Food for Thought

Today I am not writing about food. I am thinking about food, which is pretty typical for me, but I am thinking about food in terms of how it makes our physical bodies what they are, and how it connects us to the world around us. I am also thinking about what I am going to cook for dinner tonight, and how the basil growing on my deck will make a nice pesto sauce. I am thinking about everything I hope to accomplish this weekend, and how when my daily life feels infused with meaning, how much happier I am.

That being said, my Saturday has been pretty great so far. I started with Mulu's awesome food for breakfast at the Farmers Market, and then I went on a great hike with my husband on some trails over in the Lake Whatcom area that I never knew existed before today. It was beautiful and tree-filled with pretty views and birds singing and gentle breezes.We walked along together, and as it frequently happens, we also began to talk about the community, about things happen locally and globally, and we mused about the future, wondering what things will be like when we are older.

We talked about things people are doing to try and affect the world around them in positive ways, and how inspired I have been by some of the students I have come to know at Western whose passion and enthusiasm and intelligence makes me optimistic. And we also talked  about how sometimes it is hard not to become frustrated when it feels like people get bogged down in conventions and details instead of moving forward and committing to action. Sometimes bureaucracy can be so frustrating. And this reminded me of something David Suzuki said very early in his recent talk at Western:

"We have urgent problems that I think are not being faced with sufficient energy and clarity."

And I have to say I agree with this. There are many people doing many cool things, and I am a big proponent of extolling the value of personal action, and in connecting with community, and in feeling empowered. But this doesn't change the fact that sometime it is hard not to feel frustrated by the reality of Suzuki's statement--it is hard not to feel frustrated that on a larger collective level, there is not sufficient energy and clarity when it comes to facing these urgent problems.

After our walk, I came home and checked my email and found that someone had forwarded me this article from the New York Times about something that has long been predicted that has finally happened:

"The level of the most important heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, has passed a long-feared milestone, scientists reported Friday, reaching a concentration not seen on the earth for millions of years. Scientific instruments showed that the gas had reached an average daily level above 400 parts per million — just an odometer moment in one sense, but also a sobering reminder that decades of efforts to bring human-produced emissions under control are faltering."

I am not writing about this to depress you, but I just felt like sharing some of the things that are on my mind today. Because one thing we need to do is talk more about this with each other, but even more important than that, I believe, is that we need to come together and somehow find a way to transform that talking into meaningful action.  And to quote a student I admire greatly, "This is the-absolute-most-important-thing in the world: is doing something about this now..."

Vegan "Eggs in a Hole"

When my husband and I ate at Cafe Du Soleil in Vancouver  not that long ago, (and I got to eat my wonderful pancakes), Doug, who still occasionally eats eggs from time to time when we go out, ordered something called "Eggs in a Hole," which is essentially eggs cooked inside a piece of bread. He really liked it and I was intrigued by this idea, so of course I later set forth to veganize this concept, and it turned out to be quite tasty.

I think you could serve this on its own, or with a side of hash browns and veggie sausage, or with gravy on top, or however you think would best complement a yummy-comfort-foody brunch. In this particular instance, I used Dave's Killer Bread, but any kind of bread should work fine. All you do is cut a "hole" with a circular cookie cutter in the middle of your piece of bread, lightly "butter" your bread on each side (I used Earth Balance), place your bread in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, and pour your "eggs" into the hole. Cook the eggy bread on one side, and then flip to cook the other side once it is ready. (Also, if you aren't sure what to do with your circles of bread that you cut from the middle, I dipped mine in "eggs," and cooked them up in the pan as well, and they were also quite good.)

That's it. Ta-dah! A new breakfast favorite is born.  Below is my go-to "egg" recipe in case you need it.

In a food processor combine:

1 package organic silken firm Mori-Nu tofu
1 tablespoon tahini
3 tablespoons vegan milk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons potato starch
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/2 tspn onion powder
1 tspn "kala namak" (aka "black salt") -gives it an "eggy" flavor

Blend until smooth. You can adjust with more liquid (water or vegan milk) if too thick, but usually this works fine for the eggs I need, whether it be scrambled or omelet or fried or whatever!

Great Life Veggie Burgers

One of my favorite things about writing this blog is that it brings me into contact with people and information that I would not have otherwise had. Lucinda out of Depoe Bay, Oregon, emailed me awhile back and generously offered to let me sample some of her veggie burger mixes. I get a fair number of samples from a variety of different vendors, but this product struck me as worthy of reviewing for a couple of reasons--one, I love that Lucinda is local to the Northwest (and I LOVE the Oregon Coast), but also, I think  a good veggie burger is hard to find, so when I find one, I want to pass on the news.

