Massage Your Kale

By now we've all heard how healthy kale is and how we should all be getting more dark leafy greens into our diet. I confess, I haven't been very good at this until now. Unless I was making my cannellini & kale ragout, I wasn't eating much kale. I've tried kale chips, and um, FAIL. I don't prefer my greens baked and crispy.

Luckily, my dear friend and fellow foodie blogger City Girl pointed me towards Choosing Raw and this fabulous Massaged Kale Salad. At first, admittedly I was skeptical. How can raw kale taste that good? But oh... it can.

Now I've modified Gena's version a bit, to make it more palatable to my tongue (and my need for fat). I've been eating this salad nonstop! Soon I'll be one of those crazy health nuts who eats 1 lb of greens per day. ;)

Massaged Kale Salad

- 1 bunch of organic kale

- 1 small avocado

- half lemon

- kosher or sea

- good olive oil

Cut kale into strips and place in large bowl. While "massaging" kale, add olive oil. Massage. Then take avocado and crumble into salad and continue massaging kale. (The avocado will start to coat the kale and make it extra yummy.) Massage some more. Squeeze lemon over salad and sprinkle salt. Massage even more. The kale will noticeably "wilt" as you massage. This is good! It becomes softer and tastier the more you massage. You can either let it sit for awhile or eat immediately. Will keep in fridge for a day or two.

Now, until I can figure out more ways to get in my greens, I'll be eating this salad nonstop.

How do you get in your greens?

To Be or Not To Be (Vegan)

[Note: This is not my attempt to convert you. I just thought it was a funny picture.]

Originally I planned for this post to be via vlog, but when I sat down and thought about it, I realized it would probably be: (1) too long; and (2) not as thorough. So here we go!

A little over one month ago, I decided to attempt a vegan diet. I had just finished reading Eating Animals, and the reality of the food industry and my personal eating habits kept gnawing at my growing heart. I figured it was now or never, and so I took the plunge. Luckily, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine was about to implement its 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, so I knew I'd have some sort of support along the way. I had a couple of mishaps during that first week (helloooo bread pudding a la mode), but once Day 1 of the Kickstart began, I adhered pretty strictly to a vegan diet (except for honey & sugar). Now that the 21 days are over, I want to sort of wrap up this whole "experiment" by answering some FAQ I've gotten along the way. If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments or to email me at carolyn.park@gmail.com, and I'll be happy to answer them (unless you're just trying to be an ass, in which case, bugger off).

But... why?

Gosh, what a loaded question, huh? The short answer is that I went vegan for both my health and the animals (and the environment, etc.). Eating Animals obviously opened my eyes even further to the realities of factory farming and the impact that they have on the environment, the workers, and of course, the animals. But Eating Animals also got me questioning whether it's ever okay to eat animals, and whether slaughter of any kind can be considered humane. I still don't have the answers to those questions, but I didn't think I needed those answers to do what I believed to be right at the time. And that was to stop.

I stopped eating animal flesh awhile ago after seeing Food, Inc. (you can read more about that here), but this time, I felt the need to do more. So I cut out all meat (incl. seafood), dairy, and eggs. And that was that.

Was it hard to give up cheese?

Not really. Do I miss cheese? Yes, I get the cheesies every now and then, and the idea of eating cheese (namely in Paris) does cross my mind now and then. But giving up cheese was much easier than I thought it would be. It's amazing how much you realize it doesn't need to be on top of and in every dish known to man. And I will say this - once you cut the cheese (and dairy, in general) from your diet, your tastebuds kind of... come alive. It's like there was once a layer of gunk preventing me from truly tasting my food, and now that layer is gone. It's kind of amazing.

Do you feel better?

Yes. And I look better, too. In fact, in the past few days, I've gotten several comments on my skin and my weight. I've always had fairly good skin (merci, Mom!), but as my pedicurist (is that a word?) said today, I'm glowing. To be honest, I didn't notice, but I sure am glad other people are! And as far as weight goes, well, I'm not going to say I dropped 20 lbs immediately (although wouldn't that be nice?) because I'm still eating my fair share of calorie-rich food, and I'm certainly not depriving myself (hellloooo cupcakes). But. I feel lighter, my clothes are bigger, and the number on the scale has definitely gone down. And considering I've done zero exercise, I'd say that's pretty good!

What foods do you miss most?

Honestly, the foods I miss most are the ones that are probably the worst for me: pork (namely bacon & sausage) and cheese. I highly doubt I'll ever eat pork again, especially now that I know how intelligent pigs are. If I'm not willing to eat Lola, I'm not willing to eat a pig.

How did your friends and family react?

