Day 23: Not feeling creative

So I resort to thievery. From Meg.

1. What was the most recent tea you drank?
I'm a dyed-in-the-natural-fibers coffee drinker, but I believe good old Throat Coat was my most recent tea. It's getting chilly up in here. I'm also a fan of Yogi Teas - a Eugene company!

2. What vegan forums do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!
PPKers may know me as foodiedyke. I'm not on too much these days, though.


3. You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?
A silken tofu creamy sauce concoction that involves basil, thyme, rosemary, garlic and a food processor. Better than it sounds.

4. How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?
A handful. Five or six at most, since my workplace is set up to keep my putzing around to a minimum. It's been a stretch to even post this much.

5. Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?
Yeah, that Vegan Sh*t

6. If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do?
A Portland blogger party sounds about right to me. Every PDX blogger I've read sounds pretty rad.

7. If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?
Tempeh. It goes best with BBQ sauce. Also, that is NOT the trinity.


8. If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?
Those sheets of frozen tempeh could work both as a weapon and a shield. Then it's all conveniently broken up for stir-frying.


9. Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!
Tempeh reubens, BBQ tempeh (last night's dinner) and any variation on the theme of stir-fry.

10. What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?
The pear and pecan stuffing up on PPK and the carmelized sweet potatoes Meg mentioned.

11. Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?
Nope.

12. Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh)
I live there. Here. Portland. It's delightful

13. What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?
I started this month and there has been a noted backsliding incident. We'll see how it works out.

14. What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?
See also: the first vegan meal I ever had. Probably 8 years ago - some absolutely dreadful vegan pizza at a friend's house. His mom probably slaved for hours over it, so I didn't want to visibly wretch. Still, it made me sick for a solid 24 hours. Since then I have been intensely shy of soy cheese.


15. What made you decide to blog?
This blog has been around in some incarnation or another since my freshman year of college. It was originally designed to keep me in touch with others while avoiding the indignity that is Livejournal (sorry, friends, but I just can't hack that shit). I also kept an opendiary while those were thing in junior high and high school.

16. What are three of your favorite meals to make?
Any soup (esp. with homemade stock), the shockingly healthy mess I've lovingly come to call "Vegan Frito Pie", or dal. (Daal? Dhal?)

17. What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?
My grandma's "nippy carrots" - no idea about the name. Steamed, sliced carrots in a sauce that's equal parts dijon mustard, brown sugar and butter substitute. (Melt the not-butter, stir in other ingredients over low heat. Serve warm with mashed potatoes.)

18. Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?
Red and Black's tempeh reuben. Also, anything from Paradox.

16. What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?
I'm with Meg - Cafe Yumm is the shit. When I'm feeling down, a little jar of Yumm sauce will lift my spirits like no other.

17. My kitchen needs a...
Toaster. Breakfast is hard.

18. This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen...!
Okra. I tried to like it, out of a contrarian nature (my mom has always hated it) and utterly failed.

19. What's for dinner tonight?
One Pot Lentil Mass. I think I posted the recipe back in the day. It's what I eat when I have no dough.

20.Add a question here!
Fun vegan fact of the day? Both Carl Lewis and Martina Navratilova are or have been vegan. Neat!