Happy Butterfinger Day!

Halloween came and went, with a party at our house and my 3-hour stint dressed as a fencer...the most original, entirely unexpected Halloween costume from my household, ever. Tee freakin' hee.

Alas, the best part about Halloween for me this year was allowing myself to eat several fun size Butterfingers. We bought a bag of candy SPECIFICALLY with this pretense in mind because, ya know what? Halloween = candy. Candy I shall have. We don't get trick-or-treaty kids at the door, so we definitely didn't buy the candy for them. Certain not them.

It was for us.

It was awesome.

Butterfingers will return next year. And as for now, no more candy.

(Ya know what was crazy? Over a period of three days, I enjoyed a few pieces of this crunchy, delicious concoction in the evening. The next morning, without fail, I woke up with a screamin' headache! What's up with that? Has that always happened or am I just getting really bad at digesting shitty food?)

I Love Fall

This is a picture of my street. Isn't that amazing?!??!

I freakin' love fall, and not just because the leaves are so awesome or that their colors highlight the underlying structure of the tree (which is so cool), nor is it because your cheeks are all pink when you come in from your walk or run, nor is it even the sight of all the cute-but-not-cute-enough-to-have-one-of-my-own kids with their little backpacks on....

...it's because you can feel change in the air.

For real. Can't ya? Walking around in the fall, snuggled up in your sweater, don't you get TONS of good ideas? Don't you think, "You know, I really should _________. That would be sweet." Doesn't your head just totally come alive now that it's not succumbing to heat stroke or schmeared with sunblock? Holy crap, man. Mine does.

Summer time, with all its amazing attributes, isn't conducive to supreme mental function for me. I find that I'm dull-witted and slow, not to mention HIGHLY unmotivated. Blech. But come fall...ahhhh, fall......all that goes away and I'm suddenly inspired to do stuff...like learn a new language, get a new job, write more, read more, think more. It's fraggin' awesome.

Things are good in Shelley's world. And though I'm still working on piecing my life back together after my fantastic experience with the Buddhists, I feel the winds of change. Bring on the pumpkins and pie crusts, the beer, the soup and bread, and the solitary mental musings that I particularly enjoy while holding a cup of coffee. Shyeah. That'll be great.

I'd better get outside and enjoy feeling my fingers and toes. Soon, my world will like this:
I love winter, too.

(pictures from here and here)

Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce is, in general, whether it's vegan or not, really really really bad for you. Aside from the peanut butter, which is positively brimming with calories and saturated fat despite its fantastic deliciousness, coconut milk is often used to make the sauce smooth and silky...bringing on some epic indulgence. Lame! I freakin' love peanut sauce and therefore, reject that I can never have it!

Thus, I present my girlish-figure-preserving vegan peanut sauce. Keep in mind that it's still an indulgence but that it's MUCH better than the stuff you get at your fave Thai restaurant. Save that for special/I-don't-give-a-crap-right-now occasions.

Bring a pot of water to boil for your soba noodles.*

Meanwhile, in a sauce pot, heat a small dash of peanut or canola oil over medium heat (be mindful of your oil dashing or your sauce will be slick and gross). Then, add:
1 or 2 big shallots, minced
2-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs ginger, minced

Sautee this fragrant mixture briefly, being sure not to burn the garlic then add:
1-1 1/2 cup peanut butter (go natural and stay away from hydrogenated oils...they separate)
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tbs honey, agave nectar, or sugar (more or less to taste)

Combine over low heat. The peanut butter will melt but slowly. Be patient while things come together, then add enough water to achieve your desired consistency. Thick is good but not TOO thick...fear not if you overstep the moisture situation 'cause you can just add more peanut butter. Stir it up, then turn the heat to waaaaay low while you work the noodles.

Drop a package of soba into your boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes. Test a noodle and boil for one more minute, then test again. Boil 1 minute, then test. Why? Cause overcooked noodles suck. When they're done, dump out the water and immediately rinse the noodles with cold water. Don't skip this step or the soba will keep cooking and thus, get soft and gross! Ew.

