Myth Busting: All Vegans are Hippies

Ok, let’s address this idea that vegans are hippies or freaks or just plain strange. I can promise you that there are vegan hippies out there… but I am certainly not one of them. Not that there is anything wrong with being a hippie, it's just not a requirement for being vegan. Vegans come in all shapes and sizes and lifestyles...

Vegans are actually quite awesome and powerful people. Did you know that Ellen Degeneres and her lovely wife, Portia de Rossi, are vegan? A power couple if I ever saw one. What about entrepreneur Russell Simmons, who has a pioneering hip-hop label, successful fashion line and pockets full of cash? Then there are leaders in the vegan revolution, like Gene Baur, president and co-founder of The Farm Sanctuary and Colleen Patrick Goudreau, speaker, educator, advocate, and founder of Compassionate Cooks.

Oh, and you can’t forget the amazing vegan athletes, like professional triathlete and advocate Brendan Brazier, 6-time Ironwoman Ruth Heidrich, and 9-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.

Yup, they are all vegan and thriving in a non-vegan world. I love that. Here are some articles/videos for you to check out about famous and fabulous vegans:

The Rise of Power Vegans (Businessweek)

Vegan Activist and Famous Author: John Robbins (VegNews)

Mike Tyson on his Vegan Diet (Eat Drink Better)

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Video (YouTube)
Going Vegan with Ellen (Website)
Alicia Silverstone on Becoming Vegan (Oprah.com)

Coconut Love

I have a slight obsession with coconut. I remember eating an almond joy as a kid and spitting out the almond. The sweet and chewy coconut center was what I was after. Coconut is great in baked goods, ice cream, and even savory rice dishes. Earlier this summer I made some killer coconut cupcakes back in Mequon (they were vegan and my dad loved them). So, I am dedicating today to coconut.

Coconut Pancakes:

Coconut Ice Cream:

Coconut Macaroons:

Coconut Bundt Cake:

Coconut Smoothie:

Coconut Marshmallows:

Coconut Cookie Bars:

Coconut Rice Pudding:

Coconut Cookies:

Monday Munchies: Wild Blueberry Smoothie & Pink Grapefruit Smoothie

Start your week off right with one of these delicious, mouthwatering smoothies. I promise it will give you energy and help you beat the Monday blues. Plus summer is ending, so get some more smoothies in before it's too cold!

Wild Blueberry Smoothie:

1 cup apple cider

I lemon squeezed

½ t peeled, minced ginger
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
1 medium banana

1 tsp. cayenne
4 ice cubes

Blend until smooth. Add more ice for a thicker blend.

Pink Grapefruit Smoothie:

1 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1/2 cup white grapefruit juice (or more pink)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice
2 bananas (fresh or frozen)

Blend. Pour. Garnish with fresh fruit.

For more recipes ideas and smoothie tips, click here.

Myth Busting: Vegans Survive on Granola and Salad

I admit, I do enjoy a handful of my mom’s homemade granola, or a big salad with veggies, nuts and olive oil. But the options for vegan food are truly endless, I kid you not.

If you know me… then you know that I love to cook. So the first thing I did once becoming vegan was scour the internet for recipes and inspiration. And I found A LOT! I think the switch would have been harder if there weren’t so many amazing resources out there. You don’t need to be a chef to make great vegan food and you don’t need to spend lots of time in the kitchen at every meal. You just need to re-discover food and be open to new things.

Here is a list of some of my recent favorite recipes:

• Banana Blueberry Bread (above)
• Black Olive Bruschetta with Cashew Cream
• Pea and Avocado Penne
• Easy Pad Thai
• Curried Butternut Squash Risotto
• Tempeh Bacon (I am addicted)
• Sweet Potato Hummus
• Tempeh Pecan Salad
• Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
• Red Onion and Garlic Focaccia
• Twix Bars
• Mocha Root Beer Float

There are some great links on the left side of this blog that you can check out. There are also easy ways to veganize you current recipes:

• Replace butter with Earth Balance Buttery Spread (comes in sticks and tubs)
• Replace mayonnaise with Veganise (100 times better than mayo)
• Try out some vegan cheese from Daiya
• Switch out cows’ milk for soy, almond, rice or coconut milk
• Season your pasta with ground cashews and salt rather than parmesan
• Check out this vegan food guide if you have no idea what tempeh, seitan and nutritional yeast are
• Make a smoothie for breakfast with fruit, non-dairy milk, ground flax seed (high in omega 3s) and agave nectar (to add more sweetness)
• Experiment... it's fun!

