Bartertown Diner

 On our way home from Mackinac Island, we stopped at a restaurant we had been looking forward to trying, Bartertown Diner in Grand Rapids, MI. Bartertown is a worker owned/operated vegan restaurant. The restaurant is constantly changing based on what's in season, what customers are cooking, and who is working. This place is revolutionizing food in more ways than one.

The food was good. The atmosphere was inspired. The place was inspirational.

Do you have somewhere like this by you?

Real Food Isn't Perfect

Real apples do not shine like they have been buffed to perfection.  Real carrots have ridges, come to a point, and are bigger on one end than the other.  Real peaches are uneven, the fuzz thicker in some places than others.  Real cucumbers have dirt on them when pulled off the vine (and by the way, they grow on a vine).

I think that sometimes in the supermarket we lose touch with what real food looks like.  We search for the perfect in a bin under florescent lights because it's what we have come to expect.  We teach our kids to do the same.  Real food is not perfect in the way it looks.  Nothing real looks perfect.  But in the way it treats our bodies and nourishes our earth, real food is as close to perfect as it gets.

Farmer's Market Report :: August 5, 2011

Here is our haul from the Farmer's Market this week.  Much of it is the same as in recent weeks.  I scooped up what may very well be the last of the cherries, and will enjoy every bite.  Tucker was over the moon about the arrival of peaches, which he has been requesting in the grocery store.  This summer has been a big lesson for him in seasonal food.

What did you find at the farmer's market this week?

On My Mind :: Juicing Garden Goodness

This week we have been able to make our morning green juice with kale and broccoli right from the garden.  Health we grew ourselves!

What's on your mind this week?
Linking to:  Down to Earth

Recipe :: Summer Dinner

This is what summer dinner recipes look like for us:

In season local veggies + grain/legume/both + extra protein source (tofu, tempeh, seitan) if we have it + seasoning = YUM!

I switch it up with how we cook the veggies.  We prefer roasting (coat with olive oil and salt, 450 for 20 minutes) or a light saute.  You could also steam or grill.  What else?

Here's what went into this dish:
Peppers (red, orange, yellow)
Acorn squash
Butter beans
Wild rice
Salt and Pepper

What do summer meals look like for you?  What's your favorite

Farmer's Market Report :: July 15, 2011

It isn't that I haven't been going to the Farmer's Market the past few weeks. We've been every week, enjoying the easy, nutritious food that supports our health and the local farmers. But between broken computers and crazy schedules, the posting has lapsed...until now.

And what a week it was, from the berries (blue and rasp) that will be eaten by handfuls and thrown in morning oatmeal...

 ...cherries for the perfect snack...

...to the zucchini, corn, and summer squash, and peppers that will make up our dinners...

...and finally the piece de resistance: the cantalope that Tucker has been requesting daily.

What did you find at the farmer's market this week? How are you using your finds?
Linking to: Farmer's Market Report at Green Phone Booth

Recipe :: Quesadillas

I'm back! The computer is fixed. Better yet, it was under warranty.

I return with a a tasty treat I have been enjoying a lot this summer, vegan quesadillas.

These are great because they are customizable to the person, the mood, the food in season.

Start with tortillas. Sprouted grain are the healthiest but you could use corn or flour. I find the bigger the better.

Add filling:
Veggies-really whatever floats your boat. My favorites are diced tomato, onion, lettuce, and pepper.
Cheese-I use Daiya mozzarella and pepper jack.
Protein-I like to steam tempeh and crumble it in salsa. But you could do seitan or tofu as well.

Cook. I like to pair it with Costco organic corn chips and salsa.

What are you munching on this summer? How do you like your quesadillas?

The First Garden Goody

Last week we got to pick our first garden goody, this beautiful yellowish green pepper (you all know I am a pro at technical gardening terms).  To be more specific, it came from a hybrid pepper starter plant courtesy of my local nursery.

There was a lot of debate on what to do with this beauty.  Finally it was decided that she would adorn our weekly movie night pizza.

We use Bob's Gluten Free Crust Mix, made with flaxseed meal and water in place of egg.  Usually I just throw on some Eden pizza sauce (Eden makes just about the only BPA free lining cans on the market right now and they are a Michigan company) and Daiya mozzarella cheese.  Today I added my lovely pepper (after saving the seeds) and diced sweet onion.  I ate a few pieces pepper raw (yum!) and roasted it with the onion before placing it on the pizza.

The result was a vegan/home-grown masterpiece!  What is your favorite way to use your garden's bounty?   What is your favorite way to do home-made pizza?

