Crumbling with love!

Ah this ridiculous cold has made me want to BAKE BAKE BAKE-

So I went with Kelly Rudnicki's vegan staple of French Puff Muffins. When presented at Fakesgiving 2009 it was met with lots of love! Check out her book Vegan Baking Classics!

Kelly has really whipped some Chicagoland advocacy butt! Check out her posts on her blog about the recent policies (or lack thereof) in Gurnee and surrounding areas: http://www.foodallergymama.com/

This time around, turbinado sugar from Trader Joe's made for a delicious crusty topping...

gluten free (with apple peel and walnuts):
with brown sugar, spelt, and oatmeal:

I also decided to use Sophie Dahl's Voluptuous Cooking for her blackberry apple crumble! (pics above) I AM OBSESSED with this woman's work! I first heard about her in this article from Food and Wine. She makes you want to start saying that you "fancy" your man, and that strawberries are "bloody delicious!"

I had a delicious crumble in individual containers at the Spring St. Natural Restaurant in Soho, so I thought I would adapt Ms. Dahl's recipe to make it myself!

The recipe is originally for a pie dish, but I love ramekins so much that I went to Crate and Barrel and bought their tall ramekins (10 oz). So I used about 5-7 oz of my mixed fruit in each cup, but the baking at 400 degrees for 30 minutes still made it come out perfectly!

Some alternatives:

using margarine instead of butter for the topping makes it vegan

I sliced apple peel and mixed it with walnuts, so my wonderful gluten-free roommate could try the dish without worry for the spelt or oatmeal!

I used brown sugar, but to make it low-glycemic, I would use some blue agave to keep it's delicious warmth.

Try your own mix of fruits for this!

I think for Valentine's Day I might try it with fresh strawberries! ;)

I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Kris Carr at the Barnes and Noble on 82/Broadway, the beautiful and Crazy Sexy Diet author who talks about green juice and loving yourself!

I have been making juice with cucumber, apple, and lemon. DELICIOUS! Truly goes to show that natural foods make you feel wonderful!

Speaking of wonderful: A shoutout to my sister! :) Allison, I love you so much and I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! This genius is doing the creative writing program at Northwestern, and is really kicking up her brunch skills. Maybe I can get this awesome chica to guest blog!

Ok yuppies! Start baking!

New York!

Hey all,
I have been SUPER busy with this whole "Graduate School" business. Phew! My boyfriend is the one constantly training for 5Ks, half marathons, and marathons....but I have been exhausted from just the first week. Our advisors are always telling us that come December we will "collapse into happy exhaustion"

This does not surprise me one bit.

EXCELLENT things have happened, and some NOT so excellent things have happened.

Given my work that I selected (social work- ta da!), I have to always be mindful of how I am feeling, and try to care for myself.

1) Leaving home was REALLY hard. I have wonderful friends here, but very little can make up for the comfort of family, friends, my boyfriend, and my established sense of independence that I felt in my cramped little studio in Rogers Park. On the other hand, I really lucked out in NYC real estate, and found TWO veggie minded roommates within 10 minutes of campus. One also happens to be a veggie trained chef who works in Chelsea....what?!

2) It's taking a while for me to get my job solidified. This work-aholic is NOT used to this! I am getting a lot of homework done, which is wonderful considering that I have a tendency to procrastinate like CRAZY. (Especially at the beginning of the semester). Hopefully this barista will be serving the thousands of commuters by Madison Sq Garden!

3) I am finally getting the trains/buses here. Chicago= +5000 points for its bus system. NYC= -5000 points for its bus system. NYC= +5000 points for its subway. Chicago= -5000 points for the "el". It all evens out, I guess!

4) Holy vegan friend, Batman! NYC has so many cool vegan restaurants. Too bad that I'm now in a financially compromised position that I can't afford all of them! Oh bother! Candle Cafe and Sacred Chow have already had me, and Scotters and I did my favorite Spring St. Natural Restaurant where I indulged with what I can only describe as the BEST veggie burger I've ever had! EVER! Once the funds come in (and Travis and Jonathan!) I will probably report in more or less detail about these places. Especially Lula's Sweet Apothecary- YUM!

5) Cheese. Oh gosh. When you are on a supreme veggie/student/poor girl budget, it is hard to resist the canned soup and mac/cheese staples for nourishment. I was pretty good about having some hearty fruit/veggie/low fat good foods...until stress and long days came about. I also didn't realize how much I depended on a blender for my quick food smoothie fixes. Thank god for the Mexican fruit and veggie carts throughout the city. If the fruit is right in front of you, how can you NOT eat it?! And hey...PB &J is veggie! Huzzah!

