Lemon Miso Salad Dressing

What I love about this salad dressing is its simplicity and that it's mega-lemon-y. And, so long as you already have these ingredients, it's SO EASY to make. You know how I love cooking endeavors that start with minimal effort and end with astronomical flavor (aka, lazy cooking!). 

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L e m o n  M i s o  S a l a d  D r e s s i n g 

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Ingredients

3 tsp yellow miso

juice of half a large lemon

2 TB tahini
1 TB mild-flavored oil, such as sunflower seed oil

1 TB rice vinegar (or less)

1 TB agave (or more)

1 TB Bragg's Amino Liquids (or use tamari)

ground ginger, a pinch

sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork or whisk. I also threw in some of the pulp from my lemon, for extra flavor bursts and added texture.

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Serving Ideas

Serve by tossing with your favorite green salad. I enjoyed mine tossed with a simple mix of romaine and grape tomatoes, topped with black beans.

Vegan Chicken Salad For Really Lazy People

The dog days of summer are starting here in LA. Honestly, I couldn't be more ready for them. Hot weather, DO. YOUR. THING. Why am I so excited about the insane heat, you ask? Well, I tend to run cold; I despise wearing long-sleeved shirts; and I weirdly like the challenge that comes with the heat - it's sort of like taking a Bikram yoga class...all the time.

(Actually, I've taken two Bikram yoga classes in my life, and, well, I'm not really sure those are for me. ;) I will say, though, that I would give Bikram another chance.)

Anyway, I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo lazy with cooking lately. I want to chop, like, nothing. Ingredient list longer than 5 items? No, thanks. Prep time is longer than...wait, there's PREP time? Pass. 

There has been a benefit to my laziness of late, however. That is, I'm so averse to even getting in my car to drive to the grocery store that I'm not spending extra cash on ingredients! So, I'm thrifty, too. Win-win.

And by the way, rather than "lazy," I prefer the phrase "energetically economical."

Okay no I don't.

Right, so without further ado...here is the recipe:

V e g a n  C h i c k e n  S a l a d  

F o r   

R e a l l y  L a z y  P e o p l e ! 

Alright, look, here's a forewarning: Given that this recipe was inspired by my laziness, it relies heavily on dried spices, which I just happen to collect in my kitchen cupboard. You can never go wrong with buying whatever dried spice is on sale, I say, but, I digress. Anyway, if you don't have all the dried spices, it's really okay. Don't knock yourself (and your wallet) out over it - just skip! I wrote viable substitutions where possible.

Ingredients:
Stuff you have to saute
1/2 a package (4 oz) of tempeh (I use Trader Joe's, which comes in an 8 oz pack)
2 TB peanut oil (or any oil that doesn't burn when you saute with it)

Stuff you have to chop
1/3 cup pickles, diced (use whatever kind you feel like - I used 3 Kosher sandwich slices)
1/3 cup onion, diced (use any kind - I used white because it was already in my fridge)

Stuff you have to mix
3 TB vegan mayo (I love the Follow Your Heart brand, called "Vegenaise" and I used the original)
1 TB (or less) mustard (I used the standard yellow mustard)
dried tumeric (enough to give it color)
dried dill (maybe like 1 tsp)
sea salt, to taste 
black pepper, to taste (I used the tricolor peppercorn from Trader Joe's)
fresh lemon juice (squeeze maybe 1 or 2 tsps' worth)
optional: some mustard seed (use more mustard if you don't have mustard seeds)
optional: a lot of celery seed (see, there was mold on my *real* celery, so I doubled up on celery seed - if you don't have celery seed, you can substitute 1/3 cup celery, diced)
totally optional: black sesame seeds, a couple sprinkles' worth (I only used this to see what it'd look like...totally skippable)

What To Do:
Heat the peanut oil slightly. Slowly crumble the tempeh into the pan and saute until most sides are golden-ish.

Mix all other ingredients together, adding the pickles and onion last. Add the tempeh. Stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve so that flavors combine.

Serving idea: This tastes great in a sandwich! Pictured is mine: vegan chicken salad on toasted sourdough bread, with big leafy romaine, chopped grape tomatoes, and sliced avocado. Mmmm-MMM!!!

Serving idea #2: Double the recipe if you want to make it for your family/roommates/etc. or if you want it to last a couple of days. I specifically made the recipe small because I am only cooking for moi!

