How Do You Recognize Vegan Kids?

How do you recognize vegan kids? When they descend like a pack of rabbits on a head of fresh lettuce at the sound of a package of tofu being opened. Seriously, my children are the only people I know who beg for raw, uncooked tofu. They also get excited about vegetables at random. Yesterday, all they wanted to eat at dinner was bok choy.

I Like Tofurky? Yes, I Do.

For years and years, I hated nooch, but I eventually came around. Now, I could not imagine our pantry without it. For some reason, I have also long despised Tofurky (even as recently as last year), but since Wheatsville was serving it with their other Thanksgiving stuff this week, I found myself adding it to the stuffing and mashed potatoes I was buying. I really enjoyed it and even went back for more. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Do Not Worry, Squirrels. We Are Vegans.

So, Leo and his mother were looking out the window and talking about the squirrels. Anita mentioned that they were afraid of humans. Leo asked, "Why, Mama? Do they think we are not vegan?"

So, My Son's School Made Him Handle Eggs

So, my son's school had a cooking activity today, and they made him cook with eggs. They did not make him eat it, but they did make him handle eggs. They were making kolaches. They know we are vegan, but I guess we have not made ourselves clear enough. Do I really have to go through this every year with every new set of teachers? Sigh. I just emailed the teachers asking them to let me know ahead of time, and I can send my son in with substitutes for these products. I hope I did not sound like an angry vegan, but I am pretty upset.

So, They Want the Vegans to Go to Fundraising Dinner

Years ago when a cousin was about to get married, she promised a special vegan meal for us at her wedding. It is was extremely thoughtful of her, but the meal ended up being grilled portabellas, bell peppers, and maybe squash. It was disgusting, and it was definitely cooked on the same grill as the meat products, which made it inedible. Now, our son's school has an annual fundraiser with no apparent accommodations for vegans. Tickets to the event are $150 each. I can't help but think we would be getting another plate like the one I mentioned if we went. For that kind of money, we better be getting Craig Vanis quality cuisine.

Who Needs Meat When You Have Cucumbers?

I just thought I would share my wife's moment of brilliance. We have been buying the Field Roast mushroom deli slices for some time now, and while I think they are OK, I have never gotten excited about them, that is until my recent sandwich. Anita made a sandwich with the deli slices, raw onions, raw spinach, and cucumber slices. It was not until I had this sandwich did I realize what had been missing in the deli slices for me: textural resistance. The cucumber takes care of that, so the next time I get one of those obnoxious questions about how I replace meat in my diet, I'm going to say cucumbers.

Isa's Sunflower Mac Is a Hit

I just made Isa Chandra Mokowitz's sunflower mac recipe from Isa Does It. It was fantastic, and it is nut-free (important for school). I didn't quite follow the directions because I had only roasted sunflower seeds. I just combined all of the sauce ingredients into my VitaMix and then cooked it in a sauce pan for a while. I finished it off by baking it with broccoli and topped with bread crumbs. It worked out. Next time, I might follow the directions to the letter. http://www.theppk.com/2012/02/sunflower-mac/