It’s a new year! I’m here for 2012 so that’s already a start I’m thankful for.

2011 was a good year for me: took a new job, moved to a new city, made some new friends, learned a lot, and apparently posted 270 times. As far as the resolutions I set down 365 days ago, I fared pretty well…of course, I didn’t resolve anything like, to lose 10 pounds, so maybe I let myself off easy.

The funniest thing about the year was how the word “vegan” moved to the forefront of my vocabulary. In certain social settings, I just say “I’m vegan” because it makes things easier. I still consider myself vegetarian, though, for reasons I plan to expand upon in the coming weeks; but I’ve embraced the degree, though it is still negotiable, of simplicity that comes with something labeled “vegan.” If it’s vegan, it has to be vegetarian (we’ll leave the fraternization issue off the table for the moment).

As I’ve explored NYC, I’ve been lucky enough to have some of my family roam with me. We took on the Brooklyn Bridge, the Guggenheim, the Museum of the Moving Image, Central Park, Prospect Park, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Smorgasburg, Brooklyn Brewery and other stops on the streets and avenues in between.

Along the way, of course, we had many amazing veg*n eats. Sitting Christmas Eve talking with my dad, he constantly marvels (true story) at the things I eat…and have inevitably made him eat. You think veggies are simple until you watch a grown man stare down a menu like it’s in a foreign language (“What’s edamame?”) or suspiciously eye a piece of bok choy. It’s a learning process.

Despite wallowing that he didn’t think he’d done a good job; he hadn’t know what to get me for Christmas, I was pleasantly surprised to open up the wrapping to a copy of Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I’m pretty multifaceted; I’m not just a veg*n, but I enjoyed seeing that our ventures had sunk in.

Oddly, this book had actually been available to me at one of my local libraries and I’d passed it over a few years ago cause I wasn’t vegan. (Vegan was too extreme. ‘Those people are crazy,’ I’m pretty sure I said. LOL!) Also, it has fewer pictures and wasn’t as used to the vocabulary.

I think Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World was my gateway, though I don’t even remember how I got hip to it. (However, I suspect I was probably looking in my library system for “vegetarian” and the title attracted me…not to mention the pictures.) Looking at the book with my 2011 eyes, the recipes in Vegan with a Vengeance sounded yummy, like Jerk Seitan or Lemon Corn Waffles with Blueberry Sauce. Experience has taught me I like these things. I even got a little giddy at the Fauxstess Cupcakes. ‘I can so make those,’ I thought.

So I’m starting my year pretty thankful to be where I am and hopeful. Bring on the 2012. “I ain’t here for a long time. I’m here for a good time.”

2012 Resolutions:

• Finish a half marathon…I’m not looking to get too crazy or anything.

• Donate blood…It’s not the needle so much anymore; I’ve passed out from the amount taken during routine medical tests, but I’ve always wanted to donate, so we’ll see.
• Embrace me…I know what this means…keep reading in 2012 and you’ll learn what this means.

Wishing my friends and family a happy year.

So, I’m not a priss who always eats out. It’s taken a little while to get acclimated up here in New York City, but I’ve been trying to get back into the kitchen…and prove I subsist on more than just cupcakes!

For years, every time I would make some veggie revision or crazy concoction, my mother would always tell me I could open up a restaurant. Oh, my mommy is wonderful.

So, it’s just before 2am here on the East Coast and I just rolled in from work…late nights at the office…I can sleep when I’m need…I guess. Anyway, sometime around 7pm I had the thought that maybe I should feed myself and, yeah, just never happened. Making a beeline for the fridge, my one thought was how I wished I’d gotten a chance to head to Whole Foods to pick up a pack of vegan cheese slices.

I don’t know about you but, growing up eating meat, easy as pie was it to through some deli meat and cheese slices and mustard on to some bread. My mom always kept the cold cuts in stock…of course, she did work as a bookkeeper at a grocery store. Easy access. My dad always wanted them too. I remember him toasting up his bread. Funny how memories can be so tied to certain foods, like the holidays. Wow!

