Snow at the Beach!

It has been busy around here! I have some news but this biggest event here on the coast has been the snow. Earlier this week we had 2" of snow fall overnight followed by record breaking cold. On the morning of the snow fall, I grabbed the camera and headed down to the beach before breakfast. I took a lot of pictures and will share these two:

As winter settles in, I am finding it even more challenging to find some of the basics I need to make a variety of delicious, healthy vegan meals. Oh, one can always find beans and rice but if my timing is not right at the stores, fresh greens and items like tempeh and tofu are sometimes not available. I did one of my stocking up trips up to Astoria (about 45 miles north along a windy coastal road) and didn't come back with a whole lot. The co-op was out of tofu, and my favorite jasmine tea. I decided I need to take a few things into my own hands. I started researching making my own tempeh, tofu, and water kefir. I found a wonderful website that has information, videos, and supplies to order called Cultures for Health. They are not a completely vegan site but do have the cultures needed to make these vegan staples. I would also like to try making my own Kombucha. I ordered cultures for tempeh, two kinds to see which I prefer, water kefir grains, and tofu making supplies. I got the soybeans to start a batch of tempeh tomorrow and will have reports on my progress for all three as I go. I have never made any of these things before but wanted to give it a try. It would be nice to be somewhat independent from the stores. I am looking into what I can do for veggies. We have joined a CSA but that does not start up until May! Seems a long way away from here. I, like so many others, am ready for spring.
I will post the results of my first attempt at making tempeh soon!
-Renee

Convenience Food Independence

When we first moved to the coast I was really spoiled. I lived in two places with the best food co-ops I have ever shopped at. I could get just about any type of vegan convenience food to be found. I have always eaten mostly whole foods and cook from scratch but, there were a few convenience items that crept in. I really didn't notice until we moved to the coast where it is really hard to find much of the convenience foods that I enjoyed. I can only find the very basic in tofu and tempeh. I still haven't found a decent source for mochi which I enjoyed occasionally. I would keep a package or two of Gardein in the freezer for those nights when I needed something quick to make. I also really like the Field Sausage smoked apple sage flavor of vegan sausage.
Some of this I can find between here and the food co-op 45 miles up the road but not all. I cannot find a source for fresh daikon radish either and boy do I miss it. I will have to grow my own. If I was really really desperate, I could mail order many of these items but there have been two things that have refined the way I eat here on the coast in addition to the scarcity of resources.
I recently went on a 21 day cleanse diet. The only things I had to take out (from a long list of foods) was gluten and sugar. It was hard at first but I started looking into more raw foods for sweet treats without sugar and gluten. This has been a wonderful revelation for me. I don't think I would like to be 100% raw due to the fact I live in a cold gray climate and get too chilled without warm food but I do want to be "rawish". I am nearly finished with the cleanse, just three more days. I feel better physically. It isn't as dramatic for me as taking out dairy was. When I removed dairy from my diet over three years ago (and thus becoming vegan) I felt dramatically better health-wise. It turned out that I was down right allergic to dairy and the allergy was getting worse. Removing gluten and sugar has given a more subtle result. I feel lighter and cleaner. I love where it has taken me food-wise as well so I think for now, I will remain gluten and sugar free. My sweet tooth is more than satisfied with the treats that use dates or occasionally, agave for sweetening.
The second event that has changed the way I am eating and thinking about food is the plastic pollution I see on the beach. I walk the beach every day and always see bits of plastic in the high tide line, not to mention all kinds of objects. I started looking into the plastic pollution and have found several sites which I will be putting in my links list. One sight is called My Plastic Free Life and has a challenge to document your plastic usage. I took the challenge and have just finished week four. I thought I did pretty good but when I started documenting it, I was surprised to see how much I use in spite of cooking from scratch and buying in bulk. All those convenience foods listed above? Guess what! They all come wrapped in plastic. I started looking for alternatives. I found tofu in bulk at my local food co-op. One problem though, they run out and I am not close enough to go back anytime soon. I don't really eat a lot of tofu but it is good to have. The other thing I found was a way to make my own tempeh. I could make tofu too. I want to try it as I have never found tempeh in anything other than plastic bags.
I have also invested in a food dehydrator. Something I have wanted to do for years. Here it is:

I have been going crazy making all kinds of raw flatbreads, crackers, and

 Kale chips! These are "cheddar cheese" flavored. Oh my, they are highly addictive too. Once the farmer's markets start back up I will be getting produce to process for the winter using the dehydrator, canning, and stocking the freezer. I am finding all kinds of recipes for making my own convenience type foods using healthier whole foods as well.
The bottom line? I am eating even better than before and finding all kinds of new food paths to explore. Life is good!
Next post I want to highlight some of the wonderful vegan and plastic pollution blogs I read. It has been a busy month but I will be getting to that in a few days.
Here is to good, healthy, delicious, vegan food.
-Renee

Up the Coast

We are so fortunate to live in a little town that is sandwiched between two beautiful state parks. The other day the weather and tides were right for a little jaunt to one of our favorite spots, Hug Point. When the tides are low the beach and cliffs are quite dramatic. Here is a small taste:

Last week, I stopped in Seaside to get a haircut and then headed up to Astoria to shop at the food co-op. I found at least one possible vegan friendly restaurant in Seaside but will need to check it out further. I was happy to get to the co-op and stock up.
I recently purchased Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet and read it with great interest. It is not just a diet but a lifestyle, the best kind. She also had a 21 day cleanse at the back of the book. I decided to do the cleanse and incorporate some of the other aspects of the lifestyle. Meditation is one of those aspects. I used to meditate but fell out of the habit when my life became chaotic. It has been a bit more of a challenge to bring it back. I am working on it. The only dietary things I needed to eliminate in the 21 day cleanse was gluten and sugar. I have been wanting to abstain from gluten to see if that is a factor in my health and this is a good opportunity.
It has been a week so far. The only thing that I really haven't been able to do is the juicing. My body and bloodsugar just can't take such a hit. I have decided to do green smoothies instead of green juice. I also cannot do an all day juice fast as suggested. I am not totally concerned about that. I will be happy just taking out the gluten and sugar. I am eating more veggies than ever and have been adding more raw vegan dishes to my diet. At this point I don't want to go completely raw but I am happy to add more delicious and healthy raw meals to my diet.
I recently purchase Raw for Dessert by Jennifer Cornbleet. I love using dates as a sweetener. The desserts are rich and a little goes a long way. I also checked out from our local library Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo. I love the pates and cheezes. Again, I eat these things sparingly and include lots of fresh raw veggies and pure water. I also drink jasmine green tea and have for the past 30 years.
Additional changes I would like to make would be to add more sea vegetables. I am not a big fan at this time but have managed to gradually expand my palate so I am thinking to push it a bit with the sea veggies.
I will continue in my quest to find vegan friendly restaurants on the coast. I have used Happy Cow in the past to find places and would like to contribute to the list. By the way, Happy Cow is a wonderful resource to use!
I have a trip planned to go south on the coast. We shall see what I can find. I'll be back soon!
-Renee