Vegan MoFo Survey

Via My Vegan Spoons:

1. Choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?

I prefer local. I like the fuzzy feeling of knowing where my food is from.

2. Favorite way to prepare potatoes:

I like them mashed, with garlic. Mmmm.

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?

I have pressed tofu only a handful of times. I just don't have the patience so I usually buy the extra-firm.

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:

Candy Cane Cookies.

5. Any food allergies?

Clearly you are just meeting me.

Gluten, dairy, egg, strawberries.

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?

Fressen. (um, what has happened to their website?) I highly recommend their Taro things, deep-fried goodness!

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?

Hot and Sour Soup. And potato chips.

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)

Tap water.

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:

I am not a big fan of carbonated drinks, but I really like the taste of Banana Almond Milk. I know that isn't really an answer.

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?

Five Things To Do With Pasta. Or, Six Meals You Can Make With One Pot. I love my mother, but a chef she was not.

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?

Avocado. Or pineapple.

12. Favorite type of mushroom?

I feel that the shiitake is the bready, unsung hero of the mushroom world.

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?

The food and oil residue that is permanently baked onto the floor, walls and ceiling from previous tenants. My kitchen never really looks clean.

14. Last food you burned?

A chunk of toast that was stuck in the toaster yesterday.

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":

Dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes. Occasionally soy but I try not to eat too much of it.

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?

Jos Louis flavour. Or just a box of gluten-free vegan Jos Louis. If anyone wants to make me gluten-free Fauxstess Cupcakes, I would so kiss you.

17. Favorite brand of chocolate chips?

I don't really have a favourite brand. Just whatever has no dairy and is actually made of chocolate.

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma- What do you buy?

The Le Creuset Dutch Oven and a Citrus Reamer.

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?

I try. My biggest tip is to have a huge salad for lunch every day. To make it easy I make a big jar of dressing at the start of the week and bring it to work. I pre-chop salad vegetables and keep a tub of tofu marinating (from a recipe in reFresh) in the fridge so assembly is fast. I also try to make one or two large-quantity dishes on the weekend, freeze half of each and then eat leftovers and fresh greens for dinner every night. The half that gets frozen is for variety when I am out of ideas.

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?

Quick salad. Or, the typical Lazy Vegan answer - rice cake with nut butter, banana and raisins, and a glass of spirulina.

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win?

It would TOTALLY be Paula Deen! Those Southern Belles, they are so tough!

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?

I don't eat oatmeal (due to contamination from gluten), but I do have flaked quinoa porridge or cream of rice cereal. I like it pretty plain, just the way my grandparents make it - with a swirl of milk and Rogers Golden Syrup.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?

I have a soft spot for Italy.

24. Favorite late night snack?

Nacho chips and hummus.

25. Favorite springtime food?

Asparagus!

26. Favorite food-related magazine?

The vegetarian/vegan ones are often disappointing...I like delicious or olive. I really just like pictures, and trying to figure out how I can adapt the recipes.

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?

I haven't had anything other than Bragg's for about 3 years. I think I like tamari but can't quite recall.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?

Durian. Eeew.

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:

Raw Almond Nog!

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?

First choice is my boyfriend, for his health but also the selfish reason that I wouldn't come home and find tripe in my fridge (yes, really). I would also pick someone of influence who isn't seen as radical, counter-culture or granola - like Oprah, or Martha Stewart - to show that veganism is about compassion, health and inclusion, and so that they would have the power to enact change (and perhaps grow a chain of vegan fast-food restaurants - a girl can dream).