| PsychOS fundraiser! |
[16 Nov 2009|09:46pm] |
Hey folks!
This year the Psychology Organization of Students is throwing a fundraiser for the Vancouver Island Head Injury Society ( http://www.biasvi.org/).
The event will be a "formal" dance style at Touch (formerly known as Red Jacket)and the tickets are only $5! Tickets can be bought from certain PsychOS members or the bake sale we're having this Friday in the Clearhue lobby.
For more details or to invite people you think will be interested in this please go to the facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177496876049#wall_posts
This is obviously meant for everybody and not just psychology students, so buy tickets, get dressed up purdy and party for charity! ;)
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| Butternut Squash Ravioli Recipes |
[16 Nov 2009|10:20pm] |
I've been craving butternut squash ravioli, and I've decided to make some myself. I've been looking for a recipe for a savory butternut squash ravioli dish, but, honestly, I can't tell if a recipe is going to be good or not. If you could recommend your favorite butternut squash ravioli and sauce recipes, I would truly appreciate it!
I guess while I'm at it, recommendations for a cabbage dish?
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| Lebkuken |
[16 Nov 2009|06:49pm] |
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Does anyone know where to find excellent lebkuken (or however you prefer to spell it) in Victoria? Bonus if it's made fresh, but I'll take packaged if it's good!
Thanks!
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| Rain |
[16 Nov 2009|05:59pm] |
Hi Victoria,
Anyone have any ideas where I can find a massive umbrella that's relatively sturdy and cheap? These flimsy folding ones just aren't doing it for me -- my legs and bag are soaking after walking home from work today.
I know "where can I buy X" posts generally suck, but I hope that other people might get some use out of this one.
Thanks!
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| gumboots |
[16 Nov 2009|05:18pm] |
Hey Victoria,
I'm sure you've all noticed the pineapple express going on right now, and I'd like some gumboots! I've seen a few I like but they were all in the $60-80 range and I'd really like not having to pay this much. I also don't have time to shop around since it's November and I'm a grad student... so I was hoping some of you could tell me where I could get some cute rubber boots. My dry feet will thank you!
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| Identifying mystery flours: is this vital wheat gluten? |
[16 Nov 2009|02:39pm] |
So here's a question: I always buy flours from bulk bins at Whole Foods or the local co-op... and I have recently discovered when I cleaned the pantry that I have a couple bags of flour that I can't identify. I oh-so-brilliantly labeled them with some kind of bin number rather than with what they are. I have reason to suspect at least one of these is vital wheat gluten....but it's possible both are, or maybe one is bread flour, or oat flour, or who knows what. I was dating a gluten-free fella so who knows what random flours I may have purchased during that time... it could also be chickpea flour.
Is there any way to tell these apart?? I thought maybe vital wheat gluten would be more... sticky or have that weird texture if I moistened a bit of it, but when I did that it didn't seem all that different than when I added a bit of water to some (clearly labeled) regular white flour. Maybe that means it's just plain old bread flour and not vital wheat gluten?
I hate to make a recipe of sausages or something assuming this is vital wheat gluten and then have it all not turn out... and if I try to make pizza crust with it and it turns out to be vital wheat gluten...gah. I just don't want to waste it. And they are rather large bags.
Ideas? How can I tell flours apart?
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| Julie Hasson's Spicy Italian Sausages |
[16 Nov 2009|07:09pm] |
I cannot express how good this recipe for Spicy Italian Sausages is. And adaptable - I'm thinking tomato and garlic, apple and sage, leek and faux cheese, etc. So incredibly easy (measure ingredients, chuck 'em in, stir for about a minute, make into links or patties). And when they've been refrigerated, the texture's just brilliant. Other Half just cycled in from work, tried one straight from the fridge and said, "Hey, this means we never have to buy sausages again!" And the recipe says it makes 8, but it makes 18 fair sized sausages. Prep time... under 10 minutes; cooking time 30 minutes steaming.
I am so impressed. Full (vegan) English breakfast tomorrow morning.
Recipe under the cut, my comments in italics:
( Go on, you know you want to look... )
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| Vegetarian Ethics? |
[15 Nov 2009|02:29pm] |
Hello, I could really use some help right now.