Rinse them, dump them on a plate, pour the entire pot of sauce over the top, toss.

Eat.

*Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. You can use regular spaghetti if you can't find them, but you should be able to. I like Koyo Organic Soba. It's cheap and yummy.

(pretty photo taken from here)

Split Pea Soup

This soup rocks, so stop making that face.

This is another thing we've been taught to hate...like beets and brussels sprouts and collard greens. But I don't want to sound like a snottypants, so I'll insert a smiley face when I say it...

Time to get over it. :)

A medium-high heat, warm a good dash of olive oil in your trusty stockpot then add:
1 onion, diced
2 big carrots
2 stalks celery
2 potatoes, diced (try to get yukon golds)
2-10 cloves garlic

Sautee these goodies until the onions are translucent and the carrots have softened a tish. Then add your spices:
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp ground mustard (I like to add more)
Dash o' pepper

Cook the mixture for a sec, then add the rest of your stuff:
7-8 cups water
2 cups dry split peas
1 or 2 veg bouillon cubes

Turn the heat up to high and let it rock n' roll, covered, for about an hour or until the peas are soft, then season the soup with salt to your taste. Some people like their split pea soup to be brothy, with the peas just barely done. This style is reflected in the pretty picture above (taken from the cookbook from whence this recipe came). The peas are sturdier and will resemble lentils in texture. It'll be good...

...but not as good as it could be. You see, I am a BIG fan of thick, hearty split pea soup. You may or may not agree but if you do, you need only cook the soup a bit longer. The peas will break down and get soooo super stewy and dense. Yum. And although my soup doesn't look as pretty, rest assured that it is perfect:

I'm Still Here

This is my story:

I'm spending every day up at Ewam, cookin' for Buddha.

I have no time for anything but cooking and prepping for more cooking.

OH, and running. And eating. And, um, more eating.

I miss The Uprising, but shall soon return to my normal life...energized and changed for the better!

Roasted Pepper Sandwiches

Since you already know how to roast your own peppers and will never have to buy them in a jar ever again (click HERE if you don't know what I'm talking about), you may be looking for ways to use them...

Look no further. These sandwiches will rock your world.

First thing ya gotta do is whip together the super easy herby cheese spread. In a small bowl, combine:
1 container Tofutti cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Stir everything together until it's nice and smooth, then set it aside.

Now, to put together your sandwiches. Split a nice ciabatta loaf down the center, hot dog style. Schmear your cheese spread on both halves and be liberal about it, baby. It's sooo good. Stack your ingredients on one half, in this order:
roasted peppers
red onion, thinly sliced
spinach
few bits of basil
capers (if you're getting fancy)

Put the other half of your bread on top, stand back, and marvel at the yumminess. Slice a few hunks off for your meal and save the rest in the fridge, wrapped in tin foil.

(recipe adapted from Barefoot Contess, pretty photo taken from here, since mine turned out like this):

Cookin' for Buddha

The next 11 days of my life will be devoted to vegan cooking for Ewam, the Buddhist sangha just outside Missoula. The hours are long but the people are super friendly, and the food is gonna be awesome. Check out my menu (because it's all I'm really thinking/talking about):

Day 1:
Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches with Vegan Potato Salad
Carrot Ginger Soup

Day 2:
Thai Curry Noodles with Braised Chard
Split Pea Soup

Day 3:
Pumpkin Curry with Basmati Rice
Potato Leek Soup

Day 4:
Eggplant Chana Masala with Basmati Rice
Butternut Squash Soup

Day 5:
Veggie Burritos
Cuban Black Bean Soup

Day 6:
Mezze Plate with Hummus, Muhammara, and Baba Ganoush
Sweet Potato Lentil Stew

Day 7:
Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Borscht (beet soup from Ukraine)

Day 8:
Black Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
Tukpa Soup (brothy noodle soup from Tibet)

Day 9:
Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Peas
Red Lentil Artichoke Stew

Day 10:
Squash Enchiladas
Hungarian Mushroom Barley Soup

Day 11:
Curried Dahl with Basmati Rice
Miso Soup

Why so much soup? Apparently the Tibetan evening diet is rather sparse. A little bowl of soup, a hunk of bread and a blob of yogurt is about it. The afternoon meal is the largest of the day (and it is LARGE).

