Gluten-free Veganliciousness

I found these pictures from before our plunge into gluten freedom. Once upon a time, I made many of these tasty Tofurky sandwiches with Vegenaise, deli mustard, tomatoes, onions, pickles, cucumber slices, bell peppers, Vegan Gourmet cheddar, and crispy sprouts piled high on toasty sprouted grain bread. Yum!





Now I make them with Amy's Bistro veggie burgers and rice tortillas, instead of Tofurky slices and bread. So delicious!

I was intimidated by the idea of eating vegan and gluten-free at first, but it has been a fun exploration and not at all as difficult or restricting as anticipated. I never realized how much of my diet was wheat based - literally every meal - until I gave it up.

A fresh baguette from the local organic bakery is a rare treat now, saved for good olive oil and smoked sea salt.

Pineapple Glazed Tofu Spring Rolls

The excellent farmers markets and health food stores in town have inspired me to cook like crazy. I've been a passionate food nerd since childhood, so exploring the gastronomical landscape of my new home es muy divertido!



This week at the market I grabbed more french breakfast radishes, red butter leaf lettuce, sweet rainbow mini-peppers, carrots, basil, and mint - which of course sparked an unstoppable craving for spring rolls!

I marinated the tofu in wheat-free tamari, pineapple juice, dark agave, grated ginger, fresh garlic, and raw apple cider vinegar, then pan fried it in fragrant virgin coconut oil (oh my god, amazing!).



I need to work on my rolling technique. I've made these a hundred times before and never can get them nice and tight. Whatevs. They're super delicious and that's what really matters, right?



Oh, and a chili peanut sauce for dipping. Yum!

passionflowers

are unbelievable...

Spring Panang

For years I tried to create a Thai style curry to smile about. I hunted down every powder or paste collecting dust on the store shelves with hope that this could finally be the ONE. Sadly, these lifeless and uninspired blends always managed to disappoint. I was prepared to improvise, but no matter how much fresh ginger I grated, garlic I pressed, or lime juice I squeezed, the finished dishes turned out bland and hot. I was cursed. Nothing could satisfy my desire for fresh kafir scented coconut cream, galangal earthiness, and perfect chili spice. Eventually, the heartbreak of failure forced me to abandon the pursuit and I left curry making to the pros.

That is, until I found this at the NW Veg Fest...



Check out the ingredients!



This amazingly delicious paste is made by a Thai couple in Portland. They also make green, yellow, red, and Massamun.

I was excited to try it out, so I made a trip to the Saturday Farmers' Market in Eugene (which is huge and happens to be the oldest in the country) to sample some of this spring's treasures.



I decided to use baby bok choy, sweet red peppers, yellow onion, tofu, kale and collard florets, pineapple chunks, bamboo shoots, zucchini, basil, mint, and French radishes.



If you ever find kale or collard green florets BUY EVERY BUNCH. You will fall in love.



This was so good, I almost cried. I can't wait to try the other pastes.



Some dreams do come true.

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall...

Little seeds of shame and fear and competition were planted in our baby girl brains with every image they fed us. Now we claim the tools of oppression as tools of harmless girly fun.

Our continued participation in and defense of the beauty industry worries me. Women should be free to play with identity, beauty, and modification of their own bodies in whatever way they choose. I don't see any need to defend or preserve a corporate hyper-femininity that only limits women's exploration of the feminine spectrum. Beyond the industry's societal mindfuck, there are concerns like slave labor, the tons and tons of unnecessary waste it produces every day, and animal testing torture. Indulging in a system of capitalist patriarchal oppression for "our own pleasure" or "girly fun" is not feminist reclaiming. It's not even freedom to choose it for ourselves if we simply adhere, but never imagine or pose new challenges.

We'd rather play the games we know - woman against woman, woman against self.