Home Sweet Home

It is nice to be home in Colorado with our pets. I am already in the kitchen cooking! We had an amazing trip with many adventures. We saw some stunning cities and landscapes, ate great food and made lots of memories. You can see all the photos here.

Varenna and Lake Como (and Milan by accident)

Lake Como is stunning. We arrived by train and were struck by the beauty of the mountains, towns and landscape around the lake. Definitely one of the most beautiful places I have seen. We stayed at a great (and updated) apartment in the town of Varenna, just across the lake from the more well-known Bellagio. Varenna was lovely, but a bit quiet for us. It was really difficult for us to find good vegan food here... All the nice restaurants didn't have any options, which sucked and was a bit pathetic. But anyway. We had a nice time strolling around and relaxing. The second day we took a ferry to Bellagio, a really pretty town with a lot of wealthy people walking around. We found an awesome enoteca and had some prosecco and a great salad and olives. Loved the place so much!

We found out the the trains were going on strike the day we had to travel back to Milan. So, we ended up leaving Lake Como a day early. But it worked out because we were honestly a bit bored there.

We got to Milan and saw their amazing Duomo and had some good vegan pasta with veggies. We also found a great happy hour place and drank lots of aperol spritz! It was a rainy night, but also quite nice. The highlight in Milan was the next morning when we got to see the world's largest collection of Leonardo da Vinci drawings. It was amazing. The collection was housed in the Ambrosia Gallery and Library, a building that was a work of art in itself. Wonderful!

One last thing in Italy... The best cup of espresso and fries so far. Plus... The best piece of bread of my life! It was like a mini baguette with olives baked into every bit of it. Like full olives... It was heavenly. From an amazing bakery in Milan. Yum. I want more!

Ciao Italy... it's been fun!

LAKE COMO PHOTOS

Lake Garda

Our first full day in Veneto, we drove to Lago di Garda, the largest lake in Italy, which is surrounded by little vacation towns, camp grounds and public beaches. We stopped to explore the town of Sermione and loved it immediately. It is on the tip of a little peninsula, so there is water on both sides of the town. Lots of cafes, beach areas, parks, shops, and places to relax. A lot of Italians vacation at Lake Garda for a week or two in summer.

We drove to another town on the east bank of the lake called Lazise. Here we laid out at a public beach (they actually have sand here!) and soaked up some sun. We strolled around the town, again very picturesque, and had lunch at one of the cafes. I can definitely see why people enjoy vacationing here. It is very relaxed and there are plenty of hotels, but also villas to rent for the week and enjoy with friends or family.

We found a great wine shop where we stocked up for the evening... And also a bottle of olive oil that I could not resist. The prices are so reasonable for such delicious things!

LAKE GARDA PHOTOS

Vivacious Verona

Verona is a great Italian city, full of life and beauty, markets and squares, bikes and little dogs. We arrived in the afternoon via our Fiat 500 and cruised up some winding streets on a hill to our B&B. We were greeted by a nice little Italian man and amazing views from our room of the city below. A 10 minute walk into the city, we found some lunch and explored the streets.

Of course, a stop at the house of Juliet was essential, and some lemon granita helped cool us down from the hot sun. There are two large piazzas in the old part of the city, one with a big open air market and one nestled next to a huge roman arena and surrounded by some great shopping streets. That evening we had dinner in Piazza Erbe and enjoyed the local drink of choice, the spritz aperol.

In the morning we headed out to Lake Garda... I'll do a separate post on that later. Back in Verona that evening we found the local natural food store and bought food for dinner. We found tempeh! We used the kitchen in our B&B and made tempeh wraps. We ate them on our balcony with a bottle of local red wine and watched as the moon rose over the hillside. Quite impressive. Our room was amazing, big and open with high ceilings, giant windows and million dollar views of Verona.