So, needless to say, the next 11 days here on The Uprising are going to be, um...recipe-centric. Pictures and how-to's will abound!

(pretty photo taken from here)

The Vegan Label

"Hi. Welcome to Great Harvest. What can I get for you?"

"Oh yes, hi. What kinds of bread do you have today?"

"Well, we've got Honey Wheat, Honey White, Dakota, and a whole lot of Pumpkin Swirl fresh from the oven," explained the unsuspecting salesperson.

"Huh. So they've got honey in them?"

"Yup! We try to stay away from white sugar," says the person behind the counter with pride.

"Oh, well...we're vegan," said the customer with a look of prideful, condescending disdain and waving her hand towards her family (which are, as it turns out, WAY cooler than the rest of us). "I guess you can't help us."

"I guess not. Have a nice day..." The salesperson blinks as stares after them, watching the customer turn her nose up at the rest of the world...la tee freakin' dah..."No way. Is she for real?"

Yes. Unfortunately, she is. And, most especially unfortunate, this bitch and her perky little posse aren't unique. They have fallen victim to a shitty part of feeding yourself well: Thinking you're better than everyone because you abuse the "vegan" label.

You know these people. They're the ones that make you think, "Goddammit! You make the rest of us look bad! You give ALL of us a bad name! YOU are the ones everyone complains about!" Like bikers who fly down the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road. Or people reading George R.R. Martin's amazing fantasy series while wearing a crushed red velvet cape, sipping on a Big Gulp full of Mountain Dew, and swatting at flies that congregate around their unwashed, stinky head. These people. These people piss me off.

To be honest with you, I struggled with the concept of calling this blog "The Vegan Uprising" because of this exact problem. The term "vegan," as a result of our lovely friend the bread-buyer and her snobbish antics, has become something of a merit badge. A word you can slap on your chest that shows the world, "Hey everyone! Look at me! I'm super awesome because I care about animals!" Much like those annoying we're-the-proud-parent-of-an-honor-student stickers, the vegan label makes its way into my life, upsetting me with its connotation, its deplorable meaning, its irritating consequences.

So, to put the record straight and to officially take the vegan label off the vegan table (ha!), I'm going to share something rather shocking...

Ready?

I DON'T DO THIS FOR THE ANIMALS.

Don't get me wrong...I love animals. They're amazing and special and no better or worse than us humans who are, in case you forgot, animals as well. But you should know that my reasons for being a vegan are entirely selfish: I simply don't eat things that make me feel shitty. And seriously, without that intrinsic motivation, those "damn my ass looks fine these days" thoughts, those negative bodily responses to destructive foods....I wouldn't be vegan.

To any of you who've seen or heard of people who simply wear the badge of veganism without any true motive behind it (other than to look cool): I'm sorry. That's not me. My label might read something like this:
The abused vegan label is bullshit. A guise. A facade. A reason to think you're awesome. You're not. You're an ass. You give all vegans a bad name.

And so, lady in Great Harvest gettin' up on your sassy horse over honey, you can take your pretentious attitude and well...shut up. For all vegans out there, I stand and say, "Hey YOU! Why don't you go play hide and GO FUCK YOURSELF?!?!"

Bean Boilin'

And speaking of saving money, we should all be boiling our own beans instead of buying them in cans. They taste better, have less waste, store easier, and will make you less farty. It's TRUE! Start by putting your dried beans (whatever type you want since they all cook the same way...these are garbanzos) in a big 'ol bowl:
Cover them with water...lots of water. Feel free to fill that baby up to the brim! As the beans absorb the moisture they will swell dramatically, sometimes emerging up from the water like some kind of freaky monster and then drying out. So, fill 'er up and leave the bowl to sit overnight. And no matter what anyone tells you, skipping this soaking step is NOT an option unless you want to send everyone running for the door with your toot gas.