Website Wonders

We've come to the end of food awareness week!  Do you feel more aware?  Fear not, we aren't done just yet.  Today we talk websites.  In my experience, books and movies are great for raising the awareness and websites are very helpful for keeping it going.  Here are some I have found most useful:

The Kind Life:  The community forum and blog component of the The Kind Diet, this is a place for people to get advice, share recipes, and find support.  Alicia Silverstone blogs regularly and shares not only information on companies, recipes, her next movie, but a lot of animal rights and activism info if that is more your style.

Crazy, Sexy, Life: Kris Carr has done a great job creating an online space for people to come together, improve themselves, and help others and the world.  On her blog she has contributers that tackle all kinds of topics.  On the community message boards, one can find the most comprehensive community I've discovered for support on eating vegan, raw, juicing, and anywhere else you might be on the healthy journey.

Oh She Glows: One of the ways I get recipes is not by purchasing cookbooks, but by printing off online recipes and creating a cookbook of my own.  Oh She Glows provides many of the recipes in my homemade cookbook.

Manifest Vegan:  Recipes and resources for vegan, gluten free, and dining out!

XGFX: A power house of all vegan, all gluten free recipes.

What are your favorite websites for food awareness/veggie recipes?  Did you read, learn or see anything new this week?  How did it effect you?

Food for Film

The week of eating awareness continues with an adventure into film.   Movies about sustainable food, eating for health, etc...make the topic much more accessible.  Many people who wouldn't sit down to read one of the books I recommended (or at least have to work up some major motivation mojo for the task) enjoy catching a movie.   Plus movies provide something special for visual and/or auditory learners.

Here are some food flicks that got me thinking...

Food, Inc.:  As I mentioned on Monday, it's not just about the food we eat, but how it is grown and harvested.  Food, Inc. takes on factory farming, genetically modified seeds, and other industry giants and standards in need of serious questioning.  This isn't just for vegetarians, it's for anyone who eats.  The website also has great resources for getting more info on the issues and taking action as well as a reading list.

Supersize Me:  With at least 1 in 4 of American meals being fast food, it is necessary to take a serious look at what that industry does to the planet, the animals, and our health.  Also, good for anyone who has ever eaten or plans on ever eating fast food.  Supersize Me is available for viewing on Hulu.

Forks Over Knives: I've talked about this one before.  It is a must see for anyone with serious health problems (high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, etc...) and anyone seriously looking to improve what health they have.

Food Matters: Another one for those with health problems or looking to significantly improve their health through food.  This movie also talks a lot about vitamins.  What I enjoyed most about it was the emphasis on personal responsibility in health.  We must demand that nutrition be used in treating health and we must be willing to do the work to let nutrition heal us.  I am told this is available on Netflix instant stream, but I got it from itunes.

Earthlings: I must warn you by saying that this movie is not for everyone.  It is very, very graphic and difficult to watch.  However, it is reality.  This film focuses on animal rights in everything from pets to entertainment to food production.  It will force you to remove your head from the sand and look at your lifestyle habits and how they effect the world.  You can view it for free on the movie's website.

What food flicks changed your eating habits?

The Sustainable Eating Book Shelf

One of the ways I began my foray into sustainable eating was through books.  This was a natural path for me as I love books and never fail to find time for reading those things that interest me most.  The more I read about changing the world and my health through food, the more I wanted to read.

Here are some books that taught me so much and helped move me toward change:

Crazy, Sexy, Diet: I have told you about this one before.  Kris Carr has a super-fun and accessible writng style.  Don't let the word "diet" fool you.  This is all about making a lasting total life change for the better.

The Kind Diet: Quick, simple, and easy to follow.  Again less about dieting and more about life changing.  Alicia Silverstone emphasizes the importance not just of going vegan (or eating less animal product), but of eating whole plant foods.  This book also includes baby step recipes to work your way up to super hero eating status.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life: Barbara Kingsolver wrote this with her family about their efforts to eat local for a year.  It's a fascinating and inspiring look at what is possible.

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto: I wasn't lying when I said I love Michael Pollan, and this book is my favorite.  I love his manifesto ("Eat food, mostly plants, not too much.") for its simplicity.  I love even more that he goes on to elaborate on exactly how one might live the manifesto (eat at a table, eat slowly, eat meals).  I wrote it out in bullet points and put it on my fridge.

Kathy Freston's books: She wrote Quantum Wellness, the book that first made me decide to go vegan.  She now has out a great one for people just approaching the idea called, Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World.  I haven't read Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21-Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Mind, Body and Spirit, but plan to in the fall before my next cleanse.

What else?  What did you read that totally changed your relationship to food?