6) My classes rock. I've only had 2 days of class so far (once a week classes....my favorite!), but I can tell that I will be challenged and simultaneously have the ability to thrive. Likewise my field work in Queens looks super cool.

7) I MET JONATHAN FRANZEN! Yep, I'm a book nerd. Always will be. For my birthday I was able to meet the author of Freedom, one of THE most anticipated books of the year- for me AND the NY Times- haha! I told Mr. Franzen my sister's suggestion of his running for Mayor of Chicago. He told me he'd put it on his to-do list. The experience rivaled meeting David Sedaris. Jon Stewart is coming to town as well. So is Jamie Oliver.....

Looks like I need to start writing a book! :D

I miss you all in Chicago, and I feel so welcomed by the NYC crowd.

Now to try to correct the Starbucks folks on what a REAL Red Eye is..... ;)

New updates!

Yes, Mrs. Rudnicki has a new book. And vegan drunk puppy (my mascot on this blog) is VERY pleased :)

My review is currently available here at amazon.com

It's always good to check out easy vegan recipes! Not just because the diet is humane..but come on, no one wants to deal with making sure than eggs/milk are fresh. :) LAZY ME!

So I finished another Lisa Gardner book today! Say Goodbye, a creepy story about spiders and a gruesome tales about kidnappings and a prostitute serial killer. I love getting promo books from my bookstore so I can read the books, and ideally give them back to my employees to read as well.

Interesting tidbit: MANY Lisa's in the game of mystery. Jackson, Scottoline, Gardner.

Lisa Gardner is my favorite, and probably because she pushes the envelope a bit more with the gruesome details and not sparing the reader from any horror. It is my opinion that this is why books are written/read, to not be censored as much as other mediums. Perhaps A Clockwork Orange is an exception...*shiver*

A few summer tidbits anyone?

The Neighbor, by Lisa Gardner (it's now available in Mass Market, which means cheaper and much easier to put in a purse/ carry on the train!)

This came out on hardcover last June, and I believe stills proves to be a good summer thriller. A young mother disappears, the only remaining witness is her 4-year-old daughter. The husband is suspected, and both of the newlyweds come from broken pasts that created an ending that was just what the heart wanted. Cathartic, perhaps a little predictable, but completes the idea of the story in a way that left me closing the book with a long sigh...


I'm getting into some lazy territory, otherwise I'd post more books. I am however in the middle of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections...very nice :)

My boo...plural :)

Before I talk about my boos, a few little treats I got for graduation week! Ebay and Crossroads Trading Co. MAGIC :)

J.Crew...$11.00

Betsey Johnson....$20

J.Crew.....$15.00

I have many "boos" these days. I adapted the phrase from Michael, a coworker of mine in the cafe, who stole my heart with phrases like "kitten" and re-naming himself to BooshalayX (the X is silent). I felt the need to give some pics!

One boo is Vegan Drunk Puppy. It's kind of a joke between friends, but also something cute to alleviate the pressures of being a vegetarian/ vegan activist or supporter. So while we can say "Awww..Vegan Drunk Puppy- stop getting sick near the Seitan!"...I do know that there's more to it. :) Some of my other "boos" are the puppies in my neighbor who get walked all the time...SO CUTE!


Speaking of puppies...hipster puppies...you won't regret it!

Another is my friend, Kelly. Oh Kelly! This girl is going to California to live the dream. YOU GO GIRL! She is one of my inspirations: non-judgemental, and just wanting to do some good for the world. Very litle can go wrong when she's around...

Kelly, the other white meat! JUST KIDDING! :)

Which brings me to a new project! After re-watching the tail end of Julie & Julia (with the lovely Meryl Streep- eep!) , I wanted to see what I could do to channel Julia Child herself, to bring the deliciousness of the French to the veggie community!
Step one was a sort-of creme brulee inspired cupcake. IT WAS DELICIOUS- and on a more egocentric level, photographed quite nicely (see I can still learn, Dad! hehe). I have such a love for food photography after seeing how it was done. YUM! My next step is to try Coq au Vin...veggie style! :)


The Yuppie's Vegan French Creme Cupcake!




Another shout-out to Dan Savage, the sex columnist for The Stranger in Seattle. Much like Anderson Cooper to Perez Hilton, Dan is my boo! He is so open-minded and just lets people get cold and unadulterated advice about their love lives, to the point that I am encouraged to NOT overanalyze my relationship. Seriously, there should be a Nobel prize for that :P


A special "thanks" to my Special Friend, who I'll be seeing in NYC at some point. We'll both be going away from Chicago soon, but we can help each other salvage our love of Chicago in the Big Apple. Vegan fraps for you, boo!

