Congrats wake up yoga!

I jsut found out my Yoga studio won best of philly 2008 for best yoga studio. Congrats Corinna. check out the schedule at

India obsessed....

Today after a soaking rain delay at the Phillies game I had a flash to what a monsoon in India may be like..... only there i think it will be 10 times worse maybe 100x. After leaving soaking wet without seeing a game but good fun tailgating I traveled to the art museum to see Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose. An Indian artist during the revolution of India. Some really interesting work, with a deep look into the Indian devotional religious traditions. It is the first and only time on the East coast. You know its good when Ghandi likes you. Check it out before it leaves in September. AKA when i depart for india

hybrid fruit

Name this fruit.....

Ok so times up it a black apricot says trader joes. I bought it because i had never seen one before and i had to try it. Apparently its one of those hybrid fruit a cross of an apricot and a plum 2/3 apricot and 1/3 plum. I wouldnt want to see that in action. It is black like a plum out side but fuzzy like an apricot inside is juicy like a plum.... I thought it tasted more like an apricot then a plum. After investigation found them also to be called black velvets, not to be confused with pluots or apriums which are registered names they call them interspecifics--- i guess hybrid is weird.....

pick up some today

mango blackbean quinoa salad

From Veganomicon very easy recipe. Quinoa is an ancient grain first cultivated by the Inca hundreds of years ago. It has highest amount of protein than any other gain and is a complete protein. It contains all 8 essential amino acids. The grains are round and after cooking the grem seperates and a pretty translucent ring forms around each one.

Recipe-

Orzo salad- courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis (and Jen Wasko)
4 cup veg broth
1.5 cups orzo
1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans drained
1.5 cups grape tomatoes halved - 1 dry pint
3/4 cup chopped red onion- 1 small
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
3/4 cup red wine vinegrette
salt and pepper

Bring broth to a boil then stir in orzo. Cover partially and cook about 7 min until orzo is tender but still firm to the bite stirring freq. Drain in a strainer. transfer to a wide bowl and toss until it cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.
Toss orzo with beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint and enough vinegrette to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Vinegrette
1/2 cup red wine vineger
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey(my non vegan indulgence- but you can use agave or sugar i'm sure)
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons ground pepper
1 cup EVOO

Mix vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in blender. With running add oil to emulsify. Season with s&p to taste.
This makes about 1 3/4 cups. I used half for the salad!!!

Orzo salad

I made Orzo salad for a shower at work today. I have to give props to my friend Jen who found the recipe and passed it along. I perfect BBQ food. BUT, i made it at work. Actually the bidal shower was for another friend Jen at work. You can see my desk in the background. Without intent I advertise physical therapy (on the post-it) its a hand which reads about "Healing Hands", a timer, and my desk calander.
It's such a quick easy recipe Orzo takes 7 min to cook. With tomatoes, basil, mint, red onion in a red wine vinegrette. Its a Giada recipe I had to veganize.

What I come home to everyday!

I bought a new camera- the Cannon powershot SD1100is if you were wondering. Check out the site Newegg.com. I got a great deal with a free 2Gb picture card. This is the view from my rooftop deck. Which is usually empty by thy way of the art museum on one side and center city on the other. Beautiful, Gorgeous, Wish you were here

Trader Joes

I am not a huge fan of trader joes but everyonce in a while if i am walking by i will stop in. This is the one on 22nd and Market. I like their dried fruit. It is usually pretty reasonable. ANd i like to try new things. This time i picked up some Dried Mangosteen and bananas actually called nothing but bananas flattened. I recommend both!
Mangosteen is not related to the mango but is an exotic fruit often called SUPERFRUIT presumed to have a combination of 1) appealing subjective characteristics, such as taste, fragrance and visual qualities, 2) nutrient richness, 3) antioxidant strength and 4) potential impact for lowering risk against human diseases. I was illegal to import but recent was legalized if you can find it and if you can affoard it at $45 a lb. IF I WAS A RICH GIRL.......
so i decided to opt for the $2.99 dried type.


The Bananas were true to the title just bananas flattened. I do not like the typical dried bananas which are deep fried and crispy. It is chewy like a fruit roll up with a pure banana flavor and at $1.29 makes a great snack. Pick some up

Cheesy fourth! Welcome to Philly!

We were walking by in Old City. Made entirely from cheese. I know its not vegan but still really cool. I was not inclined to take a bite like others. It was sponsered by Cheese- it who do it every year. Once it its dedicated the center is donated to the needy hungry people of the city!

