Validation

My friend Tiffany posted this on my Facebook Wall just now:

"OMG, Kale soup is so yummy!!!! and very WeightWatcher friendly. I didn't have the soy sauce, but it still tasted yummy!!! Thanks Becky"

I'm soooo happy to hear that my blog is already making a difference. So now all you skeptics, stop questioning the kale soup and make it!! :)

Thanks for the validation, Tiff!

PS You're tiny, why are you worried about Weight Watchers?!?

A Salsa and Dog Food Weekend

I had such a good weekend! Very relaxing. I literally spent all day on Saturday at my friend Amanda's house on the couch. She makes THE BEST homemade salsa in the world, so we wore our elastic waist bands and spent a full day of lounging & binging with the kids. She has a 1yr old daughter named Bella and an adorable springer spaniel named Maggie...and of course I brought Jakers along. Jakers doesn't get along with many dogs, but he does with Maggie. Wait, I take that back. He tolerates Maggie. :) He also seemed to be OK with the situation due to the fact Maggie has self control, therefore has a self-feeding dog dish (the food just continuously pour out). Jake helped himself to that scene and pretty much cleaned her out. I truly thought he might eventually cut himself off, but like mother, like son -- he did not. (And believe you me, he had some regrets the following day.)

As much as I love salsa and know it's so good for you with all the fresh veggies...I encounter the same problem that I have mentioned with guacamole -- I end up eating a whole bag of chips. But Amanda swears by her salsa as a good "sauce" for pasta or even as a salad dressing. I am not able to set down the chips long enough to find out, but I'll take her (skinny) word for it. :)

Amanda's Fresh Salsa

Tomatoes: I usually use 3-4 big ones or 6-8 small ones
Green Peppers: 1-3 depending on size and how much you like this flavor, it can get strong.
Onion: 1 small or 3/4 of a large
Cilantro: 1 bunch, again this can get strong so put in as much as you like
Black Beans: one can, I get the "Southwestern" flavor ones
Rotel (in case you're not familiar, this can be found by the canned tomatoes): one to two cans depending on how spicy you want it, I get the Mexican flavor with lime juice and cilantro
Garlic: about 4 cloves

Combine all in the food processor. Salt and pepper to taste. Add any extra of the ingredients above if you want more of a certain flavor. I also add lime juice sometimes and fresh jalapeños. You can also add cumin if you want.

The onion flavor will get stronger once it sits for awhile, so keep that in mind too.

Advertising: It Works

So I may be slightly biased, since I work in advertising, but my friend Shannon from work sent me this link to some amazing ad campaigns:
http://webecoist.com/2008/12/27/creative-ads-environment-humanity/

I was surprised at how affected (effected?) I was, since you would think at this point, I wouldn't be swayed by advertising as much as the non-advertising industry folks, right? But these ads are amazing. Especially the WWF ads. They are such a wonderful non-profit who does so much for animals. I actually utilized WWF this year for Christmas presents -- for both my niece and my friend Amanda's daughter, Bella, I adopted an animal in their name, and in return WWF sent them stuffed animals and an adoption certificate. I would encourage others to look into doing this for gift giving down the road! It's a great way to (a) help animals and (b) show children that the holidays aren't all about taking, but can also be about giving back.

I also really thought the Lavera cosmetics ad campaign was moving. I think some may find it a bit graphic, but I think it has to be to get through to people. The abuse and death of millions of animals in product testing - esp cosmetics - is really graphic. I am definitely aware that ignorance is bliss. I HATE seeing pictures of animals suffering or hearing stories of animals in perilous situations, but it took graphic undercover videos from factory farms to open my eyes to the world of veganism. And I have friends who were really moved by the book "Skinny Bitch", because hearing about the harsh treatment of animals made them realize what they are truly eating.

Kind of a harsh blog post for a Friday, I realize. But sometimes a little reality check is good for us. I'll try to make my next post a bit more light-hearted to even it out, though!