Drunk Puppy Goes Vegan!

So my trip to New York was fantastic. I was lucky enough to get some feedback from Lindsay Wolf of the "Kiss Me, I'm Vegan" blog. She directed me to Sacred Chow, a vegan establishment close to NYU. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The menu was delicious, and the waiter was SUPER nice and adorable...he also reminded me of Harvey Milk! :) I love NYC, and I love the food. Most of the restaurants in the area had at least the option of doing some vegan schtuff (like Two Boots in Soho...vegan pizza that got Amy's seal of approval)!

The trip, along with my vegan pal Amy, really made me re-commit to the vegan-ish lifestyle. Again, I'm not 100%, but I'm making my way there!

And speaking of vegan...I had made a delectable wrap, featured in one of the photos up top, w/ whole wheat tortilla, vegan cream cheese, broccoli, and white beans (and rice and seasoning that I added after I took the picture) . Next up I may a yummy Vanilla Rooibos latte w/ soy (that I brought to my ever-outdated Human Sexuality class...ugh! waste of my senioritis time!) SO good, even my wonderful friend Kelly thought so. Kelly's basically my spiritual advisor...or part time therapist, I can't tell :P

My acceptance into Columbia University was a big deal, and now I'm just waiting on a few more. It was comforting to know that I could find a group of old friends, new friends, and even (gasp!) a job? It would be extremely difficult for me to let go of Chicago, but doable (especially for Columbia!).

But now for crazier news!

DRUNK PUPPY!

Now, drunk puppy is a creation of many, many inside jokes. First, my boyfriend and I deciding that if we ever got a dog (and sure enough will, if we stay together long enough to live together), we thought it would be so crazy that it would basically act drunk all the time. For a preview of such experience, "drunk _____insert random animal___" tends to have interesting videos of drugged cats and dogs after their surgery. Humane-ness is questionable, but most of the owners in the videos seem to have what it takes to be a good pet owner.

AND, my job at the local bookstore is what brought my guilt-driven purchase of our friend..Drunk Puppy.

This super cute Beanie Baby-type dog was displayed in a plastic case with a sign that my crafty co-worker had drawn up to say "Buy me, and I'll love you."

My guilt for trapped puppies ensued.

I HAD to buy this super cute fake dog! Normally I'm not a huge girly-girl, and I haven't so much as expected a box of chocolates from my boyfriend, but Goodness Gracious was I feeling some emotions for this puppy! A fake one, too!

So, I had a little chat w/ Drunk Puppy about my eating habits, and what do you know, crazy drunk puppy wanted a white bean wrap as a vodka chaser!

*Mind you, this is obviously not a real dog*

I'm hoping to catch some awesome pics of Vegan Drunk Puppy!

Until then....ruff!

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Veggie!

Ahh some wonderful health reflections....eep!

So for some of you veggies like myself who grew up in Polish households, perhaps you can commiserate with my constant desire to eat meat. Ok, maybe not constant, but on a quite frequent basis, I continually have to translate my meat cravings for an iron-rich veggie source. Problem: I was never really a salad girl, so what do I do about it now?!

Well, apparently I over-sugar myself. One of the big reasons that I went vegetarian is the overwhelming evidence that (if done correctly), being veggie is the way to go if you've got diabetes....and I was almost there!

The glycemic index diet is a good guide, but I'm hesitant to listen to something that tells me to eat a "deck of cards" worth of chicken rather than a banana. I'll add some peanut butter and call it a day.


I was so happy to meet Kim Barnouin in person! Ms. Skinny Bitch herself was definitely skinny, but there was nothing bitchy about her at all! She's definitely low maintenance, and encourages everyone not to judge each other...um perfect?

Their book was a significant factor in my decision to go veggie- and now more so for me to give up animal products when I can-which is quite often! I just need to moderate the diabetic-non-friendly-stuff!

TWO WEEK UNTIL NEW YORK! :) I've decided to try to cook Indian food..until then the Trader Joe's options sound good to me! :)

CHICAGO DINER ON SATURDAY- introducing friends to seitan and the like....exciting :P

I'm so excited!

So I work everyday this week...NOOOOOO! It's frustrating when you nanny and you have another job, because sometimes people don't see he childcare aspect as being a job. It is definitely a job, peeps! However, kids are so wonderful, and the babies bring down the stress level. Take that decaf-nonfat-latte-overly-rich-rude-suburban customers!

Phew.