Tofu Scramble

The thought kinda freaked me out with the faux eggs and all but i decided to be adventurous and attempt it. I ordered some black salt off the internet- Not knowing what it was. It is and indian spice that has a sulfur (eggy) smell.This was my inspiration--- I was so surprised and now it is my favorite breakfast food! So easy to make.
I used Isa's recipe from Vegan with a Vengence
1 T olive oil
1 onion cut into cubes
2 cups of mushrooms and any other veggies of choice
3 cloves of garlic
1 lb of tofu drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Spices-
2t ground cumin
1 t dried thyme
1 t paprika
1/2 t tumeric
1 t salt
I added the black salt about 1 t

Saute veggies and garlic. Add the spice blend. Add water to the bottom of the pan if needed to deglaze it. Crumble in tofu and mix well- let it remain chunky. Let cook for 15 min adding water if needed. Mine was preety wet to begin with so i didnt need it. Add lemon juice. Add nutritional yeat and mix up.
EAT and ENJOY

A Peaceful Joke

A Buddist monk walks up to a hot dog vendor on the board walk and says make we ONE WITH EVERYTHING!
(hope it was a vegan hotdog)

Summer Soup

 Ok so I know its like 80 some degrees out but i have been craving soup. Today it was miso tonight it was tomato. So I used a variation of Susans from fatfreevegan.com. My own Summer Tomato corn soup. Well i guess it could be served cold too.

Summer Soltice

I know the official summer solstice was at 759 pm last night but today is the official start of Summer. Today is being the full first day. Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.
Here is how some cultures celebrate it:

Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations in the northern areas have for centuries celebrated the Summer Solstice, otherwise known as Midsummer (see Shakespeare), the Christian St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.


The Celts & Slavs celebrated with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth", resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.
Today, the day is still celebrated around the world - most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands still gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups gather to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.


For me and alot of Americans it means Hotter weather, Going to the beach, and barbeques...with teh good weather forecast for today it means I am off to they beach---------HAPPY SUMMER!!!

Vegan definition

Maybe i should have started my blog with this:
Vegan (pronounced vē'-gan):
A person who is against needlessly killing or harming living, feeling beings;
and who therefore does not use (ie. eat, buy, cook) meat, eggs or dairy products.
Vegans also avoid using other animal products as much as possible.

Club Veg and Vietnamese Rolls

Once a month Club veg of philadelphia has a cooking class held at Wholefoods both in Callowhill and on South street. Convientently I live 1 block from the Callowhill store and as a member it is free. Check out www.clubveg.org/philly and join to support our community in the philadelphia region. There are quite a few other events they hold including potlucks, dinners in the area, and other exhibits. As I said the classes are free as a member with a new topic every month and free dinner. Tonight we made Vietnamese Rolls aka Summer Rolls or Spring Rolls or Goi Cuon. Made with rice paper- filled with lettuce, bean sprouts, tofu, cucumber, mint and cilantro.
We also had 3 dipping sauces- 1 with Hoisen, Nuoc Cham, and Vinegar Sauce. I would reccomend the Hoisen one with peanuts and sesame oil.

2 Desserts

Holy Crepes! I made crepes for the first time on tuesday for dessert with Amy. They turned out amazing. I used Veganomicon's recipe with the whole wheat version. I let the batter sit overnight. It was the perfect consistency and they browned just right in a heavy duty nonstick pan. Folded with some strawberries.


I got some figs at the produce store. To me figs are very exotic- ripe they are just the right amount of sweetness. They have to be slightly soft. I decided to carmelize mine with a little Succanat and stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes. I made sme banana ice cream to go with it. My favorite dessert- which is just frozen bananas blended to a smooth consistency.

Vegan diet-Yoga-Exercise and CANCER

They have found a link between a vegan diet with yoga and exercise to decrease the risk of cancer and possibly reverse the effects. People are curious about the vegan lifestyle and often don't understand. This new research backs up my former beliefs, I just hadn't had proof of its effectiveness. Dr. Dean Ornish shows that a low fat (10% of calories from fat) vegan diet can halt and possibly reverse prostrate and other cancers including breast cancer for females. He showed that genetics is not the prime cause and lifestyle can play a large role in the incurable dreaded cancer. Here is the link to the article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/06/16/scidiet116.xml

India Potluck

Since the travelers to India have not all met Jill hosted a Indian potluck at her home in East Falls. There are 14 of us traveling 12 girls and 2 guys- Corina husband (who is only there half the time) and Doug! We have such a great crew of people from all ages and races who have so much to bring with 2 things in common a love of Yoga and a desire to travel halfway around the world to India.
The potluck inspired me to do some Vegan Indian cooking so i created a Chana Masala( spicey chickpeas) with Spinach and Gobhi (cauliflower) Curry. Both turned out great. But i especially loved the masala with the Gram Masala spice- my new favorite. There was other great food- 2 dals, tofu cakes, naan, rice, carrot salad, chickpea snacks. This was my plate. The food was great. Jill gave us some great travel tips when traveling to India- the Highlights- get a faux wedding ring, wear dark sunglasses, cover up, bring toys or pennies for the kids, remember the 5 Ps when eating. I am so excited.