10 of Your Favorite Splurge Foods Are Totally Vegan

Check it out, folks! Ten of our favorites are already vegan! 

Can you believe it? 

1. Spaghetti.  This beloved household staple is typically vegan. Box of pasta, jar of sauce.

Box of pasta, jar of sauce.

- say it with me -

Box of pasta, jar of sauce.
Box of pasta, jar of sauce.
Box of pasta, jar of sauce.
Box of pas -

taaaaa...aaand just like that, you have dinner. Boil water, add pasta, drain, add sauce, heat more...DONE.

Ninety-five percent of the time, the pasta you have to boil in water contains no eggs (unlike the already-cooked stuff you buy in the refrigerator section), and the vast majority of jarred red sauces contain no milk or cheese ingredients (unless, of course, you buy the one that says "cheese" in the title!).

2. French bread. Buy a whole baton of it. Yep, totally vegan. Want something familiar and delicious in which to dip said bread? Try the totally-incidentally-vegan combo of olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Potato chips.

4. Frozen French fries. They're are almost always vegan (potatoes, oil, and salt tend to be the main ingredients). Many times (really, most of the time), too, you can get French fries at a restaurant that just happen to be vegan. What would make them not vegan? If they're fried in animal lard, which is the case at SOME but definitely NOT ALL restaurants. Ask next time if you're curious!

5. Tortilla chips and salsa. There are some exceptions, such as, if you're eating at a very authentic Mexican restaurant, sometimes the tortilla chips are cooked in lard. Kind of same things as the French fries. You buy the bagged kind from the grocery store - almost always vegan (ingredients: corn, oil, salt). You get 'em out at a restaurant? Depends, so ask questions. Politely. Please.

6. Soft pretzels. The plain kind. Once in a while, they randomly throw milk in there, which is odd to me. I'm a native Philadelphian, and the REAL soft pretzels are akin to fresh French baguette (see above - ingredients: wheat, salt, maybe oil - simple). You buy them at a little street cart, which only enhances their effect. They're chewy, moist, decadent, and perfect for dipping into mustard, which leads me to...

7. Mustard. Okay, okay, I know it's not a super fancy or splurgy treat, but it goes with a lot of things that are treats, and...if we're talkin' your standard American yellow mustard, or your standard spicy Mustard (German or otherwise), it's almost always just a combo of mustard seed, vinegar, and salt. Now, honey mustard is a different story, as honey comes from bees, and technically what comes from an animal = not vegan. A lot of people just learning about veganism forget about the bees, but it's true, veganism accounts for the bees, too.

8. Water ice, aka Italian ice. Another Philadelphia favorite. Note: I'm only talking about the water/Italian ice, and not the water/Italian ice mixed with frozen custard. The latter = not vegan.

9. Chocolate nonpareils. I know. I was once just as amazed when I first found this out. And apparently "nonpareil," as I just learned, means "having no equal." Imagine that. Makes total sense, right?

10. Pickled pretty much anything. Pickled cucumbers (aka anything referred to as "pickles" in America, including Kosher Dill, Butter Pickles, Sandwich Pickles, etc. - although careful with the fried pickles, which although I agree are LOVE in a cripsy shell, you really do have to check on those to see if they're vegan), pickled carrots, Sour Kraut, Kombucha (just seein' if you were paying attention, lolz), peppers, relish (you still with me??), olives, tapenade, radishes, plums... the list goes on. And on. Especially if you live in a pickle-friendly country, such as Japan, where a major component of every traditional meal involves something pickled.

What about you? Discover some of your favorites that just happen to already be vegan? Share your example(s) in the comments!

On Dogs, Psychology, & Dog Psychology: foodchain on the Radio!

Adelaide sits on the therapy couch, recalling the events of her puppyhood.
"And how does that make you feel, Adelaide?"
"Hungry."

What does love mean in canine?

Last Wednesday, I was the special guest on Tanya Yarbrough's radio show, That Dog Training Show.

Don't worry if you missed it live! It's archived, so it's available for download any time! 

If you'd like to listen to this 30 minute show in which I discuss with Tanya my experience with human psychology; my experience with being a human companion to a dog (i.e., a "dog owner"); and my discovery of the similarities and differences between human psychology and dog psychology, then you should definitely check it out. If that link doesn't work, then go to the list of episodes and clink on the link for "Episode 06: 03/12/2014."