Anyway, some new discoveries! My sister (the one who calls me a yuppie) is always joking about how often I go to Whole Foods. It's right by work, and I almost always need food, so it's just convenient. So like a blissful Jewish mother, I am so pleased to find how many coupons they have! My latest purchases have included Back to Nature products- the ones that I got were vegan (on accident)!! I was so pleased, as one of the treat boxes is their Classic Creme, basically a healthier Oreo cookie. SUPER bad for you, but I've been needing a mental health break, with all of the transitions in my work schedule and school schedule! I first discovered some of the Back to Nature stuff through a family I babysit for, one of the BEST ways that I've gotten health food ideas. Hopefully, I'll make an awesome mom one day who passes on good food to the nannies!

After all, it was through Kelly, the Food Allergy Mama herself, that I first discovered soy milk, and now I have it just about everyday! Her book is still a baking staple for me- she's coming out with a new vegan book and I am SO STOKED!

Onto my latest veggie news: I am so excited for friendly times this week! On Wednesday, one of my best friends from home is visiting me in the city! Ms. Dana is just amazing, and we've been writing letters (with ink and everything) to each other all throughout college. Just wonderful, and she's coming with me to see Kim Barnouin at my school! After reading Skinny Bitch a little over a year ago, I was struck by the logical nature behind keeping your body more pure by getting rid of meat. I will be unable to contain myself! Dana and I will more than likely be baking, too! I was thinking Babycakes NYC's blondies...in honor of Dana (the very non-stereotypical blonde- I LOVE HER!)

Talk about a crazy veggie time! Kim has a very cool website, Healthy Bitch Daily, which gives lots of cool eco-tips. I purchased 7th generation's laundry detergent the other day, to see if it would be any good, so I feel like I'm at least getting back to some of my green roots as well!

My other best friend Caitlin is visiting with her wonderful crazy friend Suzette! Their meeting the boyfriend, and we're visiting The Chicago Diner.I'm so excited! I also just subscribed to VegNews, so that will be an exciting subscription to start getting as well! After all, the chic Vogue needs a companion. I wonder if steak-eating Anna Wintour would ever consider seitan....

V'Day!

Ahh Valentine's Day...It's my favorite! So many people get depressed, and whine and cry about not having a significant other, but even in my mostly-single-dominanted years, I loved this holiday. I just bought Super Natural Cooking, about a month and a half ago. Included in this beautiful, made from recycled paper, cookbook includes 2 major, holy crap I wish these could be made vegan desserts...panna cotta, and chocolate mousse! Delicious, now I just need some creme brulee! Mi amour and I decided to have a Valentine's Day in this year, and we'll more than likely be vegged out w/ some romantic candles and dark chocolate. What a wonderful year to have such a supportive boyfriend, who definitely TOLERATES my nagging about food.



He took me to The Chicago Diner, and upon one of my best friend's recommendations, tried the Country Fried "Steak." Amazing! Heartland Cafe, also in Chicago, has a delicious BBQ Seitan Sandwich. Pulled pork used to be an absolute favorite, so it was so refreshing to have a veggie version.

My craziness has escalated into my classes. During our mundane discussions about ourselves in my lab class, I mentioned that I had an extensive knowledge of speciality dies and would be happy to help anyone with questions. So, a girl that I used to work with pulled me aside after class and said that her grandmother was just diagnosed with celiac and was anxious about not baking bread anymore. BABYCAKES TO THE RESCUE!

I am very excited that I am getting more connected to the vegan lifestyle, even though I am not vegan myself. More posts to come...including a trip to NYC! :)

Why being vegan is made easier by being in Chicago!

Hello all,
Amidst making coffee, studying, watching children, and occasionally applying to graduate school, I have indeed been researching the vegan lifestyle, as well as the eco-lifestyle.

The transition has been incredibly strange for me. Throughout the past year, the amount of time that's past since I gave up meat...cold turkey (hehe), I've felt like more and more people have switched to a veggie or moderated veggie lifestyle.

One of the best things about Chicago (and I suppose any urban city) is the amount of cheap European/Mexican markets. My friend Travis and I frequent our local Morse Market, and we're able to stock up on not only cheap produce, but ORGANIC produce. Trav is also experimenting with the Raw lifestyle, which means nothing heated over 100*F to help preserve the food's natural enzymes. I've also read some of Ani Phyo's stuff (and subscribed to her podcast), and in addition to ameliorating some of my dairy-based habits, I've made a larger effort to incorporate some of the raw foodist's dream foods. She makes a peach cobbler on her show that makes me want to convert...or move to Georgia?

