Amazing Resources (Thanks, TS!)

My friend Tracy (many of you know her from school), a former vegan and extremely mindful eater, sent me these fabulous resources and tips!  Enjoy!  Leslie

Baking

• Ground flax meal (one egg = 1 Tbsp flax seed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp water, whisk in small bowl & let sit for 2-3 minutes; add to a recipe as you would an egg).  I have used this in “from scratch” recipes (mostly breads).  I prefer this over “egg replacer”.  I’ve not tried it in cookie recipes
• Most of the GF boxed baked items (cakes, cookies, etc) I have tried are g-r-o-s-s!
• Sweetener:  Agave Light–is a lighter taste, but a little goes a long way.  Dark is a much heavier taste.  I’ve not baked much with agave as I always tasted it too much (if you try it, maybe reduce the recommended amount)
• Maple Syrup:  depending the “grade” of the syrup, it can be powerful and take over the taste
• Date/ Maple Sugar????
• I've tried sucant (sp) and it was ok.  Consistency of final product was "odd" (kinda crumbly, flaky)
• I have to admit, I use white sugar for most of my baking - but I try to get one that is vegan (not bleached with chlorine or other scary chemicals). 

 Popcorn Topper

• Nutritional Yeast (available in bulk at Whole Foods and Rainbow)
• Parma (http://www.eatintheraw.com/ -- in bulk at Whole Foods and Rainbow)  -both the spicy & cheesy ones are awesome!!

 Grains

• I’ve been skipping grains lately & replacing everything with ground up cauliflower (cauliflower meet my cuisinart & take a spin) 
• There are some GF pasta’s.  I tried one that was in a greenish-blue box.  It was ok. Kinda thick and sticky.

 Other Tidbits (I've not checked these items for gluten)

• Trader Joe’s Soy Yogurt
• Whole Soy Yogurt
• Kale Chips (available at Rainbow & Whole Foods, but you can make your own – Kale + nutritional yeast or Parma + oven) –high in fat though
• Spice / Fruit:  add some extra spice (smoked paprika, garlic, ginger) or lemon / lime juice to a meal – jazzy!
• Most capsule medications (OTC and prescription) contain gelatin (animal product). If you do not know what gelatin is, trust me when I say you never want to eat it again. 
• When eating out & ordering vegan, stress you are vegan for allergy reasons (you will be taken much more seriously)
• Fresh Spring rolls – sounds like a lot of work, but they are easy to make (fresh veggies, lettuce, basil mint, rice paper and maybe some smoked tofu).  If you cannot make at home, Sunflower (16^th / Valencia), and Le Soleil (Clement / Arguello), Out the Door (Bush/Fillmore) have great ones
• Baked tofu: Savory Baked from Trader Joes & Wildwood are good, but I prefer the delights from Hodo Tofu (Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and some Whole Foods)
• Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread (for toast, I’ve not baked with it)
• Kombucha  - fermented raw tea drink (available in a bottle at Rainbow, Whole Foods).  I love GT Synergy brand, in particular the Ginger Aid, Gingerberry, Cranberry one, Super Green, all are great. Kinda gives me a kick (like caffeine) on an empty stomach
• Sprinkle fresh fruit salad with a touch of honey/agave & lime juice (or even a dash of cayenne)
• Daiya Cheese Alternative – good, but will probably taste “funny” --- melts well though.  It is all rage now, but I prefer “vegan gourmet” (we’re talking pizza here)

 Brands, Restaurants (I've not checked these items for gluten)

• Maripossa (Ferry Plaze Farmers Market, Whole Foods)
• Pica Pica is GF & has vegetarian options (but I think can be vegan)
• Café Gratitiude (my opinion:  they are expensive, service stinks & so do some of the servers, literally, and they are pricey; but get a half-order or just order dessert)
• Gracias Madre – owned by Café Gratitude, but a better experience.  Still slow service, but the dishes are deelish (kale side dish, salads, and tacos)
• Plant Organic – I think they have some GF options (I always assume if a place has vegan options, they can go GF)
• Herbivore
• Sweet and Sara - http://www.sweetandsara.com/
• Amici’s – they have a GF vegan pizza (and probably deliver to you)
• Patxi’s – they have vegan cheese, not sure about vegan crust
• Millennium
• Encuentro (my new fave)
• Gather (a friends’ fave)
• Divvies (http://www.divvies.com/)

 Chefs, Cool People, Cookbooks I love

• Skinny Bitch in the Kitch & Skinny Bitch (Freedman)
• The Vegan Table & The Joy of Vegan Baking (Colleen Patrick Goudreau)
• How it all Vegan & The Garden of Vegan (Sarah Kramer & Tanya Barnard)
• Deborah Madison
• Mollie Katzen
• Alicia Silverstone’s “The Kind Diet” (http://www.thekindlife.com/)
• The 30-minute Vegan (Mark Reinfel & Jennifer Murray)
• You Won’t Believe it is Vegan (Lacey Sher & Gail Doherty)

 Websites I stalk (mostly vegan, but can probably support a GF lifestyle too):

• http://veganyumyum.com/
• http://www.manifestvegan.com/
• http://vegweb.com/index.php?action=recipecategories/
• http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/
• http://cafevegnews.blogspot.com/
• http://www.csaceliacs.org/gluten_grains.php
• I can’t believe it is vegan http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/accidentally-vegan.aspx