Pick up your free copy of The Mix this week for the special Bethlehem Vegfest feature!
Save the Kales! promotes veganism as an ethical, compassionate lifestyle and any and all suggestions made by me to be part of Vegfest as speakers or vendors are committed to this, too.
THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH
11am-6pm, Southside Bethlehem Greenway
(the linear park between 3rd and 4th Streets)
I was going to make a “Must See” list, but I think you guys can handle it. There will be plenty to see, listen to, watch and eat. Bring your family, bring your dogs. You can find the lineup of speakers and cooking demos HERE, and a list of every vendor HERE.
IN THE MEANTIME… Don’t miss the last few days of Vegfest Restaurant Week!
Cafe Santosha vegan meal
This gorgeous meal comes from Cafe Santosha, one of the most veg-friendly eateries in the ENTIRE Valley. The food always looks like art, and tastes like it too. Healthful and creative dishes are always on the menu. Check out their facebook pagefor photos and updates.
Description of dish (above): Mediterranean Quinoa and Lentil Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Capers, Lemon, and Parsley served over greens…. Chic Pea and Brown Rice Croquettes served over Sautéed Local Greens with Roasted Garlic and Lemon topped with a Roasted Red Pepper Tahini Sauce and a Basil Walnut Pesto…
Vegan Chocolate Cake served over Triple Berry Coulis. Also available gluten free! ($15)
and
other special vegan items in the LV this week at Jumbar’s, Tapas on Main, Yianni’s Taverna, Molly’s Irish Grille, and Sotto Santi Pizza is making vegan pizza all week!
You can find the WHOLE list of participating restaurants and their menus HERE, 13 in total. Happily, many of these places offer some/all of the selections year-round.
Starting in May, Save the Kales! will be airing as a half hour television show of the same name. We’ll be cooking in a beautiful “studio” kitchen. We’ll be traveling to different locations (most in or around the Lehigh Valley) to meet the people and tour the places bringing plant-based food, and sustainable and healthy living ideas to the masses.
Add in a mix of vintage thrift stores, farmer’s markets, animal sanctuaries, and more… and you get Save the Kales! Show. It will essentially be this blog in television format.
(Wow. Wow. I still can’t believe it.)
ADG Photography
A new episode will air every month, multiple times a month, on RCN Cable – and be stored in the “On Demand” files so you can tune in any time. We will also air commercials leading up to each new show… which means you could be watching HGTV and see a Save the Kales! commercial. Isn’t that crazy!?
Don’t have RCN cable? Fear not. After a week of airtime, all episodes will go online to live indefinitely. My mother would never allow me to make a show that she wouldn’t be able to view from home. 🙂
(I have spent a lot of time in these last two months worrying about what could go wrong: the inevitable anonymous mean passive aggressive comments, the “She’s not as good of a cook as so-and-so, why does she get this?” speculations, the general vulnerability that comes when you put yourself in a vulnerable place… I was going to write about all of these because I haven’t been able to think about this show without thinking about them.
But for now, I’ll leave them aside. This is too good to tarnish with worry and anxiety. Besides, there is a lesson in everything and even the “bad stuff” can be a great teacher. I continue to learn all the time.)
ADG Photography
And I also have more faith in it now (and in myself, and maybe that was the trickiest hurdle of all). My goal isn’t to pretend I’m the most inventive cook, or the most knowledgable about vegan living and issues…
My goal is: to make this lifestyle accessible to people. Especially those who don’t know anything about it and feel it’s too difficult, overwhelming, or expensive. It’s not any of those things, but I don’t just want to TELL people, I want to SHOW them.
And at the end of each episode, if I can provide some knowledge and ideas for eating delicious plant-based meals on a budget, and hopefully entertain and highlight the people and places doing positive things along the way, it will be a success.
And here’s the best part: In a year from now, we will have so much experience and so many episodes under our belt. Perhaps by then a major network will be willing to pick up a show like this in it’s roster of meat-centric programming. While that’s not my driving force, it would be a very Cinderella-magical outcome.
One thing I’ve learned about trying to imagine the future: you can’t. So work hard, smile, and see what happens.
I don’t know that I’ve ever been more nervous or excited for anything in my whole life. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
– – – – – – –
It would be impossible to talk about this show without mentioning Matt and Sarah of Lehigh Valley Mirror, my co-producers, directors, camera crew and editors. Lehigh Valley Mirror will also be airing as a half hour show starting in April, featuring independent and creative people and businesses in the LV.
Matt and Sarah, I could never possibly thank you enough for believing in me to invest your time, skills, and friendship. I’d lasso the moon for you both if I could. You are dreams-come-true to work with. Thank you.