My boyfriend and I decided to celebrate a bit of an earlier Valentine's Day, and he took me out to the Blind Faith Cafe (of which I've blogged about before, when first experiencing Ratatouille!) and I had the BEST pasta dish ever! It had sprouts, broccoli (a generous heaping amount too, none of this "Noodles and Company" mostly pasta bullshit), and handmade pasta and tomato sauce....with cheese. My chai was milk based as well, but my boyfriend without realizing it ended up having a completely vegan meal. AWESOME! He's so supportive, and even though he gets a little anxious about what would happen if he had a vegan girlfriend whom he had to introduce to his McCain-lovin' crowd, at dinnertime he's willing to try some animal-free dishes.

*Note about Blind Faith....they're awesome...but don't try the Rice Dream Latte, or any milk alternative latte, without an extra shot of espresso- that's just my coffee snobbery opinion*

So, overall, I've subsided to a 75/25 vegan diet. If I had the time/money to go all the way, I probably would. I think the reason that people are leaning towards this (especially in Chitown) is that it's so much better for the environment, and because it just makes you feel better! Anytime I eat dairy, without my probiotics or zinc supplements, my face BREAKS OUT. Acne is not a fun thing, kids, and when in college...dairy, meat, and alcohol (and stress..duh!) are all super fine contributors. Gross. I'd rather have a "easy, breezy, beautiful Cover Girl" face (a phrase I've gotten accustomed to using during the support group I lead...Travis says I'm getting gay-er everyday!)

There's lot of networking food sites, like Vegan Chicago, but I prefer just a simply yelp.com search.

I'm going back to NYC in March for spring break, and my awesome friend Scott (omnivore extraordinaire) is also looking into getting some vegan/ vegetarian cookbooks. Kiss Me, I'm Vegan is a wonderful blog, as well! Ms. Wolf (Mrs?) has been essential in helping me be less-cruel to animals and find cheap places to eat vegan in NYC (which will be crucial considering how much this veggie girl spent the last time she was there!)

WEEEEE! I hope everyone has a magnificent Valentine's Day. As I always say, don't be bitter on V-Day, eat bittersweet chocolate :)

LOVE YOU!

"Kiss me, I'm Vegan!"

http://kissmyvegan.blogspot.com/

I already mentioned it on facebook, but this girl is just too cute! She ALSO loves the cupcake making :)

I'm trying to see if I can get to a petting zoo/ animal sanctuary by the beginning of winter (which, in Chicago is about, I don't know, yesterday?)

More exciting news for my veggi-ness:

• *Fakesgiving with friends!Mr. JZ and "As Gay as it Gets" writer are gonna do a fun Thanksgiving day...sans turkey! We'll see if I feel like trying the turkey alternatives ;)
• Bought Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet"- finally! I especially like the section on "flirting"....describes me so well! hehe!
• My involvement with Oxfam at school has been helping me meet so many people who are wanting to make wonderful change in the world. And none of them are super extreme! Other than in kindness of course...
• I bought a used black argyle sweater on ebay for $10. Hopefully it'll fit, and I can put up a post of the lovely gamine style that I love to support so much. I've pretty much decided that, excluding lingerie and workout clothes, I'm going to only buy used clothing- Chicago and Ebay make it was too easy!

Weeee! I have a ton of papers to write, but with the support of my puppy (aka my boyfriend, Andy) and my lovely friends, things are gonna get easier!

Much, much love

Babycakes NYC

YUM!

You will soon realize that I have a deep obsession with cupcakes. What a perfect confection! My recent athletic jump into the vegetarian lifestyle has also led me to try vegan dishes as well. Upon going to the marvelous Metropolis coffee house (in Rogers Park) they had vegan cupcakes available for purchase. A little guilty for nabbing this yumminess from someone who might've actually been vegan plagued me until me first bite. How. Delicious.

So I looked for vegan cupcakes! Babycakes NYC is a bakery that makes vegan, mostly gluten-free, and lower-refined sugar (important for those of us at risk of diabetes [and in my case, pre-diabetes]) treats for all! An important critique is that many people with coeliac disease (a condition that renders people unable to eat gluten-a little more extreme than just a gluten intolerance) have been upset that the cookbook contains spelt flour, a very not gluten free ingredient. But guess what? She has a gluten intolerance herself and discusses the differences in her cooking in GREAT detail. Maybe I'm just not very sensitive, but I tried out one of the recipes and it came out DELICIOUS. Yay for agave nectar sweetner.

And so I'll begin making more and more cupcakes. Delicious.

Oh, did I mention that I'm definitely going here in NYC? That's what sparked the post. *wink*

http://www.babycakesnyc.com/menu.html