When you're ready to boil these babies, dump out the soaking water and give them a quick rinse. Then, fill the pot back up with LOTS of water and throw it on the stove. Crank it up to high, but don't go too far away...

Eventually, your pot will start to look like this:
A giant head of fart foam has appeared. Skim this shit off. You may need to do it a few times, but you'll thank yourself.

Turn your burner down to medium high, add a bay leaf (again to lessen the tooty situation), and let the beans simmer for about 2 hours or until they're nice and tender. When they're ready, drain any excess water and start thinking about bean recipes. Look at all this bounty:
I see endless hummus in that pot...Fanfreakin'tastic. Any unused beans can be easily frozen for later use.

Sweet.

Today I Will Roast a Pumpkin

Is it me, or is canned pumpkin ridiculously expensive? I recently saw one for $3.99! Are you serious? And if you want organic...forget about it. But what's a girl to do? What's a pumpkin pie-loving, pumpkin bread french toast-making, generally gourd-addicted girl to do? Why, make homemade pumpkin puree, of course!

I'd never done this before, just to get that out of the way. I'd heard of those folk who said, "Just spend 50 cents a pound on a big 'ol pumpkin you'll have more puree than you'll know what to do with." But I always kinda treated that notion with the same "Yeah, right" attitude as I did homemade hummus, homemade bread, and homemade veggie patties..."Shyeah. That all sounds so easy," I'd think with sarcastic disdain. However, of course, I was being silly (as usual). These things are easy...and way-the-fuck-and-gone cheaper to do at home.

So...

Today, I will roast a pumpkin.

Start out with a nice lookin' punkin' that's not too big. And try to steer clear of the "jack-o-lantern" pumpkins...they don't taste as good. Here's my behemoth gourd (I spent 4 bucks on it):
Pretty, huh? Too bad it's about to get ugly...you'll see.

Take a SUPER sharp knife and *carefully* cut this dude in half. DON'T CUT YOUR FINGERS OFF! Squashes are notoriously difficult to cut through (that's why they last so long in storage...good tough skin) so seriously, sharpen your knife before you attempt this, ok? I don't want you to run up to me on the street with half your hand missing.

Cut it in half, going around the stem. Then scoop out the seeds and smooshy stuff and place your pumpkin halves cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. You may have to smash 'em a little, but just cram them on there...this is why you need a smallish pumpkin. Mine barely fit:
Throw that baby in the oven and let it rock n' roll for about a hour at 400 degrees or so. Err on the side of over-roasted in order to avoid problems removing the skin. You want them to look like this:
Blackened, deflated, sad in general. I told ya my pretty pumpkin was gonna get mussed up.

Now, let it cool. Seriously. Bandages on hands make Shelley a sad panda.

Later, pull the pumpkin flesh away from the skin (it should be real easy) and toss the chunks into a bowl. Your kitchen may look like a war zone:
Now, to blending! You want nice, smooth pumpkin for all your gourd-obsessed pursuits, so be patient with your blender. I found the pureeing process to work best on the lowest speed:
Pour your bountiful autumn yumminess into big freezer bags, being sure to squeeze out as much air as you can (air space leads to freezerburn, which leads to yucky). Label your bags if you're neurotic and toss 'em in the freezer:
I got 3 giant bags of pumpkin puree outta that 4-dollar thang! WOW!

I'm gonna make so much pie....

Exercise: The Ultimate Problem-Solver

The Uprising has been full of self-medication all summer long. Wanna feel better? Eat better. Wanna look better? EAT BETTER. But there's been one major item of business that I've intentionally skirted around for awhile simply because, well, people don't like to talk about it: exercise. If there's anything harder to change about any person than their diet, it's their exercise patterns or lackthereof...sedentary people use ALL KINDS of excuses to get away from workin' their precious bods into a sweat! I bet we could list 100 together, me and you smart-ass readers! Holy crap. It's a big problem.