My family reacted much better than I anticipated. The first time I went vegetarian (while I was living in London), my Mom was less than pleased to learn I was no longer eating meat when I got back to the States for Christmas. This time, however, she was perfectly okay with my decision! We brainstormed about what Korean dishes I could still eat, and she sent me back to Austin with loads of yummy food. My Dad was totally fine with it. Ma Soeur? She thinks I'm nuts, but she asks me loads of questions and is genuinely curious about how I'm doing. And she has always been supportive about my food choices.

My friends' reactions have been mixed, but for the most part, they have been great. (They better be! They're my friends, after all.) Last night I made a vegan mac 'n cheese, and my friend Jenny, who is a very picky eater (she doesn't like "green things") and a huge mac 'n cheese fan, was willing to try it. And she LIKED it! I even sent her home with some!! YAY! In a month, I'll be traveling to NYC to visit some friends, and they've happily agreed to try some vegan eateries with me, even though I said I'd totally understand if they weren't crazy about the idea. Don't my friends rock?

Are you going to eat cheese after the 21 days is up?

Ah... the big question. Now that I'm done with the Kickstart, am I going to go back to my dairy-filled days? This probably won't surprise many of you, but the answer as of right now is no. Eating vegan has changed my life in so many unexpected and wonderful ways. I'm truly a happier person now than I was one month ago. I'm living my truth. My values are aligning with my actions. I'm learning every day about the realities of the world. My compassion for all living beings has grown exponentially. It's painful and difficult to know the truth, but I truly believe that knowledge is power (and that ignorance is NOT bliss!!!). Why would I go back to the way I was before when it wasn't that hard to get here?

What about leather?

Sigh... this is a tough one. Many fellow bloggers have said they would never use the label "vegan" (or any label at all) to describe themselves even if they follow a vegan diet. Some vegans (like the authors of Vegan Freak) believe that you can't call yourself a vegan if you still eat honey or wear leather. Others believe the label does not matter. Leather is tough for me. 90% of my bags and shoes are made of leather. And I know that leather is a by-product of the dairy industry (actually, leather helps fuel the dairy industry b/c it's so profitable whereas the food products are not). But still, it's so much easier for me to stop drinking milk than to stop wearing my beloved Frye boots or toting my Louis Vuitton. You can call me a hypocrite, you can call me shallow, you can say whatever other awful things you want to say. But I want to be honest here, and the honest truth is that I'm not ready to give up my leather. (Now, that being said, I also have not purchased a single leather product since "going vegan.")

"Don't do nothing because you can't do everything."

- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

One more thing...

I couldn't have done this with you. As great as my "real-life" friends were about my choice, you guys were nothing short of phenomenal. The emails, the tweets, and the comments I received blew my mind. I honestly didn't expect such a positive and supportive response, but I am oh so very grateful that I did. You supported me every step of the way, and I cannot thank you enough for it. Truly, I couldn't have done this without you. Vegan Tomato is here to stay!

Day 21: Le Cupcake

To celebrate the fact that today is DAY 21 of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, I decided to make cupcakes! I, like most of the female population, adore cupcakes. I used to make them all the time in law school during finals to cheer up my uber-stressed friends. I rarely made them from scratch, though, that must be said. So I was more than a bit nervous to attempt vegan cupcakes that would, of course, be made from scratch.

Luckily, I received Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as a gift ages ago, and after a little searching, I found this darling petit livre on my bookshelves and dusted it off. I wanted to start with a basic cupcake so I decided on vanilla with lemon cream cheese frosting. I am not a huge frosting fan (unlike most of the female population), but cream cheese frosting I love. It's not so sugary sweet as it has the delightfully thick and tangy quality of, well, cream cheese!

The process was fairly simple, and there were only a couple of ingredients I was missing (mostly because I rarely back from scratch). Voila the finished product!


Now, for my very honest review of the finished product...

The Frosting: Delicious! I used Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese and, to be honest, I was not optimistic. I tasted a tiny bit before whipping up the frosting, and I doubt I'd ever spread it on a bagel. But the frosting? Divine! Blended with powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, and lots of grated lemon zest, this frosting definitely tastes as decadent as regular cream cheese frosting.

The Cake: Admittedly, I didn't love the cake. Don't get me wrong, it's good. It's just not my ideal. I liked that it's moist and light and fluffy. What I didn't like was the flavor. The recipe suggested I use almond extract in addition to vanilla, so I did. And I can tell. And I don't really like it. It just... doesn't work for moi, especially not in a basic vanilla cupcake. So next time, I'm just going to stick to the vanilla extract.

