"Happy Clam" Chowder Day!

New England Can Kiss My Clam Chowder from Going Vegan, photo by Celine Steen

In honor of National Clam Chowder Day I thought I would share my recipe for a truly "Happy Clam" Chowder which is featured in Going Vegan, which I co-wrote with Gerrie Lynn Adams.  No clams were harmed in the making of this chowder, yet this hearty soup is full of all of the seafood-y flavor one would expect from this classic soup.  If you want to get extra fancy, make up a batch of my virtually indestructable bread bowls to serve it up.

And in honor of the clams, I am giving away a copy of Going Vegan to one reader anywhere in the world.  Simply follow the prompts in the widget at the end of this post.

The Engine 2 Challenge Week 4: It's Over and I am a Little Afraid

Last night marked the end of the 28 day Engine 2 Challenge. I was the only participant still standing after the first week, but I powered on, with the support and encouragement of people who were following along with me here on the blog, on Instagram, and on Facebook.  So now what?  Do I start another 28 day challenge?  Do I go back to the way things were before I took the challenge?  I'm not quite sure yet.

I become obsessed when it comes to stuff like this.  If I decided I wanted to eat this way for the rest of my life, I could.  But do I?  Not really.  The thought of never having deep fried Toffalo Wings drenched in melted buttery buffalo sauce dipped in creamy ranch really freaks me out.  Much in the same way an alcoholic must feel when they decide to give up alcohol, I have an obsessive and unhealthy relationship with food.  (Which makes my career choice as a food blogger and cookbook author a pretty difficult one.)

The Engine 2 Challenge Week 3: Making Lasting Lifestyle Changes

Let's just start this post off with a huge thanks to Rip Esselstyn himself.  He is touring the country and making lots of stops.  I was lucky enough to catch his appearance at the Whole Foods Market in Huntington Beach on Tuesday, earlier this week.

I have to admit, the crowd that was there, was pretty difficult.  I mean, like hecklers at a comedy show, there were people arguing every point he made.  "But what about raw milk?" "What's wrong with lean meat?" "What about the specific vitamins you can get from bison and not anywhere else?"  I mean, seriously?  Why would anyone come to a lecture and appearance by a VEGAN, PLANT STRONG, lifestyle promoter and ruin it for the rest of us trying to get and stay inspired on what is a very difficult journey for many.

Week 2 of Engine 2: I think I'm getting the hang of this

Time to get real. I honestly thought I would have given up on this challenge by now.  I mean, seriously, it just about goes against everything I ever talk about, and the new followers I have on instagram are all of the "healthy" variety.  Ha!  It's definitely not like I am anti-healthy or anything.  I mean not really.

Maybe it's that I never was able to put that much focus on healthy eating because I was always focused on "yummy" vegan eats.  Vegan eats are my main form of activism.  I feed people delicious vegan food. And people see that vegan food is "normal" food with flavors they are familiar with. And then people say things like, "Oh my god, you can still eat this? Maybe I will go vegan!"  (Well that's how I hope they respond, anyway.)  So, cooking for health, and eating my medicine were never very high on my priority list. 

Surviving (and Thriving!) on the Engine 2 Challenge

Yes, you read that title right. Me, Joni Marie Newman, am on the Engine 2 Diet...for 28 days, at least. You see, when you are a cookbook author, you cook a lot of food.  Way more food than should ever be cooked in a household of two. Especially when one of those two has the dietary habits of a six year old and won't touch anything with onions or mushrooms in it, and God forbid if it's spicy.  So yeah, I cook way too much food, and therefore eat way too much food.  And while I like to think I cook somewhat healthfully, the truth is, I cook to make it taste good first and foremost.  

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible

I remember my first year of college.  Going into the bookstore to buy my textbooks, and bringing them home thinking, "Oh my god. These books are huge. There is so much information here. There is no way I am ever going to get through it all."  But I did.  I still have all of my college textbooks.  And every now and again, I find myself returning to those texts as a reference.

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible by Karen Page is the textbook I'd imagine would be passed out on the first day of class in a plant based cooking school.  I mean it's huge! 554 pages of hardcovered glory, complete with a ribbon page marker.  This book is definitely a reference text.

When it arrived in the mail from the publishers for review, I was flipping through the pages, thinking, "Whoa. She ain't messing atound!" And she isn't.  Karen Page has an entry for everything in this encyclopedic style text.  It's quite an undertaking.  Almost unbelievable how much work must have went into creating such a tome.

Gift-ivism Season is Upon Us! (A Vegan Food Gifts Giveaway)

Photo by Celine Steen

Gift-ivism
gif·tiv·ism ˈgif tə vizəmˈ
noun: the policy or action of using vigorous gift giving to bring about political or social change. In the case of vegan food gifts, to prove vegan foods can be delicious and fun, and that it is not necessary to kill or torture another living being in order to make a tasty meal or treat.

It's that time of year. The time where we are faced with buying, making, or in any case, giving gifts. I remember being a kid and absolutely thinking how wonderful it was to have a big family, because I got so many presents!  I mean, with divorced parents, I had two families, which meant I had two Christmases! (What's plural for Christmas?) The first year I celebrated Christmas as an adult, living in my own apartment, I had a complete emotional breakdown, because it wasn't until then, had I realized how hard it was on everyone to give so many gifts.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
This bad boy has been in my repertoire for ages, and it never disappoints.  Creamy and pumpkin-y and autumn-y and cinnamon-y and nutmeg-y. It has all of the goodness that is required of a dessert worthy of a holiday feast.  Oh, and it's mega easy to make, to boot. (Oh, and hey, if you use a gluten free crust, this one is totally easy to make gluten free.)

A Vegan Thanksgiving Feast in Under an Hour?

Maybe you are the only vegan in the household this Thanksgiving?  Maybe this is your first year hosting a Thanksgiving in your home?  Maybe you aren't so surefooted in the kitchen and are nervous about pulling off the perfect meal?  Or maybe you have to work Thanksgiving day (like me!) and can't figure out how you are ever going to be able to make a full on vegan feast after a full day at work? I give you a Vegan Thanksgiving Feast ready in under an hour!  

I did a trial run last night to make sure that it still tasted home made, because a lot of this meal is made from a package.  But guess what?  This semi-homemade feast had all of the flavors and practically none of the fuss of a scratch-made Thanksgiving.

So what do you need to make a full on vegan Thanksgiving meal in under an hour?

Veg Subs 2 Sneak Peek: Potacos!

Potacos! Photo by Celine Steen (from The Complete Guide to Even More Vegan Food Substitutions)

You asked, and I listened.  Narrowly beating out Cheese Ball, Potacos was voted the most wanted sneak peak recipe from The Complete Guide to EVEN MORE Vegan Food Substitutions by the always amazing Celine Steen and me. (Now available for pre-order!)