All About Vegan Mac & Cheese

Guilty. I've always loved Mac and cheese. And this is probably my 5th post about it. But, I do have 2 great finds to report for my fellow mac-and-cheese-heads. So, without further ado:

Number 1: Leahey's Vegan Cheese Sauce Mix

I read about this stuff on another blog, Vegan Incognito, and decided to give it a try. There's no limit to the ends I'll go to to find a good mac and cheese. So, I bought it mail order, it was back ordered, but I finally got it. And let me tell you, this stuff rocks! Is it the yumminess that Kraft has? No. But that's impossible.

This stuff was super easy to make. I just put the powder in a pan and mixed it with Rice Milk once my noodles were almost done cooking. It takes like 3 minutes. There's no powder poppin' either. The stuff just melts right away, and gets creamy fast. I tried a finger dip and I got excited. I poured it on my noodles and was delighted. It was creamy, yummy and easy. Two thumbs up.

Ok, next up.

2: Mac & Cheeza

I heard about this place on NPR. I think it was a show called "Good Food." The guy was going off on how good the stuff was, and all the toppings they had to go along with it. It drove me nuts. Then, he mentioned at the very end of the story that they had a vegan and gluten-free option. Wha-wha-what? I walked in that place's door within 3 days of hearing this. It's in downtown L.A. (and they have a Bakersfield location)

First things first. This place is a bit pricey. It's 10 bucks for the medium sized portion, which is big but it's also 10 bucks. There is a 5 dollar option. But the medium (Momma Mac as they call it) is worth every penny. I got the vegan cheese (regular noodle) with sauteed collard greens, and crushed toasted walnuts on top for crunch (included). I almost got the veggie sausage. Anyway, this place crushes any vegan mac and cheese there is. That's it. It's the best. Next time, I think I'm just gonna go straight up cheese. No nothing. Pure.

Review: Chipotle Vegan Meat

When I walked into Chipotle last week, I was surprised to see this sign:

I knew that they were testing it, but didn't expect to see it at the Woodland Hills location (near my office) this soon. Usually, I just get the veggie burrito which consists of black beans, rice, peppers and onions, guacamole and salsa. But, I wanted to support Chipotle's decision to have a vegan meat option. I figure at  this point it's still in the testing phase, and will get killed if not enough people buy it.

Well, for all I care they can get rid of it. I'm sticking with my veggie version. Overall, I'm not a huge fan of fake meats. But this stuff was just weird. It's small little rectangles, pretty chewy and almost flavorless. It must be highly processed so nutritionally it's not doing much for me either.

I say, try it if you want. I've read some people love it. It's just not for me.

New vegan water bottle

I love my new tk: aro water bottle. It's about the cost of a Sigg bottle at $32, but far superior for a few reasons.

I used to have a Sigg, but I dropped it a few times, and it dented a bit. no big deal. But one day I happened to drop it and pour the water into a glass when I got home. There were little metal shreds in it from the inside of the bottle bending/cracking. No good in my book. Plus, they're super hard to clean. The mouth is so small. And I've left it upside down on my dish rack to dry for days and it never seems to get completely dry. That must breed bacteria.

So, when I was on one of my favorite sites, coolhunting, I found the tk: aro. Below is a picture of it, drained, on my desk.

It just looks bad ass for one thing. That counts in my book. But, it has many advantages. For one thing, it's a glass. So, there's no metallic taste or worries of plastic ingestion from traditional water bottles. The mouth is wide like a drinking glass so it's easy to clean. And the thing is about 80% metal once the top is screwed on. The bottom is thick like a wine bottle, so it's pretty darn durable. Drawbacks? I won't be taking this thing on a hike.

Lastly, and very importantly, it's made of recyclable materials: metal and glass. And vegan.

Vegan consequences: New jeans

Since going vegan, I've lost a few inches in my waist. I was not (and am not) interested in losing weight. In fact, I'd like to build more lean muscle mass. But, apparently, it was inevitable. So, I've dropped from a 33"/32" to a 30"/32"

Thankfully Marshall's was stacked with jeans in my size! So I picked up 2 pair for $50, and another pair of Levi's from Target for $30. I don't know if I just got lucky, or if my new size is uncommon. I hope so! My old size was so common they were the first to sell out. Now, if I can only get my feet to shrink or grow by a size I'd solve my shoe problem, too.

Bestest, fastest vegan breakfast ever

When I have this breakfast in the morning, my day is always better. I feel it when I walk down the hallways at work. I'm a bit lighter, quicker, happier. It gets me excited and wakes me up in the morning faster. It's almost like a shot of coffee. But whereas coffee used to wear me down eventually and dehydrate me, this drink and bread nourish and hydrate me. I don't ingest caffeine at all, and I haven't for a long time. I don't like my body or mood to be effected so drastically by a chemical that's not giving me any value.

Back to the breakfast. Green Drink. Toast. Earth Balance Spread. Simple as that. I pop the bread in the toaster, and make my drink while it's toasting. It's done before the toast, usually. My green drinks vary but a typical day's recipe would be:

3-4 medium size organic kale, stems cut out.
4-5 frozen mango pieces (or berries)
10 oz. Fortified rice milk
A splash of juice.
2 tbsp. ground flaxeed.
1 banana.

Follow my vegan adventures on Twitter!

Hello,

Since I now know my computer isn't coming back for at least a week, I'm going to be updating my Twitter feed a lot more than usual instead of blogging. Think of it as mini-blogging. Or twogging. Or bleeting. I keep it mostly veggie related. Anyway, check it out.

My laptop died

Sorry folks for not posting for a while. My laptop died a week ago and it's gonna be another week before I get it back, fixed. So, I'll have to give a brief rundown.

Bollocks. I ate cheese twice. Both times on pizza. And both times at the Delancey. (Yes, this is the place I said I was going to avoid since I was craving it.) The first time I was next door at a mexican place, and ended up at Delancey and sharing a pizza with a friend, and I gave myself permission. Then, it was kinda weird, but it started be down a slippery slope. I was craving it again and went just days later and ate another one. So, for reals, I'm avoiding this place now.

Apparently, for me, cheese really does have an addictive effect.

What else? I'm still lovin' my morning kale smoothies. I'm still eating a bunch of avocados and beans. I'm still loving how I feel. I feel better than ever.

That's all the time I have for now. More vegan adventures coming soon once I get my laptop back.