I Heart Sea Kittens

This is my new favorite campaign:
http://www.peta2.com/Sea_Kittens/index.asp

It's so adorable! But beyond the cute factor, it's a brilliant way to address the issue of consuming fish. Nobody feels bad for the fish -- and I agree, I'm not aching to snuggle on the couch with a salmon anytime soon. But if you think of them as being creatures - just as adorable kittens are - you kind of think twice about consuming them.

I posted the link to this campaign on my Facebook status yesterday and a friend from college remarked that she would still eat her spicy tuna roll even if it WAS a spicy kitten roll, since she couldn't stand cats. After I got beyond the gag reflex at the thought of consuming my baby Mabel, I sent her a link to another amazing site, that I think changed her mind. icanhascheezburger.com -- check it out! (sample adorable image to the left, from the site)


Anyhow, back to the Sea Kittens/PETA2 campaign, I created my own Sea Kitten on the site. I named her Eunice, since I think giving pets old-fashioned names is adorable. I'll include her pic below...but go create your own!!

Because It Tastes Better When Someone Else Makes It

So today, I came home from work and was TOTALLY craving Chinese food. It's an easy option, since there are plenty of vegan options in Asian food - I love veggie lo mein and veggie chow mein. And anything with fried tofu. :) But, since I'm trying to save money these days, I bit the bullet and sifted through my cupboards. I came across a can of chow-mein veggies and the crunchy chow-mein noodles. And of course I have rice on hand. So I made my own Chinese food. But it wasn't the same. It's that way with salads, too -- I could make salads all day long, and they would never taste quite as good as it does when you go out to a restaurant.

This leads me into my point (it took awhile, I know). I thought I'd share some of my favorite restaurants/cuisines to find vegan options. Living in Minneapolis, it's not like LA, NY, Portland or DC -- there aren't as many "vegan only" restaurants.

1) Chipotle -- I learned about this one early on, as veggie burritos were served at the animal advocacy conference last May. To minimize carbs, I go with the burrito bol and get lots of veggies, beans, salsa and guac. I honestly don't even miss the meat, cheese or sour cream!
(Side note -- at any Mexican restaurant, you can get the taco salad with beans -- hold the meat, cheese and sour cream). Pair that with a bucket o' chips and salsa, you're good to go. NOTE: I never claimed these were the HEALTHIEST options. :)

2) Thai -- My favorite is a local place called Tum Rup Thai, but any place would work. Thai tends to work well with the vegan diet, because they offer lots of veggie options in entrees and sauces, and you can usually get tofu in place of meat on anything. My favorite is the good ol' pad thai. I could literally eat it every day (and weigh 100 lbs more than I do right now).

3) Noodles & Co -- I of course have to mention them, because they are a client of ours at my advertising agency! :) But beyond that, they have some great salads and pasta dishes that work for us veggies. Tasty treat, and someplace I can go with the meat eaters in my life and everyone's happy!

4) Subs - Potbelly, Subway, Jimmy Johns...you name it, and they are all a delicious option for lunch or dinner. Again, load up with all the veggies on the menu and you don't even notice the cheese, mayo or meat being gone!

With almost any retaurant, you can MAKE something on the menu vegan-friendly. Although I will say that Applebee's and Red Lobster are NOT veg-friendly locations. (This is unfortunate for my family, because they're big chain restaurant people.) Even though it may get old always opting for veggie burgers or salads, I am willing to do so often times, so that I can dine out with my family and friends who don't choose a vegan lifestyle. Just hoping they'll come around soon. :)

For the Love of Guac

I've decided to dedicate today's post to a recipe my brother shared with me -- his amazing guacamole. I'm dedicating it to him as a show of sympathy, as my alma mater wiped up the basketball court with his alma mater earlier today. It's tough to always be on the losing side, right bro? :)

Anyhow, I digress. I was never much of a guacamole eater until he enlightened me. He was visiting Minneapolis this past summer for a weekend -- and I picked him up at the airport and for some reason, on the way home, we started talking about guacamole and he claimed he made a mean bowl. I decided to make him prove it, stopping at a grocery store on the way. After he made it, I nearly finished off the entire bowl before my Mom even arrived home. And now I have to resist buying avocados at the grocery store, because if I make guac, I eat guac....nonstop until it's gone! And, really, that wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact I eat half a bag of chips along with it.