The second full day we drove a few miles north toward the Veneto wine region of Valpolicella. The hills, rows of grapes ripening in the sunshine, and beautiful Italian villas were stunning. The perfect backdrop for sipping amarone. We took a tour at Tommasi winery and sampled wines from the Nicolis vineyards. Of course, we had to buy some bottles as well. We headed back to Verona for cocktails and snacks in town. Lots of great people watching too!

We cooked dinner again at our place, this time a big kale salad with tofu, veggies and chickpeas enjoyed with a great Italian bread and their mouthwatering olive oil. I am completely obsessed with how amazing their olive oil is here. I love Italy! Verona and the surrounding area have been wonderful. But we have one more stop on our itinerary... Lake Como.

VERONA PHOTOS

Venetian Wonders

We left Ljubljana in the morning, drove to Rijeka, Croatia and then took a bus to Trieste, Italy. From there we got on a train to Venice... definitely a travel day. Arriving in Venice, it took us some time and frustration to find our B&B within the tiny streets and corridors, but worth it once we did. The room was beautiful and spacious and in a great location. We had some awesome pasta, bread and olives that night and watched as the Italians around us ate more food than we thought possible.

The next day we explored the crazy city, among heavy morning fog and lots of stink and crowds. I can't say that I loved Venice. It was nice to experience and see the sights, but overall we thought it was overrated and overrun by visitors. Not many people actually live there, so it was missing the charm and culture of a more real and functioning Italian city. At least in my opinion...

But we certainly had fun in the city at night, listening to the orchestras in piazza San Marco and drinking wine on the steps of some ancient buildings. We went to Accademia the next morning and marveled at the beautiful paintings all around us. We also saw the Frari church and found some quiet streets with views of bridges and canals. The shopping in Venice is great, but we don't have any room left in our suitcases!

A day and a half or 2 days in Venice was plenty. We rented a car around noon and drove off to our next stop, Verona.

VENICE PHOTOS

Beautiful Bled and Surrounding

Bled is straight off a postcard, the setting for a fairytale and its princess. There is a beautiful glacier lake with blue green water, an island in the center and a castle rising above it. Is this for real? Ahh, Slovenia. The drive up there wasn't half bad either. Mountainside towns popping up around every corner. Castles and churches with ringing bell towers.

We walked the 4 miles all the way around the lake, as well as up one side of a mountain to the castle. Let's just say our feet were sore at the end. We fueled up with a picnic lunch that we got at the open air market in Ljubljana earlier that morning. Fresh rolls topped with tomato, avocado, and olive oil.

We walked through another small town and drove the tiny medieval streets of Skofja Loka. Such a beautiful countryside surrounded by souring mountain peaks. Austria was just about 30 minutes north of the region we were visiting.

Happy... but tired from all the walking!

BLED, ETC PHOTOS

Extra Photos

I forgot about some extra pics... We took these in Split, Croatia when we had a few hours to spare between the boat and car rental, before driving to Slovenia.

SPLIT PHOTOS

Lovely Ljubljana

Europeans drive fast. We rented a car and drove 4 hours northwest to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Mostly just hills and shrubs and evergreen on the Croatia side. Very dry countryside once away from the Adriatic. But as soon as you cross over to Slovenia the mountains get greener and there are cute towns everywhere. We arrived around dinner time, walked around and had some delicious vegetarian sushi. Plus we found a gelato stand that had rice milk ice cream! Ljubljana is a college town and the hub of Slovenia. The main town area winds along a river and is quite pretty.

Thursday morning we had espresso at a cafe and then drove to Bled, about 40 minutes northwest. Separate post to come on Bled. That evening we had dinner and went out on the town. Ljubljana is awesome in the evening. Loads of young people, cafe lined streets, and very lively. We did notice that the people here are very reserved. They were staring at us for holding hands... no joke. They also seem shy and conservative and a little behind the times.