Fathers Day- I love Dad!

We have a tradition of food and golf for Mother and Fathers day-- I make the favorites vegan style for the Family followed by a round of golf. This time it was Black Bean burgers from Veganomicon with lots of toppings...red onions, avacodo, tomatoes( minus the samonella), lettuce, salsa with black bean chips. My Dad loves black beans. Followed by dessert of Margarita cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes take over the World. And a round of golf at Pitman Golf Course in Pitman NJ. Great weather, great food, great fun with the family could I ask for more.

I'm not sure exactly what this was but it said keep off- We called it the Graveyard! Happy Fathers Day!

My vegan treat- Homemade ice cream

I usually don't indulge in too many sweets but......Well I think i deserve this treat after a quite aweful week. Homemade caramel ice cream from the ice cream make with a caramel sauce that was just delicious. This is it in my bowl ready to be eaten. And boy was it delicious YUM! It brought a little smile to my face.

Here is the recipe for the Caramel Sauce
3/4 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice3/4 cup Sucanat1/3 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup1 T. water1 T. arrowroot2 T. vegan margarine 1 t. vanilla

In a small saucepan, place the soy milk, Sucanat, and maple syrup, and whisk well to combine. Cook over medium heat, while whisking occasionally, for 3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and arrowroot, and then whisk the mixture into the saucepan. Cook the mixture, while whisking constantly, an additional 2-3 minutes or until it thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Serve warm as a topping for cakes, desserts, non-dairy ice cream or sorbet, or as a dipping sauce for fruit. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, and reheat as needed.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

I left out the margarine to make it FAT FREE!

Vegan Treats

Vegan Treats in Bethlemhem has amazing looking Vegan desserts! Look at them. This segment was on FOX on friday. They serve their products at Govindas on South street. Gotta check it out.
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=6713548&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=5.2.1

This is the other places you can find them.

Benna’s Café at the Corner of 8th and Wharton South Philadelphia, PA

The Cantina 1651 East Passyunk Ave Philadelphia, PA 19148 215-755-3550

Govinda’s Café 1408 South Street (at Broad Street) Philadelphia, PA 215-985-9303

Infusion Coffee and Tea Gallery 7133 Germantown Ave Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-248-1718 www.infusioncoffeeandtea.com

Infusion Coffee and Tea Gallery 1001 S. 10th Street Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-413-0504 https://www.ftsmail.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.infusioncoffeeandtea.com/

Last Drop Coffeehouse 1300 Pine Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-893-9262

Mariposa Co-Op 4726 Baltimore Ave Philadelphia, PA 19143
215-729-2121 https://www.ftsmail.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.mariposa.coop/

Milkboy Coffee 2 East Lancaster Ave Ardmore, PA 19003 610-645-5269 www.milkboycoffee.com

Mugshots Coffeehouse and Juicebar 2100 Fairmount Ave Philadelphia, PA 19130 267-514-7145

Mugshots Coffeehouse Manayunk 110 Cotton Street (Between Main and Cresson) Philadelphia, PA 19127 215-482-3964

New Harmony Chinese Vegetarian 135 North 9th Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-627-4520

Red Hook Coffee Shop 765 South 4th Street Philadelphia, PA 19176 215-923-0178

The Royal Tavern 937 East Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19147 215-389-6694
www.royaltavern.com

Satellite Café 701 South 50th Street (and Baltimore) Philadelphia, PA 19101 215-222-2220

Vegan stars!

Show case of past and present vegans and vegetarians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkhNN-SSlgs

LOST with Thursday night dinner

Thanos and i had date night on thursday with a vegan meal and a bottle of wine followed by LOST. It was the season finale so it totaled to be three hours. I made the Jerk Seitan from Vegan with a Vengence. The marinade was so good- the spices were just right. I marinaded the chicken style Seitan and portabellos( my addition) overnight. With peppers and VIDALIA onions with the seitan in the left over sauce. Another great thing about being vegan you dont have to worry about raw meat and ecoli. With some bi-color corn on the cob and rosemary red potatoes we had a great meal. And some red wine- YUM. Maybe the red wine wasnt a good idea - we struggled to stay awake till the end even though it was a great episode.