Anyway, all I wanted was to just toss myself together a sandwich but the thought of two pieces of bread and just some Lightlife Smart Deli Roasted Turkey Deli Slices wasn’t really spicing up my life. I really need to examine my fridge though. As I bent down to riffle through, there they were. An unopened pack of Galaxy Foods International Vegan Mozzarella slices. If my life was a movie, in the vain of Scott Pilgrim, the little plastic package would have had a glowing aura around it.

• 1 Maier’s Crustini Roll (180 calories)
• 2 slices Vegan Roasted Turkey slices (50 calories)
• 1 slice Vegan Cheese slice (40 calories)
• 1 squeeze of Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard (5 calories per 1 tsp)

I like to pop my sandwich in the microwave for about 15 to 30 seconds (not too long, so you don’t make the bread tough), just to get the cheese a little melty.

Some people don’t like the idea of eating mock meat. I admit, it’s weird sometimes. Especially considering how close some manufacturers are getting these; I worry a really crappy joke might be getting played on me. Sometimes, though, it’s just the strangest comfort to do something the same as it always was…only different.

Apparently I have a new adoration for pears. Yellow apples always top my list. Strawberries, cherries, kiwi, grapes…tried and true. On all my recent stops to the fruit stand, though, I’ve been picking up at least one pear.

Exhibit A: Pear and Pecan Muffin from Body & Soul (3/21/2011)

Monday morning, I took my own suggestion and popped by the Body & Soul stand in Union Square. After contemplating the choices, I ended up selecting the Gluten-Free Pear and Pecan Muffin. (I also picked up a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie, but that’s beside the point…and not with a high recommendation while we are on the subject.) I don’t tend to be a muffin girl. (It’s a caloric content thing, you know.) This is worth it, though. The pears give it a creaminess and the pecans lend it a crunch, altogether dismissing the idea that vegan muffins are all dense, grainy, and boring.

Exhibit B: Grilled Almond Butter with Maple and Pear Slices (3/25/2011)

Then yesterday morning I whipped up another Grilled Almond Butter with Maple sandwich, but this time I added ripe Bartlett Pear slices. The bread was crispy/crunchy; the almond butter was melty and coated the softened pear slices.

Exhibit C: An unexpected combination is always a fun experiment.

Way back in September/October I made…wait for it…Baby Brussel Sprouts and Apples and Pears. You can think I’m crazy, but I loved it!

Or it’ll just be obsolute.

I’m getting a weekend and I’ve got big plans. Moving to New York has been a whirlwind. I’ve never done anything as impulsive as this. Got a job offer, quit my other two, tossed a ton of stuff (by no means all my stuff though) into some bags and boxes and was on my way here in less than 36 hours.

I’ve been biding my time for chances to hop on my roomie’s (aka sister) laptop to post (without spellcheck or image editing tools) these last 2 weeks. This weekend I’m hoping to make all the construction updates I’ve been promising. Plus, I have so many new topics!

Although…I totally want to just go walking aimlessly, too! You just find things that way. One night I was on the subway home and I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop but the two were kind of animated and hard to ignore. I tried to mind my own damn business but then, all of a sudden, the word “Vegan” was spoken and my ears just perked up.

The girl was mentioning something about her shoes being vegan. The guy countered with something about the style being ironic. I hopped into the conversation but I couldn’t care less about how ironic her shoes were. They were cute…and vegan! And these two people (or maybe just the girl) were vegan! I tried to ask her about some good places to go but, as encounters in the city go, the doors opened for their stop. As she hopped of the car, she apologized for having to go and said, “Thank you for being vegan.” Funny that I’m not quite, though.

However, meeting her, even if only briefly, made me smile that night. Possibilities…

Not really one for going to the same place and getting the same thing, but sometimes it a necessity. The local Subway was pretty much the healthiest and most cost-effective meal choice whenever I would forget or be too busy to pack my lunch/dinner.

logo copyright Subway

Pretty much whenever I go, it’s a Veggie Delite Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing on the side. I ask for no cheese and pretty much every veggie. [The Veggie Delite traditionally comes as a hoagie, I just ask for it as a salad to save calories and get more veggies (Yummy!).]