The next day we road tripped it south of the city and visited Predjama castle near Postojna. It was really stunning... Built right into a cave, dating back to the 13th century. We drove through many picturesque tiny towns back north, Chris loved driving around here. It's like a video game, winding at high speeds around blind corners. Back in the city we found a veggie place for lunch (salad bar with vegetables, cous cous, lentils, rice, etc), then cocktails along the river and in the town squares. By the way, don't even try to do laundry in this country. You literally cannot. They don't have public laundry places. We tried and failed. But we did find a really good Mexican place for dinner. I know, strange. But the vegetarian fajitas were the best I have ever had... and we didn't want to get sick of pizza and pasta before even getting to Italy.

Ljubljana is a fun place... A livable European city.

LJUBLJANA PHOTOS

Heavenly Hvar

Arriving in Hvar... I can see why this is the number one place to see and be seen in Croatia. Palm tree lined walkway along the water, uber expensive yachts, tanned Italian tourists, clear shining blue water, white stone buildings and terra cotta roofs. Gorgeous. We arrived at our apartment on top of the hill, just west of the town square, in the evening. Went out to dinner (salad and pasta) and strolled around.

The next day we had espresso at a great Italian cafe in the town square and shopped a bit. (Italians can get here in about 4 hours via ferry from Italy) More fresh baked bread with some local fig jam for a snack. We went to a beach most of the day, and jumped in the pool at a neighboring resort. We also hiked to the fortress nestled above the town. (built in the 14th and 16th centuries) Pretty amazing views. We got some groceries and made a big salad at our place, then headed to Hula Hula Bar for a cocktail on the beach. Back to the square and a few bars, including the famous Carpe Diem, which has been visited by the likes of Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria and lots of European socialites. (since we are entering low season, it wasn't very busy) Ended up drinking with some Brits and had loads of fun.

Day 3 in Hvar we took a taxi boat to Jerolim, one of the Paklini Islands. The place was peaceful and gorgeous. Crystal clear blue water, coves for sunbathing and a great restaurant, where we had some spaghetti aglio olio for lunch. There was a little black cat that came right up and sat with us for lunch. Adorable. You can see him in the photos. That night we had dinner in the square and walked along the sea. Beautiful way to end our time in Croatia. I'm sad to leave this amazing country. But we hope to be back some day.

Up next: we rent a car and drive about 5 hours north to Ljubljana, Slovenia.

HVAR PHOTOS

Dubrovnik!!

There is no place quite like Croatia. I have wanted to come here since I read some articles about the country a few years ago. I must say, it beats my expectations. We arrived in Dubrovnik to realize our bags got left behind. Not a good feeling. Luckily, Livio picked us up and stopped at a market so we could buy some essentials. We were able to carry on as planned. Strolled around Old Town for a few hours; a truly gorgeous and historic city. Surrounded by walls on all sides, Old Town is packed with restaurants, bars, shops, churches, and tiny streets and alleys all around.

It's just so lovely. The Croatians are very nice and welcoming... not to mention tall, dark and beautiful. We stopped at a local beach 2 minutes from our room, which was perfect... Thanks Livio and Marilyn! Later we picked up some new clothes and headed to get drinks in one of the plazas.

Dinner at Nishta, the local vegetarian restaurant, and #4 on trip advisor. The food and setting were great. Most of the menu items were vegan, so we were pretty happy. The next day we walked the city walls in the morning. Amazing views of the Adriatic and the Old Town. Got some bread at a bakery and a smoothie and espresso and then went to another local beach by our place. We soaked up some sun and took a dip in the sea. Finally got our bags around 4pm. Never felt so good to see my face lotion!

Our last night in Dubrovnik was lovely. Sampled some great Croatian wine at D'vino and then had some of the best pizza ever, cheeseless of course. But no cheese needed. Perfect crust, local olive oil, lots of veggies and fresh tomato sauce. Perfection on a plate. Then we sipped some Ozujsko, the local beer, while sitting on some seriously ancient steps.

In the AM we took a bus to Split. Nice scenic drive along the coast of the country and even into Bosnia. Great sea views! Finally we took a catamaran over to Hvar. More to come later.