However, I've brought this recipe along to many-a-party, and it's such a big hit! And of course, vegans and meat eaters alike love it, so just a bonus there! :)
Enjoy!

Heavenly Guacamole

3 avocados (peeled, pitted & mashed)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt (I like to use sea salt or kosher salt for an extra kick!)
1/2 c. diced onion
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
3 handfuls grape tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes and garlic. Refrigerator an hour, to allow flavors to marinade.

Explaining the Kale

So I chose the blog title of "Eat Your Kale", because the first recipe that I wanted to share on here is the Kale Soup my Aunt Sanda made for me after she learned I had become vegan (gone vegan?). I loved it from the beginning, and have since made a couple of delicious twists to it. It was especially amazing that first time, because she grows kale in her garden, so we first went out and cut the main ingredient from the backyard -- so cozy, right?!

She was super supportive of my decision, as she has eaten a vegan diet on-and-off again over the past 10+ years. I remember when my siblings and I would complain about going to Aunt Sanda's for holidays, since everything she made was "too healthy". Ha! Now this past Christmas I was pumped to hear she was hosting, since I knew it meant Tofurkey, vegan side dishes and her amazing salads.

If you've never tried kale, I encourage you to give this a whirl. It's easy to make, has a lot of garlic (YUM) and is a hearty meal that you can store in the fridge for a few days and re-heat when things get busy! That last part is key -- I live alone, but love to cook, so I'm always happy when things re-heat just as tasty as when they were originally prepped! Plus, with my schedule, I can't always make a home cooked meal every night. Oh, one other plus -- not very expensive! All of the ingredients are pretty basic and inexpensive...we all know in this economy money is ALWAYS a factor!

With no further ado...here is my first recipe, posted to my blog!!

Sanda's Kale Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
5 or 6 garlic cloves
3 cups water
3 tbsp veggie broth mix powder (buy in bulk at Whole Foods or co-ops)
1 bunch of kale (chopped into small, biteable pieces)
1 cup cooked brown rice
5 red potatoes, diced and cooked
1 or 2 tbsp soy sauce

Thinly slice garlic and saute in olive oil until just starting to brown (do this in a large pot). Add 3 cups of water & increase heat. Mix in veggie broth powder. Add kale a little at a time, cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Add rice, potatoes and soy sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Finally on Board

I'm a blogger! :) I decided, laying in bed unable to fall asleep last night, that I should start a blog. Not really sure WHY I "should" start a blog, but I think it's two-fold. (1) I work in digital media, so it seems like it's a crowd I should be running with and (2) I'm super opinionated and like to talk about myself. It's true.

So the basis of my blog, since it's the most relevant thing in my life, will be my vegan experiences. I decided to live a vegan lifestyle last May (of 2008) after attending an animal advocacy conference called Their Lives, Our Voices at the University of Minnesota. I was already mostly vegetarian, with the exception of seafood. But veganism was a huge step for me. But the best step I ever took! So I'm still learning exactly how to navigate this scene and thought maybe blogging could help others who are new to veganism -- or even just thinking about it. Sharing recipes, resources, struggles will all probably happen on a regular basis here.

I must also forewarn that I have an unhealthy obsession with my dog and cat. Mr Jakerson's Franklin (Jake or Jakers) is my dog. I got him from the Humane Society in May 2007 and he's amazing. Totally needy, totally not always housetrained and totally overweight -- but he's the love of my life. 5 months after adopting him, I got his sister, Mabel. She was part of a stray litter of kittens that a friend found in a barn. Before she brought the litter into a shelter, as the weather was turning cold, I snatched up the runt and brought her home. So I will talk about them a lot, as well. Get ready. :)