Oprah goes vegan!

Oprah has decided to do a 21 day cleanse and eliminate animals products from her diet during this time. She had Kathy Freston the author of Quantum Wellness on her show. You can read all about it here:
http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/blog/blog_1.jhtml

I'm going to India!!!!

KaLe ChIps

KALE CHiPs are my new favorite food- Salty and Crunchy

I made Kale chips with Tabbouleh Salad and baked Pomegrate Tofu

Kale chips recipe

Place 1 bunch of kale in a bowl add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper

placed on a greased baking sheet- spray kale on sheet.

Bake 10 minutes or until slightly browned with a crunch

Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

1 cup bugur wheat

2 cups boiling water

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 medium onion chopped

4 scallions, minced

2 cups flat leaf parsley minced

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup fresh mint minced

Salt and pepper

--In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, add bulgur, cover with tight fitting lid and let stand for 20-30 min. Drain excess water.

---Add remaining ingredients to bulgur

Makes about 3-4 cups!!!

My thoughts!

Cinco de Mayo

Tamale Pie

Ok so my internet was not "working" and I am a little late with this post but i wanted to share it. We had a cinco de Mayo party at work--on the 8th for some may birthdays. We know how to party in the outpatient PT department. I wanted to try out the Tamale Pie from Joanna's Yellow Rose recipes. With a few minor changes it was a hit. Cornmeal, spicyonion and tomato layer, double bean layer and cheese sause from Veganomicon with more cornmeal topping.

For dessert: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes take over the world

ok so they look a little funny- they were basically just the tops cause they stuck to the pan but they still tasted good and still got eaten.

Here they are in my new silicone muffin baking pan which i thought they wouldnt stick to but aparently you still have to grease the silicone. I tried it again and it does work once you spray the pan

New York! New York!

My best friend took me to NY for the day on Saturday to celebrate me getting my Doctorate in Physical Therapy and becoming a Certified Yoga Instructor. We had such an amazing time. It was a full day of firsts, exploring the city, shopping and a Broadway show. We arrived early and hit up Canal street right away. Then strolled around china town where we had some delishious vegan tofu ice cream (didnt get a pic), A got some dried sweet potatoes, and i picked up some Jumbo chestnuts. Back to 5th avenue for shopping before the 2pm show.

Legally Blonde-very cute, my personal favorites were the dogs. It was a broadway first for both of us. Then was dinner- she chose an all Vegan restuarant for me called Zen Palate on the corner of 46th and 9th.


It was hard to choose but I had the Sesame Mediallions- Seitan in an Asian BBq sauce with steamed broc, red and brown rice and 2 spring rolls with a ginger soy dipping sauce. The BEST seitan meal I have ever had.

Amy got Fettuccine rice noodles with beansprouts, snow peas, other veggies and Zenham.

We had a banana pie dessert but we ate it so fast i didnt get a pic. To burn off all the calories we hit the streets shopping again- then both tired we returned to Penn station to catch the train back. What a great day. Thanks again!

Peanut Butter and Jelly cake

I had an idea and went with it. I usually use a vegan recipe and transform it into my own but i couldnt find any for this so i created my own. The first trial i thought was a flop because i accidentally bought whole wheat/all purpose flour mix. I turned that into 2 orange glazed cakes in loaf pans which were actually a BIG BIG BIG hit. The actual PB and J cake was a hit at work---well the jelly side mostly.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
3/4 cup oil
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons vanilla
3-1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup strawberry- or grape whole fruit jam if you prefer

1/2 cup natural no salt added peanut butter

Directions:Preheat over to 350 deg F. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl and sift together well. Add the dry mixture to the liquid and mix well with either an electric mixer or by hand till all lumps are gone. Let stand 5 minutes. Add in PB and jelly.

Pour into a 13x9x2 baking pan coated with vegetable oil spray, or cupcake tins (fill 2/3 full). Do not bang air bubbles out of this cake. Bake about 40 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean, the cake springs back, and tops are slightly golden.

i didnt have a mixer or the entire thing would have turnned out better but heres how it went with a wire whisk

Strawberry jam
1/2 cup jam with equiv. of egg replacement

PB frosting

1/2 cup PB with confectioners sugar and soy milk to desired consistency

Here was the delish screw up orange glazed cake- Same cake as above without the PB and J with whole wheat flour- tasted more like a bread.

Glaze was OJ with confectioners sugar poured over top.