Some things are worth sharing: 19 Signs you’ve been vegan too long
5 Foods to Help Against Spring Allergies
Allergies can really put a damper on a beautiful Spring day. Runny/stuffy noses do not go well with sundresses. There is no real cure for allergies and it seems like Claritin works less and less the more you use it. So here are some foods to help stop inflammation and tame your allergy symptoms to get you through the rainy months.
1. Turmeric
Turmeric contains Curcumin which is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Turmeric is easiest absorbed when eaten with fats, so feel free to eat with coconut milk for a curry, sautéed with oil in a stir fry, or sprinkled into guacamole.
2. Red Fruits
Fruits like grapes, berries, tomatoes, and apples are all great anti-inflammatory fruits that are rich in antioxidants. The vitamin C in these fruits is also helpful in giving your immune system a boost and acts as a natural antihistamine.
3. Red Tea (Rooibos)
Red tea is a smooth and mild caffeine-free tea that has been known to help with pollen allergies and rashes. Some say rooibos also helps control asthma and other respiratory ailments.
4. Nuts
Packed with Omega-3s and vitamin E, nuts help cut down on inflammation and relieve allergy symptoms.
5. Garlic and Onions
These stinky flavor boosters are packed full of Quercetin. This flavonoid also helps stop immune cells from releasing histamines, so get a breath mint and add a little extra garlic to your dinner!
cvezzo asked: What's your monthly food budget (and what general area do you live in, for context)?
Hey there, thanks for writing in!
I don’t have food sectioned off in to it’s own budget but I usually plan on spending $100* a week. Often times I don’t spend that much but I like to have a buffer.
I’ve lived in Delaware, Chicago, and Barcelona on this budget and currently live in Los Angeles.
**The $100 includes drinks, shampoo, clothes, parking, toilet paper, basically any time I spend any money on daily living.
Not included: gas, rent, electric etc.
Edible Street Art Changing the Landscape of Low-income Neighborhoods
In this TED talk Ron Finley, a renegade gardener in South Central LA, explains how he’s impacting his community via gardening. Finley uses gardening as an artistic statement against the current food system and how it is effecting low income communities.
“South Central LA. Home of the drive through and the drive by. Funny thing is, the drive thrus are killing more people than the drive bys.”
Finely takes great concern in the quality of health in his community and others like it. While his gardens are definitely statements of rebellion and empowerment, they are also actually feeding people! They motivate his neighbors to invest in their community and their health. He encourages kids to work on these gardens to help keep them off the street and to teach them good eating habits. In return the gardens help beautify these neighborhoods, turning vacant lots into works of edible art.
To get involved visit http://lagreengrounds.org/
The Cheap Vegan Vegetable Garden
I recently started my first ever vegetable garden. My dad had always grown vegetables but I usually just enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Now that I’m living in LA I want to take advantage of the sun and grow some greens of my own.
Since I’m in the city, we don’t have garden space in my apartment complex. I asked my landlord if I could put a planter out and he happily agreed. He even helped me build it!
To build a planter you need treated wood (to keep bugs from eating it) and some long nails that are really hard to hammer in… I wish I could say that I was a great builder and I did it all on my own, but without help I probably would have just ended up buying a bunch of pots and laying them in a row on a shelf.
Once I had the planter, I filled it with dirt and an organic alternative to Miracle Grow (ask the people at the nursery for a suggestion).
CHEAP VEGAN WARNING: Don’t be too cheap of a vegan, refrain from getting free dirt on Craig’s List as tempting as free dirt sounds (does free dirt only sound tempting to me?) The problem with free dirt is you don’t know what seeds or plant diseases are already in it, you could be using dirt full of weeds and you’ll only know once you are already too invested to start over.
Next, you need to pick out some plants. This will depend on the time of year you are planting, the climate you live in, and the size of your garden. For example, my dad suggested that I get some carrot seed and sprinkle it around the garden. That would be a great idea in Spring time on the East coast, but not in LA. Be sure to ask your garden supply store what works best in your climate. If you go to a good local nursery the guys there are sure to be a rich source of information, talk to them!
In LA, this time of year, in a planter, these were the plants I decided to grow:
- Tomatoes
- Basil
- Orange Wax Peppers (seeds)
- Purple Basil
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Bush Beans (like green beans)
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant (seeds)
- Cilantro
There is some science to plant placement. Some plants do better/worse planted next to each other. This is called “companion planting”. Basil and Tomato for example work well together. The basil deters certain bugs from eating the tomato plant.
