Summer's Comin': Time to Get Grillin'!!!

You probably have a friend who threw a barbecue and told you something like "Sorry.  Barbecue's aren't for vegetarians." (with a stupid grin on his face, no less)

Well, your friend is a filthy liar!

Sorry for my righteous vegetarian indignation, but fire cooks vegetables just like anything else.  The only challenge for vegetarians at a barbecue is getting your carnivorous friends to keep their carcass kabobs off of the clean foil...and, of course, having the right recipes.

Now, I'm not going to list a bunch of grill-ready recipes here, but I have posted some links below, and there are plenty of resources online.  As for my barbecue experiences, I've made some delectable veggie burgers, baked potatoes, sweet onions, portobellos, and even eggplant.  I've heard great things about grilled tofu, tempeh, and Gardenburger brand riblets.  So, don't be shy and have fun!

http://www.vegparadise.com/cookingwith57.html
http://www.theundergroundbootcamp.com/nutrition/how-to-host-a-healthy-vegetarian-barbecue/
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/barbecue-tofu-sandwiches/Detail.aspx

BBQ Tofu Sandwich

Gelatin is made from animal skin and bones.

Gelatin is made from animal skin and bones.  I know my fellow veggie people know all about it, but it amazes me that I still have to tell grown people this piece of common knowledge.  So, I decided that the best way to put it out there is the good ol' world wide web.  Anyways, for any of you who don't know, or were skeptical about it because you heard it from some smelly hippie (I kid, I kid), GELATIN IS MADE FROM ANIMAL SKIN AND BONES.  So, please don't look at your vegetarian friends like they are lunatics when they turn down your various offerings of gelatin products, which, by the way, are made from animal skin and bones.  Vegetarians and vegans do not eat:

Skittles
Jello
Medicines in gel-caps
Starburst
Marshmallows
Gummie Bears
...and the list goes on

If you want to "taste the rainbow," be my guest, but just don't offer me any.  I'm on a no skin or bone diet.

For more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin

Marley's Mellow Mood puts you to sleep...and it's legal!

What can I say?  I like to sleep.  Don't get me wrong, I don't sleep a lot.  But, when I do sleep, I like it to be deep and cozy.  For years, I have had issues falling asleep when I want to.  This has caused me to fall asleep when I absolutely didn't want to.  The worst instance was during a training session at a new job (they eventually stopped waking me up and let me sleep).  Now, I know there are many remedies out there, but they each have their own issues.  Many don't work.  Some work, but are addictive.  And, some are illegal (I'm not elaborating any more on that!)

That is why I was pleasantly surprised when I learned about Marley's Mellow Mood.  It comes in a small variety of flavors and potency (check the ingredients), and can be found, at least in South Florida, at many convenience stores and gas stations.  The flavor is nice, but the effect is what got me.  I am seemingly immune to most over-the-counter sleep aids.  Marley's Mellow Mood knocks me right out.  I have yet to hear any negative responses to it.  What really impresses me about these drinks are the ingredients.  They are all-natural, vegan, and even colored with vegetable juice!  You can't go wrong and I highly recommend you try some.  That is all I will say without getting paid. ;)

For more info:


http://www.marleybeverages.com/
Twitter: @drinkmellowmood

Is Kava Dangerous? My Violent Torpedo of Truth About Kava...

There are not too many cool places for vegetarians to hang out.  Don't get me wrong, vegetarian hangouts are super-cool, but there aren't too many of them.  Vegetarian restaurants are usually pretty awesome, but it's hard to drag your meat-loving friends there.

That's why I love kava bars.  Kava is a funky drink that tastes gross and makes you feel great.  Kava bars are popping up everywhere and have opened the door to introducing carnivores to a more "earthy" environment.  But, there are a lot of places banning, or considering banning kava.

Why, you ask?  Because friendless people hate anything that popular people do to have fun.  Well, maybe that's not the whole story.  To sum it up real unscientific-like, there are reports that kava causes damage to the liver.  Does it?  Yes, kind of.  But also, no.  Through my hours of wiki-research, I have learned that there are chemicals in kava leaves and stems that do cause liver damage.  However, studies have shown that kava drinks that are made from the kava root, DO NOT have these substances and, therefore, DO NOT cause liver damage.

