So Animals Have Emotion? Surprised?

I saw this interesting article about a giraffe showing emotion in a zoo. The story is touching in its own way, but that an animal shows emotion and attachments shouldn't be a surprise. It should be proof to people to stop locking animals up. http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2014/mar/22/giraffe-licks-dying-zoo-worker/

Should You Vaccinate?

This is not necessarily a vegan issue, but I thought I would share this since so many vegan parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children. I had an interesting conversation about vaccines with my daughter's doctor today. If you haven't heard, a young child recently died of whooping cough in Austin. For the life of me, I cannot understand why people choose not to protect their children from very dangerous diseases. I can understand a debate about whether the ingredients in the vaccines are safe, but that has not been the focus. It seems that you are either for or against vaccines. The doctor did mention that manufacturers are removing some of the questionable ingredients from vaccines, such as thiomersal, so that is a positive. Just a coincidence, but on the way home, I ran across this article about vaccines in the Texas Observer: http://www.texasobserver.org/worth-shot/. I highly recommend it. And on top of that, my wife sent me this article about how children who are not vaccinated are threatening the lives of vulnerable children: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Anti+vaccination+parents+risking+toddler+life+mother+says/9642041/story.html. Please consider all of the information closely before choosing not to vaccinate.

Vegan at IKEA

I needed to go to IKEA in Round Rock for a small bookshelf, and I noticed that the cafe there had tomato-vegetable soup labeled vegan. It was pretty good, too. About a year ago, we went and had to wait forever before the kitchen staff determined that their lentil soup was vegan. That soup was awesome by the way, but it is nice to see them labeling it now.

Oil-Free Crispy Potatoes

I just wanted to share a recipe that worked out beautifully for me. We are trying to use only whole foods in the house, and that includes eliminating oil. Of course, that has made cooking tofu and potatoes much more difficult. This recipe for crispy potatoes works like a charm. There is no oil, just whole wheat flour. I also added cumin, salt, and pepper to the flour mixture. There really is no reason to be cooking potatoes in oil. Very weird, but I am super pleased this works. Here is the recipe: http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/fat-free-crispy-potatoes/. Oh, and I left the potato skins on.

New Whole Foods in North Austin!

The new Whole Foods in the Domain is simply awesome, but I am still hyperventilating from all of those people. The parking garage and lot were full. Streets in the Domain and a very large dirt field were filled with overflow parking. Insane. I can't wait until it calms down.

BBQ Revolution Review

I probably shouldn't say anything unless my comments are only completely positive, but I thought I would share my experience at the new vegan barbecue trailer on North Loop. I had a soy curl sandwich and potato salad. They were OK, but I would not go out of my way to get them again (at least right now). The food was a bit one note. The sandwich was extremely smoky and salty. I had a hard time tasting anything else other than the smoke. The potato salad was also extremely salty and was missing something, perhaps more pickle relish? The flavors were quite subtle. Please do not get me wrong, we all need to support this vegan business. This was only my first time eating there. The items that I had need to be tweaked some. When I was a meateater (more than 11 years ago), I loved eating barbecue. Good barbecue was never overly smoky. It's greatness was in a well-balanced sauce. That should be the dominant flavor. I have high hopes for the barbecue trailer. I just hope that adjustments can be make on the menu. By the way, my wife was much more positive about her sandwich.

Freya's First Birthday

We celebrated Freya's first birthday a day early because I have to leave tomorrow morning for a trip. The first-year tradition is for the baby to have first dips on the cake. It's time for chocolate and a mess. At first, Freya did not know what to do. Maybe she was concerned we didn't want her to mess with it, but after she took a couple dainty jabs at the cake, she got in the spirit of things and dug in. Freya loves her new doll, which she can take into the tub with her.