I speak from my personal experience, as well as my experience as a clinical psychologist (that's not licensed yet, but that's besides the point). 

Tanya is a Los Angeles-based, "mixed methods" dog trainer who's not only very well-informed (she's got a background in animal science plus tons of experience) but also SUPER hilarious. I highly recommend you listen to some of her other episodes while you're at it! 

You can follow That Dog Training Show on Facebook, too. 

Some info about the "treats" we give our dogs

Good information about the source of products contained in dog bones/treats/food...  Dog lovers, you'll want to know this before feeding your precious pup! 

http://goodnessgracioustreats.wordpress.com/tag/ims-pet-industries/

Support Vegan Fashion - Jewelry by foodchain!

Hello, chooseyourownfoodchain Readers.

Check out my latest jewelry designs:

If you see something you like but you want it personalized to your own style, know that I am always happy to custom-design a piece of jewelry for you that suits your specific aesthetic preferences! Just shoot me an email and we'll work together! 

email me--> chooseyourownfoodchain@gmail.com

Thanks,
foodchain

 

Back!

Good day, readers! It's been ever so long since I've posted and I'm glad to be back!

In the time between then and now, I've adopted a beautiful mixed-breed puppy, who I named Adelaide. She is my heart. She's also called to mind some interesting vegan-related issues, which I will share with you in the coming posts, in no particular order.

Me & Adelaide, on our way to hike at Griffith Park

Issue #1: Can dogs thrive - not just survive - but thrive on a vegan diet? 

In short, here is my opinion on vegan diets for dogs: I think there is a good chance, based on the reading I've done, that a dog can survive and thrive on a vegan diet, BUT I don't feel that deep-level certainty I feel about vegan diets for humans. I am absolutely without-a-doubt sure that humans can thrive like hell on a vegan diet, but I need more evidence (or maybe just a sign?) to feel that sure about veganism for dogs. Also, I really want to feel that sure about it for dogs, but I am trying to hold my bias. I want to know what other vegans with dogs (or anyone who's seriously considered feeding their dog a vegan diet) think about this, so please share in the comments!!! 

I've experimented with feeding Adelaide different sorts of vegan meals. I've never been able to find V-Dog in stores, but I've heard good things about that brand of vegan dog food. We've tried Natural Balance's vegan dry and wet foods, but it seems like it's not very nutritional - it's not "bad" per se, but doesn't have a lot of nutritionally rich ingredients, in my opinion.

This is v-dog, a vegan dog food that people tell me is awesome. I want to try it for Adelaide.

Recently, I saw something that gave a recommended ratio for a vegan meal for dogs: 2 parts high protein ingredients: 1 part green and/or orange vegetable: 1 part whole grain/oat. I can't remember the source, but that sounds reasonable to me.

Often, especially when I run low on store-bought doggie food, I will make up my own blend of store-bought food and one or more of the following "human" ingredients: brown rice, mashed up chickpeas, raw broccoli (she goes nuts for raw broccoli, it's funny), boiled carrots, baked apple pieces, parsley flakes, pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree from a can, quinoa, raw lettuce. I typically use store-bought food that contains meat, although once in a while I will leave meat out of the picture completely. For meat-containing commercial foods, lately I've been experimenting with Merrick's Puppy Formula, Pure Vita Chicken & Brown Rice, The Honest Kitchen's "Natural Dehydrated" food (just add water), and Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried raw meat patties. I don't feel super good about this, nor do I feel "more okay" with using meat that's said to be free range, raw, organic, or any of that other bullshit (also, not all of these brands make those claims, though some do). The reason I went for these specific brands was because they seem to contain less crap and more actual nutrient-containing ingredients.

A concoction of peas, brown rice, carrot, apple, and store-bought dog food that I recently made Adelaide. Doesn't look that appetizing, but she LOVED it.

Adelaide also loves peanut butter, bananas, and berries. I use these more as snack items because I read that it's best not to mix fruits in meals (something about digestion I think?). And peanut butter is just too much like crack for my dog, so I give it to her as a "high value" treat. For real, she gets like a power trip from certain types of treats. I've had to ban Kongs in my house for this reason. :)

Soooo sleepy... :)

Again, I want to know, what are your thoughts? Ideas? Stuff you've tried and seen good results or bad results? I'm interested in knowing as much as I can! Please share freely in the comments section below. :)