucker for pain and flavored cocktails. So, today as I look at the homepagefor the Tri I am psyching myself up for workouts on the bike, swimming in cold water, and running when my feet just want to walk. But all is not lost, when I clicked on the training calendar for today's workout it gloriously said that today is a REST day! Whoohoo, I can put off training for the thing that nearly killed me one more day.

Oh and to make this about being vegan we had awesome vegan food at the party. I made vegan buffalo wings with a ranch dressing, carmelized onion and tempeh spread, artichoke and roasted red pepper dip, terriaki tempeh wraps, and orzo grean bean salad with dill pesto. Our friends brought amazing food and drinks - barbequed seitan riblets, a fruit lemonade infusion, mango salsa, peanut sauce lettuce wraps, and wine. For dessert we had soy ice cream in cones - this was Keller's favorite part of the party.

Happy Anniversary

Will you remember,
I love you today,
Lasting forever,
Love me this way.

Your smile sets me off,
Opens my heart,
Uplifting moments ...

Meet me to start.
And I rise this morning,
Right next to you,
Realize our love,
Yesterday, too.
My thoughts now and Always,
Everyday You.

This is the poem that I wrote Kari, eight plus years ago, when I was ready to propose to her. Today is Kari and my eighth wedding anniversary. I am lucky enough to not have to ask Kari, "Will you remember," because I know she loves me. I love her as much today as I did eight years ago. It would be impossible to love someone more.

Kari, happy anniversary, I love you. You haven't gotten a good poem lately, so here goes:

When we sit and watch the sunset,
I would like to reminisce,
We'll laugh and joke of all we've done,
But, I would like to tell you this:

I loved you on the first day,
True love at first sight.
I'll love you on the last day,
Just like each and every night.

Our life, our family, our love,
Are a blessing to me, I know.
And I take with me that strength,
Everywhere I go.

When we sit and watch the sunset,
Let there be nothing we regret.
But if we remember anything,
We've not reached that day yet.

ESPN Talks Vegan

Check out this great article by Jonah Keri from ESPN. He talks about athletes going vegan and details four athletes stories of how and why they went vegan. It is nice to see some good mainstream press on veganism.

If that is not enough for you, check out Oprah's three week trial on a vegan cleanse.

The image of Pat Neshek is used under the following license.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day.

Putting Meat Back in Its Place

Need help eating less meat? Mark Bittman, writer for the New York Times, has written a nice piece on transitioning to less meat.

"The arguments for eating less meat are myriad and well-publicized, but at the moment they’re irrelevant, because what I want to address here is (almost) purely pragmatic:"

Ewwww

"Daddy, how do you get this booger on" Keller said. "On what, Keller" Steve replied.
In total exasperation Keller responded "On this booger rock".

String Cheese Impersonator

Keller and I were visiting a play based cooperative preschool, Steele Cooperative Preschool, (this will be his preschool starting in the Fall) when we sat down for snack. I was told that they serve healthy snacks, almost always fruit. Well, sadly that day wasn't quite what I would call a healthy snack. String cheese and crackers with high-fructose corn syrup as the main ingredient and water. Oh and there were apples. There was supposed to be chocolate milk but for some reason it got left at home.

Parent's bring the snacks and since we were visiting I didn't really care so much about that day. I had snacks for Keller if we really needed them. He was happy with the crackers and water. I was feeling okay with him eating the crackers since it was a one time thing.

I remember as a child eating string cheese and loving how I could pull off the strings and have fun with my food. Well, one day not too long after visiting the school Keller and I were eating Hearts of Palm at home.

I had cut one of the pieces in half and had given it to Keller. I turned my back to get myself some and when I turned around he was pulling off strings and the color was exactly the same as string cheese. I chuckled because I had just found my solution for the days at preschool when other kids were eating string cheese Keller will be eating Hearts of Palm and no one will be the wiser.

Rowing scholarship for a 3 year old?

For those of you who know me you know that rowing used to be my life - and Steve used to row a little too. In fact we figured out that we were both in the Head of the Charles at the same time before we knew each other. When we were first living together we decided to buy an erg so that we could workout in the comfort of our own home.

Sadly, the erg never got used as much as we thought it would but we have kept it through out the years. It used to sit in our third bedroom and Keller would play on it every now and again. He always had beautiful form and it always amazed me!

Well, the erg has been outside for the past 9 months while our house was on the market and just last week Steve cleaned it off so he could use it. Keller got very excited about it and insisted that he needed to get on it and "do his workout". Steve relented and Keller got on it for a good half and hour.

What I love about it is that we have never told him how to row- it's got to be in his genes! He does however need to work on his return - quicker hands Keller, quicker hands!!

Right after I turned off the video and walked inside I heard something and looked out back. Keller was no longer on the erg but tumbled over backwards on the rocks, crying. In the rowing world this would be called "catching a crab" an act of getting either propelled out of the boat or hit with quite a wallop in the stomach with your oar due to the oar turning slightly in the water and "getting caught". In Keller's case though he bumped the back too hard and did a back flip onto the porch. It as pretty upsetting to him and he kept telling us through his tears "I am never rowing again. NEVER. I am never rowing again". I think many people who have been thrown out of shells feel the same way but the majority of those strap their feet back in and enjoy the ride. Once you catch the rowing bug it's hard to get rid of it.

Keller has fortunately forgotten the fall and has just tonight told me he "wants to row again". Thank Goodness!

If you're having trouble understanding the dialog here are some clues...

Me: How long are you rowing for?
Keller: 1 hour.
Me: 1 hour huh?
Keller: This is crazy!
Keller: See, I caught myself.
Me: Show me how you row with the handle.
Keller: I put my feet in. Look mommy.

Sputnick's Review

Upon the suggestion of another vegetarian my friend and I lunched at Sputnik's today. It's a bit divy because it's a bar and at night they have music but the food was good and the woman who helped up was very nice. I could see this place being really packed on the weekends with a younger/partying crowd. 

We had the Sweet Potato Fries with vegan wasabi mayo and sweet habanero jam. Egyptian fava bean hummus, the Pav, and the Heart's of Palm salad. The food was very good. The fries were crunchy which I ended up really liking. When I ordered them I thought they were going to be fatter and softer but I'm glad they weren't because I like my fries skinny and crunchy. We were hoping to get the vegetarian green chile over the fries but they only serve that on the weekends. The fava bean hummus was creamy and very tasty. It came with tortilla chips and cucumber slices. The Pav (Indian sliders) was good, different, but good. It would have been better if it had a sauce on it because with the bread it was a bit dry. The salad was huge and was so good. I love hearts of palm and I believe that this also had jicama in it with fresh greens. 

It was a nice change and so wonderful to have another place to eat. I talked with the manager to thank them for having vegan items on their menu. He said that in July the menu will be changing and there will be more vegan items on it. Their menu at the restaurant is clearly marked with vegetarian items and vegan items although the website isn't. I would eat here again.