I've been a vegetarian for about three months, basically I started it because I was raised my whole life thinking it was healthier, and one day I realized I was kind of living a double standard, knowing that veg was the healthier choice but still continuing to eat meat.
So I quit, and it's really been fun finding new ways to cook things and all.
I did it mainly for health reasons.
Anyway.
Most of my family are at least polite about it, but my brother is driving me into the ground. Every time he gets annoyed with me about anything, he has to bring up how stupid it is that I'm now a vegetarian, and I really don't understand why it bothers him so bad... I thought he'd forget about it by now but no...
We were at a friend's house last night, and she asked me if I was still veg. I said yes and so she just made sure she put the chicken on the side to add to anyone's food who wanted it.
I don't think she likes what I'm doing but she doesn't argue.
Anyway... my brother went on an embarrassing tangent about me in front of her last night and I don't really know how to douse out the fire so he'll quit saying things like that.
I really don't want to give him any smart comebacks or facts... he's researched vegetarianism and he's even done it before, which is why I'm really confused as to what his problem is, and I don't really care about all the technical reason... it's food. I just don't want to eat meat.
I don't even wanna talk about it to people anymore because I'm afraid they'll label me somehow.
Sometimes he bothers me so bad I just wanna quit but the thing is, I don't think I could even if I wanted to now. The thought of eating meat makes me almost want to throw up.
People are always talking about the nasty hormones they put in meat these days, and yet they still eat it anyway and I just don't think I could do that anymore...
I'm just really sick of dealing with people's crap and I wish that we didn't have to talk about it at every meal but my brother brings it up constantly.
I'm really afraid one day he's gonna take me somewhere and there won't be a veg option and he'll try to make me eat a meat dish just for the heck of it.
I know he sounds like a psycho but we've been through a lot together and he's the only real friend I've got.
Anybody have a similar situation?
I just don't get it, I mean I never throw food away... as a matter of fact I ate some fermented green beans the other night because it was the only vegetable thing we had left...
I have found ways to order veggie food at just about anywhere when we go out to eat, and I'm not being wasteful nor do I spend more money on tofu substitutes. I make a lot of normal food that is appealing to the rest of my family, even my dad who is a firm believer in steak lol.
And most of all heck I feel better now, and meat is just gross to me. I am thinking about making a deal with my brother since he hunts, I might tell him that I'll only eat deer meat that he brings home or something like that.
Maybe then he'll be appeased....
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| Pumpkin |
[15 Nov 2009|07:33pm] |
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I have a small to medium pumpkin (maybe more medium) that I would like to stuff and roast. However, I'm at a loss, both for what to stuff it with (I'm thinking a savoury rice mixture) and technique. Would anybody have a tried and true recipe? Or any suggestions whatsoever?
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| Peppers Galore |
[15 Nov 2009|02:41pm] |
I went to a friends house yesterday and they gave me a bag of farm fresh peppers, all sorts of bell peppers and something called a sweet tooth pepper which I had never heard of before. There is likely enough to feed me for a week. I want to do stuffed peppers obviously, and I was thinking of a roasted red pepper hummus.
Any other ideas?
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| Vegan + drinking? |
[15 Nov 2009|07:16am] |
Hey all!
I've been properly vegan for 4 months now, and have been on-and-off vegetarian for the past year prior to becoming vegan. Eventually decided to just go for it, & I'm feeling great! I also have IBS and going vegan has helped my digestion oodles. I've also started doing yoga. So, overall, I feel way better than I used to!
Only one problem which has sprung up around the same time I started eating a healthy vegan diet (not a pizza & french fries vegan diet) - I've started to be unable to tolerate alcohol. Before I became vegan I was a pretty regular drinker with a very high tolerance, and without any adverse effects when drinking (as long as I drank a bit of water before bed I almost always avoided a hangover, no matter how much I drank). Now, all I have to do is have 2 drinks & I'm in the bathroom the entire night, even if I don't feel slightly drunk from those drinks (that's what I'm doing right now basically, just taking a brief interlude to post on here - it's 7am where I am, nope haven't slept, been too sick)!
I'm not too sure if anyone else has experienced this, or if this sort of reaction from my body has something to do with me generally being healthier and my body is rejecting what is effectively a poison (alcohol). I had made a conscious decision not to drink anymore, but last night I decided to see what effect minimal drinking would have (2 drinks over a 5 hour period). BAD IDEA!
