What Vegans Eat

I'm always a bit surprised at how quickly time has passed when I remember to scroll back through posts to see when I'd last posted updates on what some of my favourite vegan food bloggers have been writing about. In this case, I'm surprised it's been a whole month since my last "What Vegans Eat" post. Without further hemming and hawing, here are just some highlights of what's caught my eye over the past few weeks:

I have been on an almond kick for the past few weeks, enjoying tamari-roasted almonds, almond milk and almond butter. Almonds are such a great source of healthy fats and Vitamin E that their tastiness is just a real perk. I'm going to try something a little bit different this weekend, however, and make this recipe for "Almond Feta" that was posted on Vegan Epicurean just yesterday.

Claire at Chez Cayenne leaned towards Indian flavours this past month, posting recipes for both "Sweet Potato-Edamame Mini-Samosas" and "Mushroom-Lentil Burgers with Indian Spices". Both sound absolutely yummy!

Somehow overlooked when I wrote up "The Ultimate Mac 'n' Cheese Post" a few weeks ago, the VeganDad blog featured his first attempt at concocting a vegan KD knock-off -- "Vegan KD 1.0". I've gotta try this one over the weekend, as well.

Over at Manifest Vegan, allyson posted the following recipe just in time for its main ingredient to start popping up all over my backyard: "Dandelion Fritters"! I should cross-post it into a "veganism on the cheap" post, since foraging for wild edibles is a side-interest of mine that's a worthwhile -- and fun -- pursuit for those who want to eat well and pinch pennies.

I'll wrap the recipes up with one that involves one of my favourite combinations ever that doesn't include garlic. At the Big Raw & Vegan blog, Zucchini Breath featured a recipe for "Vegan Peanut Butter Cups". Go ahead and try not to try them -- I dare you! And pass them on to all of your non-vegan friends to show them just how deliciously decadent vegan cooking can be.

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Perks

One of the perks of having a sorta absentee landlord is that at this time of year, I could literally live off of dandelion greens. I'd post a photo, but my camera batteries are charging. I'll cross my fingers that the lawn doesn't get mowed for another few days and will then try to snap some pics of my spoils. I'm kinda kicking myself for not having thought of this last weekend when eating salads daily with my house-guest.

Skills, sustainability and self-reliance links

I'll be adding these links to the left of the page over the next few days, but thought I'd share them here first.

Here's a new foraging link -- a free e-book about acorns, a wild edible found readily across North America.

You'll find out almost everything you want to know about preserving food here at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

This was by far one of the most intriguing (and potentially dangerous) things I've come across in a while. I've only glanced through it. It's a .pdf guide about practicing medicine in austere conditions where appropriate technology and professional assistance are unavailable. (I'm no medical expert, so I'm certainly not recommending any of the info in that guide, which is full of disclaimers itself.)

Then there's Howtopedia -- the Wikipedia of practical skills, where users are invited to write articles to contribute to this self-described practical knowledge library.

Finally, here's a simple guide on how to make homemade cider vinegar.

On the bike trail

Let the foraging begin!

A few more from Upper Stone Ridge

I just wanted to throw this in here. I'm going to have to learn to compensate for my iMac's failing monitor when I edit photos in the future. What seem like deep and vivid colours to me on my screen seem a bit more faded than I would like from other computers. I think they're ok for now, though.

This one with the piece of farm equipment was taken somewhere between Keswick Ridge and Upper Stone Ridge. Even now with everything still snow-covered, I feel as if I was just out there and can't wait to find some new cycling companions to take more long trips starting this spring.

I'm toying with the idea of setting up a blog specifically to provide stories and photos of jaunts on the Trans Canada and NB Trails in the Fredericton region and quite possibly further out into the rest of the province. The blog could also be a means by which cyclists could provide others with much-needed feedback on the condition of certain stretches of trail. There's nothing like bouncing along with your cruiser for 20+ kilometers, only to find yourself facing a kilometer-long stretch of trail so ravaged by ATV use that you can barely navigate it without your teeth rattling. Maybe I'll stick to posting the odd photo and story about my own excursions right here, though, weaving in some good foraging info as the seasons change and I acquire more skills and knowledge about identifying and using wild edibles.