But before we get into all that, and before I explain how I got my ass off the couch, I wanted to share something I found the other day. The Mayo Clinic recently re-vamped their list of 7 Benefits of Regular Exercise.

You know exercise is good for you, but did you know it did all THIS?

1. EXERCISE IMPROVES YOUR MOOD Go for a walk, a run, hit the gym, or bike to work and you might get the feeling that you've got the world by the tail. And, seriously...You kinda do.

2. EXERCISE COMBATS DISEASE Healthy bodies=death to diseases.

3. EXERCISE HELPS YOU MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT Tired of those love handles? Starting to see a little FUPA action? Pants gettin' a little tight? What about them arms...saggy?

4. EXERCISE BOOSTS YOUR ENERGY LEVEL Some people think this is wrong. They're silly.

5. EXERCISE PROMOTES BETTER SLEEP Falling into bed after a day of hiking might be the best thing ever, next to:

6. SEX! EXERCISE MAKES IT BETTER! An active bod is a sexy bod. Go jump in the sack.

7. EXERCISE IS FUN Get your pals together for a hike. Grab your man/lady friend and head out for a bike ride. Take your ipod and jam out for a few hours while the pavement flies by. Whatever! Super awesome!

WOWZA! More to come.

HAPPY 100!

What's better than making a cartoon 100 in Microsoft Paint? WRITING 100 BLOG POSTS!

This is awesome.

Vegan a Go-Go: Bellingham

Another episode of Vegan Travels with Shelley...

Bellingham is a whole helluva lot like Missoula, just a bit bigger. There are mountains, food-loving coffee-toting hippies, and a fabulous farmers market where I picked up the most amazing asian pear in all of existence (so amazing that I felt inspired to take this silly photo...and hope that my fruit didn't make a bid for freedom over the railing):
Stephanie and I had a great time walking around, yammering away about all kinds of things and basically re-affirming my notion that yes, Stephanie is the coolest girl in the world. One of those people who seems to have an innate sense of all things funky, she took me to a new vegan restaurant in Bellingham called Bloom.
The unassuming sign out front leads you into this hip little dive with paper menus, old green carpet, and two cute servers behind the counter asking, "Are you interested in eating here today?" Why yes, silly dude. We ARE! I got this:
The southwestern burrito. Chock full of spicy lentils, rice, avocados, and this creamy cashew cheese that was so frickin' good I could hardly stand it (I told ya cheese could be made out of nuts)!!! On the side was sumptuous cucumber dill sauce and a supposed "ranch" that tasted exactly the same...but no matter, because they were both delicious. See?
Om nom. Nom nom nom. After Stephanie and I wandered around her friend's farm for a few hours, feeding sheep and laughing and the chickens, we eventually made our way back to town and prepared to make an epic pizza feast! We bloomed yeast! We chopped broccoli! We drank wine! We ate our pizza like queens...DRUNKEN QUEENS!
It was Steph's idea to have broccoli on pizza...doesn't that look awesome? Be sure, it was. I also tried a new faux cheese for our pizzas and was resoundingly impressed. I'd been eyeing Daiya Vegan Cheese at the Good Food Store for awhile, slightly put off by the five-dollar-a-bag price tag. But, Bellingham was a place for indulgences, so I bought it...and will now be tempted forever. IT WAS SO GOOD.

The next morning, after a fabulous night spent geekin' out on the road atlas, chatting with her pal Michael, and turning down an invitation to a dance club in favor of the Irish pub and a glass of Guinness, we woke up kinda fuzzy-faced....but only a little. I hit the road and drove all the way back to Missoula, stopping in Seattle to pick up my husband and friends and to marvel at their fencing accomplishments. I ate my asian pear for breakfast:
And pizza leftovers:
And so ends another amazing trip in the company of amazing people...and vegan all the way!