This has never, ever been how my body has reacted, ever, not until I began eating a vegan diet.
Not sure if the two are connected. Thoughts?
(I posted this in another LJ community just now, hope that's alright? Just looking to reach as many people as possible to hopefully get some advice/answers!)
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| How to veganize a savory cheddar bread pudding? |
[15 Nov 2009|05:01am] |
Thanksgiving is being held at my aunt's this year, and when my dad mistaken told her I was just a vegetarian, she cocked her head and said "That's okay - vegetarians can eat turkey! Otherwise, where would they get their protein!" Sigh. She evidently doesn't even know what a vegetarian is, let alone a vegan.
I would like to bring something where the look of the dish doesn't seem off-putting. When I think Thansgiving, I also think of a cheesy-type casserole. So here's my query. I found this dish, but is it able to be decently veganized? It seems pretty reliant on eggs, dairy and I'm not good with major substitutions... I prefer something with little soy (my body revolts), but I'm willing to try anything. For those who have made their own cheezes (I remember an almond feta that looked as if it might work in this) are there any you think would work best? Thank you everyone!
( Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding )
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| Daiya cheese |
[14 Nov 2009|09:42pm] |
Ok, I was not really believing the hype about this Daiya cheese stuff, but I recently got my hands on some, and I had a quesadilla today. A real, melty, stretchy, delicious quesadilla. It still has that vaugely processed-chemically flavor, kind of like a Kraft single, but it NAILS the texture and mouthfeel. Daiya's about as nutritious as Vegenaise, mind you - no protein to speak of, no vitamins or minerals, but it is really, really, really tasty.
UPDATE: The (not vegan, cheese addicted) 4 year-old likes it, and so does the cat. The cat, in fact, REALLY likes it.
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| Morningstar Farms Veggie Dogs |
[14 Nov 2009|01:56pm] |
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So....I just read the news. The Morningstar Farms veggie dogs (and corn dogs and mini corn doggies) are not coming back. =( They posted on Facebook that they couldn't get their supplier issues resolved, and so they've discontinued the items with no plans to reintroduce them.
I almost cried. Those dogs were my very favourite fake meat, and my favourite thing to keep in the freezer for quick snacks. The only other non-sausagey dogs I've found in town are the Smart Dogs, which taste like sawdust to me. Does anyone have any tricks to make them more edible? Are they better if you cook them a certain way, or nuke them longer than they recommend, or something like that? Does anyone have any better information on why Morningstar Farms gave up on the good dogs? "Supplier issues" is so vague...surely there's someone out there that can provide any ingredients they might need.....right?
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| Meat replacement question |
[13 Nov 2009|02:52pm] |
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So I have a question regarding meat replacements, specifically Yves Veggie Ground Round. How healthy for you is this stuff? Is it considered "good for you" or not the best or what? I mainly want to know if there is anything bad about using it regularly in cooking meals. I tend to use a lot of it when cooking so I was curious if it's something "good" for me?
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| How long do whole soybeans take to cook? |
[14 Nov 2009|02:05pm] |
I've seen suggestions from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours, or the generic 'when done' which doesn't help when I'm trying to time a meal.
What do you do?
Googling is giving me gazillions of responses but limiting it to whole soybeans is proving unsuccessful. So I'm asking the wise vegan brains here. :)
(Usually, I'd sprout them, and then they take only 10 minutes at most to cook. That saves time, gas and carbon outputs, but with summer hitting where I live, my soybean sprouts are going off.)
Thanks. :)
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| Rent it or run? |
[13 Nov 2009|08:53pm] |
Hey everyone, I'm brand new here, so please forgive me if I start asking ridiculous questions.
I'm moving to Victoria in January, and a friend-of-a-friend has offered me a place for rent in James Bay.
It's a completely separate ground-level suite, brand spanking new construction, approx. 900 sq. ft, 1 bedroom with in-suite laundry.
He's asking me to pay $1100 a month.
Can one of you rent-savvy residents tell me if this is a reasonable deal or not? I simply have no clue what I should be paying...
Thanks in advance! Look forward to maybe meeting some of you and mixing it up in LiveJournal over the coming months!
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