Overall: Yummy! I'm going to bring my friend Jenny one later tonight and the rest to work tomorrow. I've already had 2 today, and well, I think that's quite enough. :P

Gotta dash, but I'm planning to record a vlog just for vegan tomato, discussing my experience with vegan eating and cooking, and letting y'all know where I'm going from here. Stay tuned!!

Days 18-20: Carb Confession

I cannot believe that the 21-Day Kickstart is almost complete! Wow have these past 3 weeks flown by or what? Technically I've been eating vegan for about 4 weeks, but still, it's kind of incredible how quickly it's passed. I plan to do a lovely Day 21 finale blah blah post and well, answer all the questions everyone keeps asking me, (like, "So... are you going to eat cheese after the 21 days is up?") but for now, let's recap the past few days...

I've been on this insane, um, bread kick. First it was sourdough and then French batard, all of which I toasted and ate with a delectable smear of Earth Balance (which, btw, I didn't think would taste good on toast, but it is surprisingly just as comforting as butter). For a few days there I was eating toast with every lunch and dinner. Now before some of you haters play your "vegans only eat unhealthy carbs!" card, let me assure you that with those meals included plenty of whole grains, vegetables, and protein. I simply added toast because, well, why not? Anyway, the point is, I may need to go on a toast & EB cleanse along with my sugar cleanse. Eek!

But enough of my carb confessions, let's talk about what's been cookin' in the vegan tomato's kitchen! This weekend I found myself with a fridge full of leftover veggies. An onion here, some asparagus there, and I decided I should make a "clean out your refrigerator" kind of meal. Now, I'll be honest with you, I'm not so good of a cook that I can throw together random dying veggies and create a yummy dish that I'll actually eat (unlike Lauren, who by the way, is nothing short of incredible). So I did what any normal aspiring-vegan-not-quite-yet confident-cook would do, I turned to one of my newest cookbooks - Vegan Yum Yum. And voila! What better dish to cook when trying to use up leftover veggies than fried rice?

{photo credit: vegan yum yum}

Now, her fried rice is gorgeous and colorful. Mine was... not. But that's because I worked with what I had, and that was: asparagus, broccoli, and corn. I bought a portobello mushroom to add some meatiness, but sadly forgot to buy some sesame seeds for garnish (I love me some toasted sesame seeds). Nonetheless, it turned out pretty well!

Kind of looks more like risotto than fried rice, huh? That's because I used short-grain brown rice because I like the stickiness of it. Now, as good as this was, I will say this - it lacked... something. And maybe that something can only be achieved with the salty, flavorful pork that I'm so accustomed to adding to my fried rice, but then again, maybe not. I'm going to experiment more next time. Any thoughts/tips/suggestions?

Since I'm into this whole "don't waste your produce" thang (I've been known to throw old lots of veggies gone bad... no bueno), I've been trying to find a recipe that incorporates some campari tomatoes that my Mom bought me last time I was in Dallas. Earlier today I stumbled across this post by Shelly of Green Chic, and I knew that would be the perfect way to use my tomatoes. And the mac and cheese of choice? None other than another one of Lolo's from Vegan Yum Yum. How good does that look? Now imagine it with roasted tomatoes on top. YUM YUM! (I couldn't help myself.)


One last thing - I've noticed that my dessert-y sugar cravings have dramatically subsided. I used to want dessert after lunch and dinner, but not so much anymore. When I do crave something sweet, I whip up my cherry chocolate bomb shake, and I'm set. Now, if only I could explain my Mexican Coke obsession...

P.S. Merci for all the sweet words on my last post. You guys are my heroes, and I love you all!

Garlic & Greens Soup

I'm not a huge St. Patrick's Day person... I don't really care about green beer or pub crawls or whatever else you crazy kids are doing these days. As I got dressed this morning, I realized I don't even have many green clothes! Nope, I celebrated St. Patty's Day my own way - by making Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's Garlic & Greens Soup. This soup is from The Vegan Table and is quite possibly one of the healthiest meals I've ever made (well... minus the croutons hehe). The ingredients? Garlic (an entire HEAD), onion, greens (I used collard greens), water (or veggie stock), rice vinegar, and a few potatoes. I sauteed my garlic and onion in olive oil b/c well, that's just how I roll, but Colleen says you can saute them in water as well (but seriously... who does that??).

I have to admit that I was nervous about this soup. Scarily simple ingredients and lack of color variety kept me skeptical, but the soup was fantastic! Comforting and surprisingly full of flavor. In fact, next time I think I'm going to use 2 bunches of greens instead of 1. As it is, the soup is very broth-y, and I prefer more "stuff" in my soups. Plus adding more greens is always a good thing, n'est ce pas? Per my usual, I fried up a side of homemade croutons (aka just a sliced baguette sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper). They are extra tasty when dipped in the broth!