Please don't take my word for it.  I'm not a doctor, and I don't play one on tv.  Look it up yourself.  If, after doing your own research, you feel safe drinking kava drinks (which are made from the root) like I do, find your local kava bar and enjoy.

I'll see you on Cloud 9. :-)

 

Typical Kava Set Up

Green Wave Cafe...Raw, Vegan, Delicious!!!

This weekend, I got to experience a real treat.  I had lunch at Green Wave Cafe, in Plantation, Florida.  Now I am not necessarily a raw food person.  I'm not even a vegan.  But I must say, if I could prepare raw foods like they do at Green Wave Cafe, I would be.

It was voted the Best Raw Food Restaurant 2010 by the New Times.  However, it's not easy to find.  It's not big.  It's not fancy.  It's not cheap.  But, when you eat raw, vegan, organic food, you just feel good.  I had every color on my plate and a smile on my face.  I tasted the black bean soup, the creamy asparagus soup, the burrito and the open-faced hummus sandwich.  Neither of them looked at all like I expected.  There were lots of veggies and sprouts and beans, and I didn't even know how to pick it up.  What a delicious mess it was.

After all of that nutritious yumminess, I decided to order the chocolate banana pie.  Wow!!!  It is so, so good!  I don't want to spend a lot of my blog time talking about local spots, but Green Wave Cafe earned it.  Go there and eat a lot.  You'll thank me later.  I hear they have raw food preparation classes.  I have a strong suspicion that I'll be in one before long.

Here's their info:

Green Wave Cafe
5221 West Broward Blvd
Plantation, FL  33317
954-581-8377
www.greenwavecafe.org

New Vegetarian Resources

If you don't want to be vegetarian, don't.  I understand that it's not for everyone (you murderer - just kidding).  But, if you have any inclination to try it out, don't cop out and say that it's too hard.  There are so many resources to help you.  There are plenty of websites and plenty of blogs with all of the information you need to make the transition relatively smooth (and unlike this one, they're not all just incoherent ramblings of a fat vegetarian sociopath).

Here are some sites that can help a lot:

Helps you get started:

http://www.peta2.com/p2vsk_flash/index2.html

Things to cook:  

Lazy Vegetarian - http://thelazyvegetarian.blogspot.com/

A little fancier - http://veganyumyum.com/

Vegan - http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/

For various cities:

Miami - http://www.meatlessmiami.com/

New York - http://supervegan.com/restaurants.php

Charleston, SC - http://veganincharleston.blogspot.com/

Los Angeles - http://www.vegparadise.com/restaurants.html

Houston (yeah, Houston) - http://www.b4-u-eat.com/houston/restaurants/cuisine/vegetarian.asp

Everywhere else - http://www.vegguide.org/

I hope that helps.  Comment, subcribe, share. :)

I ate bacon.

Let me tell you a little story. I went to Outback Steakhouse the other day and ate bacon. That's it. I told you it was a little story.

Well, I guess I can elaborate a little bit. It was a business lunch and the person paying with their business card wanted to go to Outback Steakhouse. So, we went to Outback Steakhouse. Anyways, I had heard that they had a nice veggie burger. LIES! They had nothing of the sort. So, I decided to order some vegan kryptonite (a quesadilla). Of course, it was a chicken quesadilla, hold the chicken. I did inform the waitress that I am vegetarian. I find this to be very helpful, just in case something you order has some hidden meat products or are cooked with chicken broth or something.

So, there I was, expecting Brittney to bring me a yummy quesadilla while I talked business. Little did I know, they were cooking up some carcass with my name on it. When I bit into what looked like heaven, I didn't feel anything unusual. Lucky for me, I tasted the bacon way after the fact. The waitress apologized for forgetting that they put bacon in their quesadillas and brought me a new one, meat-free. Now, I'm not militant. I didn't complain to the Manager. I didn't argue or make a mean face. But, I won't be eating at Outback Steakhouse anytime soon. And, I won't be forgetting my own rule. READ THE MENU and LOOK AT YOUR FOOD! Otherwise, you may be in for a surprise.