When I went on Sunday, one of the woman had made my order and I was paying her at the register when a father and son came in. The other young lady behind the counter apparently knew the father didn’t eat meat, noted that aloud, then went to change her gloves. The father actually told her not to bother because he wasn’t one of those crazy vegetarians.

As a joke, I immediately raised my hand high and said, “I am,” because when I’m ordering I also make two other requests: for the maker to wear new gloves and to not even bother using a knife on anything. Just toss the veggies in the bowl.

It’s funny cause for a long time, when people would confuse me for being vegan, I would always reply, ‘Oh, no, I’m not vegan. They’re crazy.’ Now, I’ve run into so many problems with seemingly vegetarian items containing actual meat products, i.e. rennet, that I’ve taken a strong gleen to vegan items.

If you’re looking for other veggie options, since they offer different breads, sauces, and veggies, you can mix and match. If your area offers a Veggie Patty Hoagie, there’s another option.

What’s nice is that a $5 footlong is the same whether in New York City or a PA suburb. Whenever I do get a hoagie though, I request that they don’t use a knife that they may have cut a prepared sandwich with. That’s because one time someone used the same knife as they’d used to cut a tuna hoagie with, and then there were actual bits of tuna in my sandwich.

Recently I saw a commercial for a new sandwich of the month. It had meat on it, of course, but I wonder if Subway will have a sandwich of the month aimed at hardcore veggie lovers? Something creative…and meatless? Come on! You can do Subway!

Checking out the sites!

If you haven’t noticed a geographical shift in my postings, I’ll be upfront: I have recently (and VERY suddenly) dropped everything to move to New York City. No, I have not lost my mind (can’t lose what wasn’t really all there to begin with). I traded two jobs for one! Yeah me!

Everyday is a new experience…and opportunities are around every corner (note the emphasis cause I mean it). On your search for one thing, look around and you’ll add several more to your own Wishlist.

I’ll be back to Philadelphia occassionally, too; and I have a huge queue of Philly centric vegetarian and vegan topics, as well as more general articles to come. Plus, many of the troubles of our lifestyle choice exist whether in the city or suburb.

…And I’m still a Philly gal at heart.

Lula's Sweet Apothecary

So N.Y.C. Parte Deux is over…but I’m going back Sunday night for a few days! I had my highs…and lows. Going out to dinner, after I asked about rennet at a restaurant where the owner was supposed to be a strict vegetarian, my sister said that from now on they were only going to vegan places with me. But I’m going to sleep on a happy note. Fueled by veggies at…

More to come!

Probably got the French wrong, but no matter. I’m heading back to N.Y.C. in the morning for some sightseeing. Other than historical sites, I’m hoping to feast my eyes (and taste buds) on some vegan/vegetarian food. I leave you for now with some fun! Tofu the Vegan Zombie! Happy Friday!

Must have tofu and veggies!

I ate most of this yummy Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge Bar at my work station. Sweet mid-day meal replacement, albeit not the healthiest. (P.S. little nod to Philly, top left corner)

Just ate a big salad before running back to work cause I had nearly a whole 12oz Vegan Peanut Butter and Fudge Bar from my local Whole Foods.

The ingredients are peanut butter, vegan margarine, confectioner’s sugar, chocolate, and soymilk. Man I wish they had the calorie counts on their prepared foods so I could know how much I’m eating. (But I’d still eat it anyway!)

If your Whole Foods doesn’t make this sweet treat, request that they do. They are really good. And if you don’t have a Whole Foods around, here’s a recipe for the bottom peanut butter part and a recipe for the chocolate part on top that are similar so you can make these bars at home. (Heck! Even though I can get these, I’ll probably try to make them too! Let me know how these recipes work out for you if you beat me to it though!)

[Note to self (and anyone who is actually reading this): I need to stop writing things as I'm running out the door. Or else I end up doing things like using the word 'mayo' when I mean margarine. Ha! It has been corrected.]