Almost Vegan

Blaze Your Own Trail,
Bake Your Own Bar
Matisse & Jack’s oatmeal energy bars are exceptionally good and they are pretty easy to make. I used some homemade applesauce that I went over to Crane’s in Fennville and picked up. Good Applesauce = extra-good bars, but I bet these are good with any kind of applesauce and even yogurt (soy yogurt of course), which is another wet ingredient option.
Every thing about the product and the packaging is user friendly; from the great and friendly graphic directions on the box, to the tasty bars that you end up with. Don’t eat them all in one day like I did!
Here’s their website – http://www.matisseandjacks.com/

I thought this was cute. I hope Reynolds doesn’t mind me using it.

I got this recipe from Chicago Tribune Food and Drink eNewsletter.
I really have to hand it to them for offering a vegetarian dish. That’s how pathetic this rampantly carnivore area of the country has made me!
I made it vegan with a little tweak *

Read more

Oh, God! I did not get them all. I only got the children! (please see post below)
I took my Tip Trap down last night, at like almost 3am because I hadn’t caught one for hours. Just to check, I put one piece of cat food in there and a fresh cap of water. This morning the cat food was gone so I decided I had to get the Tip Trap back out and try it again tonight.
Well, first time I checked on the Tip Trap it was turned over, again, and nobody was home…But, somebody did chew the label a bit. I thought, that’s odd. I set it back up again and waited. I heard a clunk and rushed in the bathroom. I opened the door under the sink (where they are hiding out) and I see the Tip Trap again on it’s side, and a mouse standing next to it. (she got up into the pipe hole before I could nab her)
Now last night all the mice I shuttled out were very small and light in color. They all looked young. The one standing before me tonight was not. It was fairly large and very dark. I think it’s the mom. She may have been trying to chew her children out of the Tip Trap, at least in my imaginary mouse world she was.
I feel so badly.
I think I have broken up a family. Her children are outside and she is still in the bathroom and I can’t catch her because she has figured out the Tip Trap.
Aaaaah! Help!

We’re all vegans here, right? Well, I don’t think it’s always about the food, frankly. For the last 4 hours I have been shuttling mice out of my house. Yes, shuttling. I thought I had one mouse trapped in my bathroom. I have 2 cats, and one is a real hunter. I am always trying to save mice from her evil clutches.
Sometimes she catches them and they get away from her and one ended up in the bathroom, trapped. I knew he was in there at first because of the cat stakeout outside the door and then there were other “signs”, ugh. But he (actually it must have been a she mouse) had some good places to hide where the pipes went into the wall and I could not get to her. (this is actually a very long and involved story, I thought the mouse was gone for a couple of weeks and then I found signs again) So I needed some way to get her out and get my bathroom back.
I found the Tip Trap humane mousetrap by searching on Google. As a bonus I found a cool ecommerce website where I purchased it. Make a visit and see what I mean (especially if you have a mouse in your house) — http://www.greenfeet.com/tip-trap-mouse-trap.html
I found some great humane products, and some of the most heartwarming testimonials about another live-capture mousetrap that I did not purchase on this site — http://www.abundantearth.com/store/mousetrap1.html

These people make that trap pictured above, really cute concept. Take a look — http://www.seabrightlabs.com/mouse.htm
So I ordered a Tip Trap mousetrap from Greenfeet.com, gave my mouse a capful of water everyday, and waited for my Tip Trap to arrive in the mail. (they don’t sell humane traps of any kind out in the country where I am) I had given her some cat food and water when I first realized she was in there, but after I ordered the Tip Trap I decided to let her get hungry, I thought she was stashing the cat food as well. How much can a little mouse eat?
Well, it turns out it was about 8-9 mice. I really don’t know how many. Just that I have been shuttling them out of the bathroom and outside the house all night since I got home from an Andru Bemis concert (local musician friend of mine). I get one out, put the Tip Trap back, sit down at my desk and a few minutes later I hear the clunk of the Tip Trap go over, run in, take the mouse outside, put the Tip Trap back… on and on.
It’s been quiet for over an hour or so now… maybe I got them all.
The Tip Trap is a nice little device, but the clever little buggers were messing with me and either got out of it, or tipped it over without going in a couple of times. That was creepy.
But it worked for like 9 mice. (not sure, felt like 9 or more) Highly recommended by me and it’s only $2.25 at Greenfeet.com. Such a deal!

This post was a suggestion by an Almost Vegan reader. I must admit, I was skeptical whether these were actually vegan so I wrote Keebler and this was their reply:

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Keebler Fudge Shoppe Fudge Pops are vegan. Our gelatins are not vegan. We appreciate your patronage and interest.
The Jel Sert Company

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New delicious vegan product: Keebler Fudge Shoppe

Frankly, I surprise myself that I even pick up anything made by Morning Star and check the ingredients anymore, after the countless disappointments I have had from them. It’s an example of my level of desperation out here in the middle of nowhere that I do, but my life here is not without its small thrills. This was one, looks to be completely vegan, check the info yourselves: Morning Star Farms >>

They’re pretty good, something different, which is always nice.

When I first tasted these Curry Braised Gluten Tidbits, actually I tasted the “sauce” in the can when I opened it to see how it would go with the vegetables I already had cooking in the pan, I thought uh-oh. This is going to be terrible.

The curry was not creamy as I had anticipated, it was rather oily, and both sweet and spicy at the same time. It tasted funny to me. But I tossed them in the pan anyway, threw in some more garlic and some fresh herbs and finished cooking it.

When it was all done and over rice I was pleasantly surprised. It has nice texture and a good spicy kick. It you want something that is very curry realize you’ll need to add some curry elements to it.

But this stuff is good vegan “meat.” Very different and interesting.

Buy it online at FakeMeats.com >>

A Taste of Tai, Pad Thai Noodles caught my eye and I was excited about trying it. I have tried other products from A Taste of Thai and liked them. They make very good coconut milk, etc. Well, I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. Not much in there, some syrupy sauce and noodles and that was about it. The noodles weren’t even that good.
Sorry for the bad news.

I happened upon this item in the international section of my local Wal-Mart. Oh, to go back to shopping at Wal-Mart after Whole Foods Market or even the Publix in Ft. Lauderdale, horrible! That’s why I looked at the international offerings, I thought “Maybe I’ll find something new and different”.

Well I did. It’s Simply Asian Spicy Kung Pao and it is good. The best part is you can order it online. No kidding.

Simply Asian Spicy Kung Pao (Wal-Mart) >>

Careful though, not everything they make is vegan. 3 of 4 of their noodle bowls are, but the Roasted Peanut has anchovy extract in it. They do have nice nutrition facts on each and every product so take a look.

Enjoy.