Colleen says she believes that soup can be eaten year round, but I have to disagree. Maybe soup's okay in Northern California, but in the middle of a 100+ degree Texas summer? Absolutely not. So I'm going to make this soup as much as possible before it gets too hot!

Now, before I dash, I know it's cruel to talk up a meal and not post the recipe. But I don't think it's legal for me to do so... or maybe it is? I'm a lawyer, I should know this stuff! Ha! Lucky for you, I don't need to find out (legal research was never my forte) because Colleen has a video of herself making the soup ON HER WEBSITE! Click here, dolls (it's the 3rd video down) and enjoy your greens. *muah*

Days 16-17: Love

I'm in a great mood. Scratch that, I'm in a FANTASTIC mood. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping (not that I'd know really since I'm stuck inside an office sans fresh air), and this hump day is almost over. Tonight I have super sexy plans to make Garlic & Greens soup and watch Law & Order SVU, and I couldn't be happier about them. And life is... Well, quite frankly, life is good.

Embarking on this 21-Day Vegan Kickstart has somehow motivated me to get moving on many other areas of my life. I can't talk about it on the blogs, but it's incredibly exciting, and I just have that feeling that all signs are pointing to yes. KWIM? It's... I don't know, this has never happened to me before. I'm sorry I have to be so vague, but the point is, the decision to eat a vegan diet has somehow given me the courage and confidence I needed to make other decisions in my life. I never thought I could eat vegan, but here I am, doing it, and doing it surprisingly well. It's empowering. Now I know what people mean when they say that going vegan can change your life.

One thing is for sure - I couldn't have done this without you. Yes, YOU! I'm sad to say, but until recently, I've had little support from anyone in my "real" life and certainly not here in Austin. But you, all of you reading this, have been so incredibly supportive (even those of you who aren't vegan/vegetarian!), and I don't know how to thank you. Tell me how to thank you! Because I want to. I really really do.

On another note, I'm super duper glad that Blue Moon is vegan-friendly. PHEW!

Day 15: Smooth Skillz

It's Day 15 and the eatin' is GOOD! And since I had a smoothie for breakfast and dessert, I figured it'd be a good time to discuss my mad smoothie skillz.

My goal is to sip one green smoothie per day. Pourquoi? It's a sure fire way to get in my greens, fruit, and omega-3's. I either have one for breakfast or as a snack, and I alternate between 2 variations. And no, it really doesn't taste spinach-y. That's not to say you can't taste the spinach - I definitely know there's something green. But it's not gross, it's yummy! You should try it!

Carolyn's Green Smoothie

- 1 cup of nondairy milk (I typically use soy or rice)

- handful of frozen strawberries & blueberries OR a handful of frozen mango

- 1 frozen banana (this is KEY - blended frozen banana makes for an extra creamy smoothie)

- 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed

- dollop of peanut or almond butter

- a couple handfuls of raw spinach

Blend spinach and splash of milk first. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Scrape down the sides. Blend again. Pour into tall glass and feel good that you're drinking your greens!

The other smoothie I can't get enough of is the Cherry Chocolate Bomb Shake. I was inspired by Kristen's version, but mine feels more dessert-y due to the almond milk.

Carolyn's Cherry Chocolate Bomb Shake

- 1 cup of almond milk
- 1 frozen banana (again - this is KEY)
- handful of frozen cherries
- 2 tablespoons of hemp powder
- 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

The directions for this one is pretty easy. BLEND. Pour. Enjoy. With a straw.

I've been keeping a log of all my meals since Day 1 of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. It's kind of fun to see what I'm eating. Then again, sometimes it's sad - like the other night when my PMS cravings got crazy, and i had french fries and coke for dinner. Btw I think I have a coke problem and not the white powdered substance kind. I cannot get enough Mexican coke. And very occasionally, Dr. Pepper. HELP! Do I need to do a sugar cleanse??

I haven't had any soda today. Nope, today I had a green smoothie for breakfast, a vegan sandwich and fries at 24 Diner for lunch, and a big plate of leftover baked mexican rice (from here), corn, sliced avocado and sourdough toast (random, I know). And because I have a beautiful bunch of chard in the fridge and gorgeous yukon gold potatoes (from brunch!) in the pantry, I think I'm going to make the Garlic & Greens Soup from The Vegan Table later this week. Accompanied with crunchy homemade croutons, bien sur. You know me, I can't have a meal without carbs. :)

Happy eating, mes amies!!!