Wednesday, September 24, 2008

more vegan gems


sorry it's been a couple days, i've been sick. i don't even know what to call this cold: sore throat, throbbing headache that covers most of my head, achy, sweaty, and shivery. if you can come up with a cutesy name for said ailment, let me know. since i've become a parent i've been given the gift that keeps on giving...the flu of the month club, courtesy of my child attending day care. at any given time there is at least one child with a fountain of snot running from their nose and i shudder knowing that at some point enzo has handled something that they've handled.


since snot is gross and probably not vegan, i thought i would shift the talk back to the subject of this blog. i'd like to introduce a couple of vegan gems: the first one is the paw-paw. anyone here ever had one? it looks like a pear did it with a mango and tastes like a mango did it with a banana. the texture is reminiscent of an avocado, and apparently is indigenous to southern indiana where i live. there is a tree on the property where i work and a co-worker came in with one. it was delicious. i'm sure they cost an arm and a leg at the farmer's market.


the second gem is something y'all are probably familiar with--did you know that some store bought cake and frosting mixes are vegan? yup. i discovered this preparing for my son's first birthday party. i wish i could remember the brand name, but when making the vegan cake (recipe from PPK), and the non-vegan cake, i noticed all the ingredients were in the clear, and the only thing that made the cake not vegan was adding the eggs. now, i will say something you already know-just because something is vegan doesn't mean it's healthy. there are tons of saturated fats and chemicals in those store bought items, so i guess it would really depend on who you asked whether the item is vegan or not. i'd rather just eat the stuff that's homemade if you asked me. it's just nice to know that if i get a lazy hair up my bum i can conjure a chemical cake instead. i don't think chemicals=gems, but convenience (on occasion) is a little sparkly, wouldn't you agree?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of a paw paw, but I would jump at the chance to try one!

Bianca said...

That storebought frosting can be a lifesaver though. I was making my boyfriend's birthday cake at his apartment in Nashville (my place is 3 hours away in Memphis), and my Cherrybrook Kitchen frosting that I brought with me was NASTY!

Of course, he didn't have shortening or anything in his place, so I made a quick run to the grocery store for Duncan Hines chocolate frosting. It's totally vegan....totally trans-fatty. But vegan.

Hope you feel better soon!