Almost Vegan

It was a tough fight we put up together, she doing all the work of course. It lasted over 6 weeks for her, I was here for over 4 straight. Her heart was just too damaged from the attack to come back.

My mom was a very special person. Not vegan, but she loved Soy Boy ravioli and anything with tofu in it. Even though she was very traditional, she’d try any food I offered with a totally open mind. Just the way she was and a whole lot more I won’t go into.

I will miss her very much.

She loved as well as was… a peach.

Hey, look at this:
Snapea Crisps, by Calbee SNACK SALAD.
I am always looking for alternative snacks, especially vegetable based. These Snap peas that taste fried, but are actually baked, were an interesting find. They don’t taste too much like snap peas (which I love), and that was a bit of a disappointment. They have a very delicate crunch, much less crunchy than fresh snap peas. They come in two flavors, Original and Caesar, the latter I suspect is not vegan.
I happened upon a bag of the Original flavor at the Publix right around the corner from the hospital my mom is in. Not exceptionally crunchy, but I did eat the whole bag in less than half an hour.

It is now. I hope you all don’t mind, but I have placed some Google Ads on the site. Like I said before, I am down in Florida and shopping like mad at Whole Foods Market.
I need the money.
Also, I took a look at the targeted ads they were sending my way. Vegan Chocolate, veganessentials.com, and other interesting vegan links. There was one I saw that had something to do with losing 20 pounds in 3 weeks, and one for cream cheese that I thought was totally inappropriate for a vegan site, but its a keyword oriented computer and there’s bound to be some snafus.
Let me know if you have a problem with it, okay?

Chez Philippe’s mission is to provide ecology-friendly accommodation and breakfast that is 100% vegetal, organic and fair-trade in a non-smoking environment. Enjoy your stay!
Philippe emailed me to let me know about his vegan bed & breakfast located in Montreal, Canada. It looks very nice, judging by his website.
Take a look >>>

Well, I am in Florida for a bad thing, (my mom’s illness) but on a brighter note I have found the biggest Whole Foods Market I have ever seen in my life! (and I’ve been to one in LA — half the size) It’s on Glades Road in Boca Raton.
They have all sorts of prepared fresh vegan food that they sell for $6.99 a pound. (I am going to go broke, I’m sure) and a bunch of vegan items (packaged) that I have never seen before.
Yum!!!!!
I am sitting on the screened in porch right now, it is 80 degrees, and I’m sipping this Lifeway, SoyTreat Strawberry Smoothie. It has live & active kefir cultures, but is non-dairy. I used to love kefir when I was a non-vegan, so when I saw it, I grabbed it.
Pretty tasty.

I finally tried Baha Fresh.
Read my last entry about the restaurant >>>
I am in Florida. My mom had open heart surgery, and myself and my 3 sisters have been taking turns coming down here and being at her bedside. She is still in the hospital in critical condition so we are just hoping for the best.
I’m so sorry everyone for the total lack of posts. I will try to do better. Thanks for all the comments from intelligent vegan readers. I think sometimes the comments on Almost Vegan are more informed than my content.
If anyone has some insight into “Datem” which has been suggested to be in Uncrustables, I’d love a link to more info.

For the vegan child, or adult like myself, these uncrustables are really great. I was driving home from a friend’s house in Chicago one late night, and that is almost a 3 hour drive to S.W. Michigan. The friend is a mom, not vegan, but in her freezer was a huge box of these Smucker’s Uncrustables. I had to read the box to see…
They were clean. (vegan)
I had a long drive ahead, had to be home by morning and it was after midnight. In the old days this would have been no problem, but now in my vegan days, because of the lack of protein, I get tired more easily. So I robbed her kids of a few Uncrustables and hit the road.
I like them because they are individually rapped, stay fresh and they thaw out quickly. So every time I got a little sleepy I jolted myself back to consciousness with a protein + sugar fix from my uncrustable stash.
I made it home, and now I’m hooked on the darn things.
*I have received many comments on the line above “because of the lack of protein”, and rightfully so. I do not “lack” protein as a vegan, but I do find that I have to focus on getting enough because my diet is not overloaded with it from an enormous amount of animal products. I just have to remember to eat beans, nuts and soy products which contain alternative, non-animal based protein. That’s actually what I meant.

Here’s a tip from a very nice Almost Vegan regular, she happens to be very pregnant right now and this is one way she deals with her cravings in a vegan way. Here’s her email to me:
Denise,
Hope you are well- I wanted to send you info on the latest dessert craze in our house—the Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes (I’ve tried the chocolate cake and frosting- makes great cupcakes!- and the sugar cookies…they also sell chocolate chip cookie mix and vanilla frosting–and maybe even more at other stores). You can buy them at SuperTarget here in the midwest. They are not only dairy and egg free but also nut free and gluten free! AND YUMMY!!! I’m pregnant (only 15 weeks left!) and these mixes have been a craving woman’s life-saver!
Ever a fan of your website- be well and happy holidays,
Eliza
Here’s the website and you can order their mixes online — http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com

Parma! is Good!
The people that make Parma! contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if they could send me a sample of their new vegan parmesan cheese called Parma! — I of course said sure. (FREE FOOD!!!) Well, I do worry that I might not like some of these free offerings and then I think, what am I going to say on my blog about it? Lucky, I have not answered that question yet.
Parma! is not cheese, it’s not like the other soy parmesan cheese I usually eat which is made from soy and is more like cheese, but has a strong aftertaste. Parma! is actually made of walnuts, Celtic sea salt and yeast and then some seasonings. But this stuff is so darn tasty I found myself eating it right out of the little shaker they sent me. (pictured)
The first night I made a pasta dish with a tomato sauce. It was good on that. Now it being from walnuts, there is no melting involved, so it is more of a seasoning than a cheese, but it actually does taste like parmesan and I was surprised.
In the note that came with it, the marketing person said her favorite place to put Parma! is on salads. This is a great use for it, it is perfect for salads, for pasta and pasta salads. Heck, the other night I put it on toast with Smart Balance and it was really good.
Parma! Website >>>

Here’s an email from Jodee, who is a very nice vegan guy. He sent me this tip about site that carries vegan edible treats.
Hey there Denise!!! Jodee here – some yummies for Holidays? Aplets and Cotlets! Totally Vegan – Totally good! They just e-mailed me back this morning – From the great Northwest – Apple/Walnut, Apricot/walnut, cranberry/walnut, blueberry/pecan, pineapple/macadamia (oh my) – rose/pistachio, Orange blossom/almond, peach/walnut, strawberry/walnut, grape/walnut, and SOOOOOOO many more, including nut-free. Downside, dusted with a tiny amount of powdered sugar. WEBSITE: www.libertyorchards.com Don’t be put off by the ones drenched in milk chocolate – they don’t look half as good the originals – they have been making old fashioned candy – the old fashioned way since like, the 20’s! Very good. Very, very good – Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition at our house for many years. Talk at ya later – keep it up! Jodee.