i like to be prepared

my regular vegan chocolate go-to is kroger valu brand chocolate chips. they're $1.15 a bag. but when i feel kind of fancy i like either one of these chocolates: ghirardelli twilight intense dark chocolate or green & black organic dark chocolate. both are accidentally vegan and a little pricey, but my awesome spouse is the coupon king and we can get a good deal on them every now and then. they both are so rich with dark chocolate goodness, they have that fruity-dark-sweet taste i like so much out of a good quality chocolate. i like to be prepared and make sure i always have chocolate on hand. i know that's an awful cliche, but it's so true. i have to have a little bit every day.

another thing i need to get ready for is passover. it's just around the corner. for 8 days i'm not supposed to have any of the following grains: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats. this year i really want to do things right eating wise and not have kitniyot-(means 'little things' and includes corn, rice, and BEANS). what the hell is a vegan supposed to do without soy and other kinds of beans?

since most of you faithful readers are vegan, you know what it a pain in the ass it is to read labels for animal products. now imagine having to increase the effort to look for those extra ingredients. why am i doing this again? oh yeah, to remember my people were slaves in egypt. sometimes i feel like i'm a slave to the details instead of remembering what is truly important about the holy-day. but ah, i digress. this ain't no jewish blog. it's a food blog. if you're curious about the details, veg family has a really nice article about does vegan=kosher right here.

most people assume being vegan means kosher, but it doesn't. the laws of kashrut are complex, baffling, and at times pretty stupid. when meat is labeled as "kosher" there is a claim that the animal was killed in a humane manner, which we all know isn't true. what about the conditions for the employees? not much different. Agriprocessors, the biggest kosher meat plant in the US recently declared bankruptcy after being charged with hiring 389 illegal immigrants. kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth, eh?

coming up next: pictures from a vegan oneg, featuring CCV's s'more muffins.

the belle of the ball

ever go to a potluck and get jealous because your dish wasn't the hit? this simple dish was the belle of the ball at february's vegan potluck at boxcar books. it was the first time i went, so i was a little nervous about meeting people i didn't really know and thought i was a bit too chatty. the dinner was held late in the evening during enzo's prime-time witching hour, so he had a melt-down five minutes prior to us leaving. even though i analyzed my behavior all the way home, i decided that i'll still go back because i need to have live interface with other vegans.

i brought my tried and true mujadara-(i did sub millet for rice and fava beans for lentils, and it worked out great!), and there was some gluten free pasta dish with marinara sauce. i took pictures of everything, but this was the only photo that turned out well. pictured above is an awesome vegan bruchetta: french bread topped with pureed white beans, olive oil, oregano, garlic, sea salt, and topped with luscious tomato and basil slices. the guy that made it said he had it done in 30 minutes. there's something to be said about simplicity.

the potluck is a monthly event and is sponsored by deep roots animal sanctuary.

at this very moment, s'mores muffins are cooling in the kitchen. pictures will be posted this weekend. i sampled one and i must say they are awesome. chocolate covered katie is having a chocolate giveaway. anyone who mentions her contest or tries one of her recipes and blogs about it, gets entered. i'm all about the free stuff!

...and you will bring them aboard the ark, two by two!

i know it's a stretch, but i often entertain myself with wondering what would happen if the stories in the bible were really real, especially the flood. it's such a phenomenal story. now imagine if noah had brought two big 'ol honkin' loaves of bianca's sweet potato bread along for the adventure. we'd have some very satisfied holy peeps.

since this is a test recipe, i can't reveal the ingredients other than the obvious sweet potato. lemme just tell you this: the bread is nice and cakey, and would most def make awesome muffins. you could probably top the muffins with a cream cheez icing and pass them off as cupcakes. delish. my toddler son won't touch a veggie to save his life-(and don't get me started on how sad this fact makes me), happily scarfed down this bread.

now that, is a miracle of biblical proportions.