It seems like 70% of my cooking these days is spent on various soups, stews and chilis. Don’t worry, if you live locally you can reap the benefits as I add more of this to my menu! (An updated one will come out very soon!)
Keep an eye out for the Pumpkin and Cinnamon Chili, and perhaps THIS?!:
Spicy Asian Soup with Veggies (baby bok choy among others!), fresh made tofu that is firm but silky smooth, fresh made noodles (no eggs!), topped with sprouts, cilantro, chili garlic paste and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. YES!!!!!
SPICY HEAVEN IN A BOWL.
On a completely unrelated note, I have to ask: What are some of your favorite movies that are PERFECT to watch in the Fall? This is serious as nights get longer and Sunday afternoons get snugglier.
I arrived home from Vegetarian Summerfest 2011 a changed woman. A better one.
Welcome to the family, we already love you as if we had you forever.
I am still processing and reflecting on everything that happened in the week, so until I can give you a proper update, let me share some good news: After watching several vita-mix demos per day at Summerfest, I decided to finally purchase one. These bad boys have a seven year warranty, and will make cooking for commercial occasions so much simpler. Plus, you know, I want smoothies.
So far today I’ve been eating all my food in liquid form. It’s too hot to chew things.
Breakfast
BREAKFAST was shared with Ryan. This smoothie included apple, pineapple, grapes, orange, cucumber and carrot. Tasty and filling. It also gave me a ton of energy – I’ve been cooking and cleaning like a domestic goddess and not until 2:15pm did I start to feel hungry!
Lunch on a hot day
So for LUNCH I made a green smoothie, heavier on the veggies. This included celery, cucumber, orange, romaine lettuce, spinach, avocado, cilantro and lemon. The color is so gorgeous I can’t stop staring at it, and being able to drink all these goodies in liquid form means it’s like giving yourself a shot of vitamins.
Last night I made an excellent dinner with the help of the vita-mix, and I am so excited about the nachos I think I’ll sell them at an event at the end of the month! (See: “Decade of Dumb Decisions” on July 31st! Square of Opposition Records has been around for as long as I’ve lived in the Lehigh Valley!)
Dinner last night was: Vegan nachos with jalepeno salsa and smoked cheddar “cheese” sauce, and Black Bean Tortilla soup! Everything homemade except the tortilla chips!
Vegan Nachos and Tortilla Soup
Homemade salsa and smoked cheddar "cheese". HEAVEN.
Black Bean Tortilla soup with avocado and cilantro garnish!
I know, I know, the Vita-mix isn’t cheap, but this is truly an example of “you get what you pay for”. I have also made Coconut Lemon ice cream and another green drink that Ryan said tasted like pickles… Woopsies.
I promise those of you in my area will get to reap the benefits of this machine when it helps to make your future Save the Kales! food orders!
And go HERE to see the facebook page of one of the awesome guys who kept me vita-mix nourished last week! He is awesome, knowledgeable, and can give you some recipe ideas.
I was experimenting this weekend with new ingredients and textures, and this was one of the best outcomes! I’m so happy to introduce this to the Save the Kales menu.
You can order food from me now, I’ll deliver and everything!
This is a basic baked chick-un, 100% vegan, that tastes great with your favorite BBQ sauce, hot sauce, honey mustard (I recommend agave mustard), etc… This is baked, not friend, though you can fry it – try a little pan fry with some Earth Balance, bake it, or use a microwave if you’re in a hurry! It holds up.
I will continue to explore flavors and variations, but I’m really excited about this! It’s seriously SO GOOD. *Note this would not be appropriate for people with gluten intolerance or celiac.
ORDER: 5 pieces for $10.00; 10 pieces for $18.00
I am happy to provide sauces for you for an extra $1.00 or $2.00, half or whole order.
Baked Chick-un by Save the Kales!
I can also make this into smaller pieces which would be great as an appetizer while watching football. Wait is it baseball season now?
Here are smaller pieces covered in buffalo wing sauce and agave-mustard sauce, respectively. Prices match the above listed prices for a half order or full order.
Both of these flavors are from only one HALF ORDER of Baked Chick-un pieces; buffalo wing sauce and agave-mustard sauce, by Save the Kales!
I also plan to make this a part of the bagged lunch menu I’m currently working on.
If you live locally and are sick of ordering pizza and chinese food on your lunch break or for dinner, you can order a Save the Kales! bagged lunch instead! I’m aiming to keep costs of these lunches between $5-$10. Stay tuned!
Save the Kales! 