Here is a chart of some good and bad companion plants.
I’ll be keeping you posted on how the garden grows and the tricks and tips I learn along the way.
Cheap and Easy Homemade Salsa!
Because People Like to say, “Salsa”
Buying salsa kills me. For a simple mix of onion and tomato it costs $3.50. This measly 15.5oz jar lasts about 10 minutes, 5 minutes if I share it with friends. Plus! That’s not even the good salsa! I’m just talking the run of the mill Tostido nonsense you get at the 711!
I never thought I could master the art of salsa so I begrudgingly complied to the salsa injustice I faced. That is until I went to Spain. In Spain, Mexican food basically does not exist. I know, I know, they’re Spanish! Shouldn’t they eat exactly like Mexicans?! No. Unfortunately, there is nothing about Spanish cuisine that even comes close to Mexican.
Like all globalized nations, they do have Mexican food. But frankly, it’s awful and it costs double the price of the same products you’d find in the states. So my little 15.5oz Tostido jar of salsa turned into an even smaller jar for $2 more and an even worse flavor!
No thankyou.
So I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and my little kitchen in Barcelona was the birth place of Cheap Vegan Salsa. It has been a while since I talked salsa on here so I decided to re-share my recipe with you.
But first, recognize that no two home made salsas are identical and you can be as creative with this recipe as you like. Want to add Garlic? Mango? Black beans? Jalepenos?! Go for it! I’m providing the cheapest salsa building blocks, it’s up to you to make it your own.
Cheap Vegan Salsa
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes - $1
(fresh tomatoes blended are even better) - 1 green bell pepper - $0.35
- 1/2 large onion - $0.20
- 1/4 lime - $0.10
- 5-10 cilantro leaves - free from your herb garden
(a $3 cilantro plant is an investment, it will last as long as you water it) - salt
- Pour crushed tomatoes into a jar.
- Dice the onion and green pepper and put them in the jar as well.
- Rip up the cilantro leaves and throw them in too.
- Squeeze lime on top.
- Salt to taste, I think the salsa in this photo probably had 1-2 tsp
- Let salsa sit in fridge overnight.
You can eat it right away but it will improve the longer it sits.
There you have it! 2 and a half times the salsa for under $2!
Justin Timberlake - Bring it on Down to Veganville!
This is awesome! SNL used a really well known skit to send a message that was pro-vegan. I can’t believe it! What a big step in a great direction.
Food Trucks!
Cheap Vegan Food on the Road! Pun Intended.
I just completed my cross country road trip and have now made it to sunny Los Angeles! On the way I have had a lot of interesting, delicious, and fun vegan eating experiences. I’ve found that one of the best places to find cheap road food is by seeking out local food trucks.
Food trucks are a great way to get a taste of local flavor or to try a new foodie trend for half the price. Because food trucks don’t have to pay the costs of a brick and mortar restaurant, they have a little more flexibility in offering great food for cheap. Making these trucks great for cheap vegans in a bind.
Support your local food trucks!
In a world full of Red Lobsters, Outbacks, and Olive Gardens, it’s important to support the local maverick chefs who put their neck out to follow their dream of providing imaginative dishes that cater to our lifestyles as conscious consumers.
In New Orleans I came across a couple with just this mission in mind. Fat Falafel (photo above) is a local NOLA food truck that serves a menu that consists mostly of falafel dishes and french fries (with the most amazing vegan aioli I’ve ever had)
Theresa Galli and Gavin Cady, CEOs of the Fat Falafel Food truck, strive to provide sustainable meals that happen to cater to the vegan diet. From the frier oil to the packaging, Fat Falafel, and many other food trucks on the road, strive to reduce their ecological footprint. By setting these standards for themselves, they set a grass roots example of the positive trends rising up in the food industry.
Don’t know how to find food trucks? Roaming Hunger (www.roaminghunger.com) is an app that helps you find these food trucks roaming around in your area. You can also use the site for catering or to start your own food truck.
A Lecture by Dr. Greger
I thought I posted this video a long time ago but realized it never made it up there. Although this video is about an hour long, it is one of the most informative and important videos that anyone who is mortal will be interested in. The source is credible, and the lecture will leave you thinking totally differently about the Standard American Diet.
(side note: I’m currently on another road trip and will be posting much more sporadically. In the mean time, please enjoy the Cheap Vegan archive!)
