"Vintage" Vegan MoFo Survey

Kelly posted this Vegan MoFo survey from 2007 today, and I while I'm not a MoFo'er, I love a good survey. Sure, it's lazy writing, but it's also fun writing. And fun reading. I for one love to read through writers' lists of quirky things about them, favorite food trends, whatever. Also, lists let me pretend I'm an organized person. (I'm so not.)

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

I love Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla for almost everything: baking, in coffee, on homemade granola, with cookies... Just don't make pasta Florentine with it. Vanilla + spinach = not so much.

Westley and Rob are big fans of Silk Very Vanilla soy milk, which is a little too candy-bar-in-a-cup for me.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?

Two of them are for Westley's preschool snack! My first day as Snack Parent is the Friday before Halloween, and I want to gluten-free up the pumpkin muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance, and make (a mild version of) Susan's Spooky Black Bean Hummus. I'm also loving the 40-Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli from Appetite for Reduction, and will certainly be making that again soon.

40-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli Leftovers

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?

Joanna's vegan Parmesan from Yellow Rose Recipes!

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

Two spring immediately to mind. When Rob and I were newly married, I made a batch of chocolate-chocolate chip cookies on a sheet pan that had recently baked okara "crab" cakes. Not only did the cookies not bake properly—burnt on the edges but doughy in the middle—they tasted distinctly fishy. Oh! And they stuck to the pan (which was a wedding gift) so fiercely that I elected to throw it away rather than attempting to clean it! Also, I made a a soapy stir-fry in a wok that didn't get well-rinsed. Ugh.

5. Favorite pickled item?

This varies depending on my mood (or maybe it's the phase of the moon), but I once surprised Rob by eating about 37 cloves of picked garlic. In my defense, we were on vacation in Monterey, CA, which is only about 40 miles from Gilroy.

6. How do you organize your recipes?

Organize? My recipes?

I used to have a three-ring binder full of print-outs. Now I just flounder around, wondering, "Where did I find that great red cabbage salad again?" Also, I do a lot of my cooking from a small shelf-full of cookbooks.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?

Giant yard waste bin! Thanks, City of Kirkland!

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?

I posed this to Rob, who asks, "Do I have to worry about keeping myself alive?" Avocados, potatoes, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?

Oh, there are so many! My mother was (is!) a tremendous cook and always made beautiful meals on no budget to speak of. I loved Thanksgiving dinner growing up, and also my birthday cake which, for as long as I can remember, was a strawberry shortcake with the sweetest, fluffiest whipped cream icing you can imagine. And I was just waxing nostalgic about my family's occasional nights out at the diner, when we'd hold out for the big, round booth in the corner order decadent breakfast foods for dinner.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?

I'm not a big ice cream fan, but Coconut Bliss is aptly named.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance.

Rice cooker. Or immersion blender, which is total genius!

12. Spice/herb you would die without?

Oregano.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?

No idea. It probably belonged to my mother. My first vegan cookbook was Vegan with a Vengeance.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

Lingonberry!

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?

Cookies.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

Officially, none of the above, as all three cause inflammation in my system. Sensitivities aside, seitan—but perhaps I just say that because it's been so long. (I miss you, seitan baby!)

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?

I love any meal that basically goes, "Combine ingredients pan, throw it in the oven, wait an hour, eat dinner."

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?

My continuous-brew kombucha system! Also some art (tattoo inspirations, Westley's preschool art) and a glass vase with my designated gluten-free wooden spoon and spatulas.

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

Edamame, Trader Joe's veggie dumplings, and Coconut Bliss.

20. What’s on your grocery list?

All kinds of stuff! I need to buy Halloween treats for the preschool kids, pumpkin for my pumpkin muffin project, fresh veggies, fruit, gluten-free pasta...basically all our food for the week and then some.

21. Favorite grocery store?

Vicente Foods. I miss it so!

22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.

Martha Stewart's Lemon Tart.

But it would mostly be a "stunt veganization." With the sweet pastry shell, that's 12 large egg yolks, people! Twelve!!! Plus another six large eggs. And don't forget the creme fraiche!

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it every day). Or maybe the top 3?

I don't read a whole lot of food blogs, though I'm branching out. I do adore Joanna Vaught, FatFree Vegan Kitchen, and Your Vegan Mom.

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?

Go Max Go's Jokerz. I certainly didn't eat two of them on my plane-ride home from vacation this summer.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?

I'm on a tight budget (that I suck at sticking to), so things like store-bought bread and vegan cheese seem extravagant to me. I just bought a bagful of things at Sidecar for Pigs Peace, where the prices are a little higher but I so love to support small, local business. And everyone there is so lovely to me and my sometimes cranky, grabby kid.

(And how much does it hurt my heart that buying from a small, local business feels "extravagant"? Oof!)

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