My favorite kind of veggie burgers are those that have a lot of flavor and are made from natural, whole food ingredients. The burgers I made were from the "Roasted Garlic, Dried Tomato and Chive Instant Veggie Burger Mix" and the ingredients included: oats, brown rice, pinto beans, sunflower seeds, chives and garlic. The veggie burger mix was also pretty awesome because it was gluten-free, soy-free, and  vegan. On top of that, the burgers are so easy to make--all you do is add water and then cook up the patties. And they turned out fantastic. You seriously would not even know they were from a mix--the flavor was so fresh and tasty.

I am not quite sure how Lucinda makes these mixes, but I am sure glad she does. I am definitely looking forward to trying more of her products. Currently, you can buy these mixes online from her website, or through Pangea. At around 6 bucks a package, the price breaks down to around a dollar a burger, which is not bad at all. And there are other things you could do with this besides burgers--I am thinking meatballs, maybe some stuffed peppers, lasagna, or meatloaf. Not to mention, this would be awesome to take on a camping trip--super-easy to cook over a fire and delicious too!

If you end up trying out this veggie burger mix yourself, leave me a comment r email me and let me know what you think. (I will add that I also gave one bag of the "Smokey Chipotle" mix to my mom to try--it had cornmeal in the ingredients, which unfortunately I can't eat--and she loved it. She is omnivorous but cannot eat gluten, and she thought it was fantastic and tasted very fresh and flavorful.) Thanks to Lucinda for letting me try out your delicious product. I will be placing an order for more very soon!

Delicious Vegan Food from Students for Sustainable Food

  Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting a table at the Earth Day Festival happening at WWU that was sponsored by Western's Environmental Center. I had a blast and the day was fabulous, and I decided during lunch that I had to dedicate today's post to the Students for Sustainable Food club. They provided the food for the event, and it truly was fantastic. And it also happened to be vegan!  (well, except for some local honey that was in a sauce on the kale..)

Prior to the event, I knew I would be there all day and I wasn't really sure what I was going to do for food. I could not believe my good fortune in finding out that lunch was part of the event itself, and not only that, it was a lunch that I could actually eat!

I had the pleasure of enjoying such a delicious and thoughtful meal made from wholesome, local ingredients and prepared in creative and flavorful ways. (Beet hummus? Seriously? What an awesome concept that never would have occurred to me! Now I am dying to figure out how to make it.) These students really blew me away with their generosity and their culinary skills. It was such a fabulous meal, so I just had to give them a shout-out and say how appreciative I am of all that they do!

Vegan Pancakes at Cafe Du Soleil: 1393 Commercial Drive, Vancouver B.C.

  One of the things Doug and I like to do when we stay in Vancouver is get up early and go for a nice walk around Stanley Park before going out for breakfast. The last time we did this, however, I ended up being way-more hungry than I had anticipated. Which meant that I spent much of our walk dreaming about the food I was going to consume as soon as we were finished.

I rarely eat pancakes--maybe once or twice a year when I get a craving. And this particular day, I happened to have a HUGE craving. I actually became a woman-obsessed. The previous evening, we had already chosen where we were going to eat breakfast that morning, a cute-sounding place called Cafe Du Soleil, and the online  reviews all sounded great. Unfortunately, when we clicked on their menu link, the only thing that appeared was the phrase "Something cool is coming soon." So of course, given my state of mind during our walk, I had one burning question: "Will they have pancakes?"

Once we finally finished our walk and arrived at the  restaurant, we wandered up to the counter to ask our questions and place our order. The young man working was very nice and helpful. I asked him if he could list vegan options but stopped paying attention after he said "And we can make vegan pancakes." When I smiled and said that was what I wanted, he then asked if I wanted banana, blueberry, or one of each. (I love it when you are presented with a choice that is impossible to make, and then given the option "or one of each." It's easy to decide when your decision means you get both things that you want!)

It could have been partly because I was so hungry (and for whatever reason, so pancake-obsessed), but looking  back at that morning now, I really feel like these were the best pancakes I ever had. The fruit was cooked right into the cake, and the pancakes were just the perfect combination of dense yet fluffy. The organic maple syrup was of course wonderful with these pancakes as well. As for the rest of the food at Cafe Du Soleil, I have a feeling it is pretty good. The place was crowded with happy-seeming diners who appeared to be enjoying their food, just like I was. I definitely intend to eat there again when I am in Vancouver. And the next time I get an extreme craving for pancakes, I know exactly where to go!

Sustainability Film Series and Another Blog!

Here is some more info about the event I mentioned in last week's post. All films are free and open to the public. I hope to see you there!

Also, I have embarked on a new co-blogging venture at Western Libraries as part of the Libraries' Sustainability Team. Please check it out if you have the time--we could use some readers! : ) It is called The Green Shelf. 

As far as this blog goes, stay tuned for a food-related post coming soon--topic: vegan pancakes in Vancouver! (YUM.)