DUBROVNIK PHOTOS

Monday Munchies: Olive Tapenade Tempeh Sandwich

People love a good sandwich. This one is proof that you can be completely satisfied and full eating vegan food. If you don't like onion, skip it. And buy a jar of Vegenaise. It is amazing!

Olive Tapenade 'n Tempeh Vegan Sandwich:
2 long slices grain bread
2 Tbsp olive tapenade
1 Tbsp Vegenaise
2 slices EZ Maple Tempeh
3 tomato slices
3 sweet onion slices
big handful of baby spinach
fresh black pepper

EZ Maple Tempeh:
2 slices of tempeh, thinly sliced, about 4 oz.
1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil for saute pan
pepper

Kalamata Olive Tapenade:
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 cup white beans
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp water
handful fresh parsley
pepper
*Blend in a food processor. Makes about 1 cup of tapenade

Directions:
1. Prep veggies and set aside.

3. Tempeh: Slice your tempeh into two thin blocks -each about the surface size of a deck of cards. (I used about 1/2 of an 8 oz. package of tempeh. Soak your tempeh in the maple syrup and vinegar. Dash some pepper on top. Next, either lightly saute your tempeh stove top, or use the super-fast method and simply microwave for 90 seconds in a covered, glass container. Drizzle the EVOO on top if microwaving. Stove top, should be about 2 minutes on each side over high heat.

4. Start building your sandwich: olive tapenade on both sides of the bread. A light smear of Vegenaise on one side. Then add the baby spinach, tomato, onion, tempeh and a good grinding of black pepper.

5. Slice. Eat.

London in a Day

So, for some reason we are unable to post photos or upload photos to facebook from Croatia. No idea. So, instead of posting pics within my posts, I will add a link at the end of them to my flickr album. Hope that works.

London. Lovely, clean, energetic, and complete with some seriously beautiful sights. We arrived at 8am on a red-eye. Got about 2.5 hrs of sleep on the plane. Downed some espresso and rocked on. We spent the day seeing the sights via The Big Bus. A good way to see everything when you have even less than 24 hours. We got great weather too.

Stopped at a grocer and got some veggies, pitas and hummus, all kindly marked as vegan on the packaging. Yea, London. Ate our picnic lunch in Kensington Gardens, then hopped on the double-decker. We saw so much in one day! Sunning Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, plenty of political and financial buildings, Buckingham Palace, Picadilly Circus, the London Eye, etc. We got off a few times to explore and then waked back through Hyde Park to The London House Hotel in Bayswater.

Ate dinner at a pub near the hotel. Perfect and classically British. Pasta primevera, chips and some pints. Loved it. Passed out by 8:30 and got to see the city all quite in the wee hours of the morning as we made our way to Gatwick (frantic to make our flight).

London was impressive. We can't wait to go back and experience a lot more. Cheers!

LONDON PHOTOS

Working on it...

Since our bags got lost for 36 hours, we are just getting photos and things together now. I am working on some posts. Having issues in Croatia with uploading media to the web. Maybe there are some strange restrictions? Anyway... we are having an amazing time and hope to get some photos up soon. Heading from Dubrovnik to Split and then Hvar later today. Croatia is stunning!

Link Love: Healthy. Happy. Life.

I discovered this awesome website when searching for new recipes. Kathy does a great job creating really delicious food; plus there are beautiful photos, product reviews and lots of commentary. I have made a handful of recipes so far and really enjoyed all of them!

Here are some yummy favorites recipes from the site-
1. Smokey Tempeh Avocado Wrap
2. Parkside Falafel Salad
3. Safffron Scented Tofu Scramble

4. Triple Citrus Lemonade
5. Curried Quinoa Wrap

6. Sun-dried Tomato Basil Hummus

7. Blueberry Walnut Muffins
8. Banana Berry Smoothie

She also has a great video on how to make smoky tempeh cubes, which can be used in tacos, wraps, pasta or salad. The blog is updated almost daily, so there is always something new to try. (Thanks, Kathy!)