BBQ tempeh

Vida Vegan Con in Portland was in a word, fantastic! I came home a more committed vegan, a better writer, and a slightly better photographer. I'm still a work in progress.

The Vegan Vagrant created a great photo gallery of the abundant buffet tables, with meal-after-meal of vibrant dishes, coordinated by the dynamic organizing team: Jess, Janessa and Michele.

Tempeh has been a bit of a digestive challenge for me in the past, so based on a tip from a fellow vegan, I gave it a long steam (30+ minutes). Broiled with Annie's smoky BBQ sauce, and paired with pan fried potatoes and freshly snipped chives from the garden, my tempeh and I had a satisfying VVC moment.

san diego getaway

Portland friends Holiday and Don came for a weekend visit. On a sunny Saturday, we did yoga with Bhava at Ginseng, picked up some Rooibos Chai (with lots of cardamom) and Moroccan Spice chocolate from Eclipse at Halcyon Tea in South Park, and later walked along Moonlight Beach in Encinitas after a terrific lunch at Lotus Cafe. One enormous vegan cupcake cut into quarters was just right for dessert.


Fresh off the plane, we walked them to Santana's for burritos and used hats and hands to carry home our bounty from the farmers market. That evening we enjoyed a Camarada performance at Saint Paul's Cathedral, right at the edge of Balboa Park.


Sunday it rained lightly and the whole garden was aglow.


Succulent in Bauer pot.


[All photos by D. Vanderlaag]

Donald has a knack for photography, don't you think?

portland rocks!

My former home still holds a very special place in my heart, because it encourages the very best in me. Portland has been the nurturing nest for my yoga and meditation practices, organic community farming, car-free lifestyle, and cultivating my most compassionate self. Portland is still home to many of my dearest friends.

Portland has some of the best independent and creative minds wandering her streets, like the people at Powells Books, the McMenamin brothers, the folks over at Literary Arts, the Aladdin Theater, and those who make public transportation and cycling work so well in the Rose City. And now, Portland is home to the Vegan Iron Chef competition!

Totally veg foodies are rejoicing! That there are enough people into deeply compassionate eats to support a Vegan Mini-Mall over in Southeast, and to SELL OUT this event is very encouraging indeed. It's being held in the beautifully green Natural Capital Center on the streetcar line and sponsored by Ecotrust, home of the Food and Farms program.

northwest nostalgia

It's pouring rain in San Diego this morning. Sitting inside, decked out in layers of fleece, looking out at the gray skies, it's all very reminiscent of Portland...EXCEPT that I just checked the internet and it's 20-something-degrees up there! I had no idea! I can't even remember how I coped under those conditions.

On NPR this morning there was a nice story about a cargo bike manufacturing operation in NE Portland. The American League of Cyclists was quoted "Sometimes we take the love affair with the car, that we think we have, to a bit of an extreme. We really have a love affair with the quickest, easiest, most convenient way of getting around." Well said. We take more of a Vietnamese approach to carting around groceries and such, strapping it on and piling it high. I do love the cargo bike idea though, allowing people to safely carry their surfboards to the beach, and their children to daycare without the tow behind Burley-type trailer. I'd like being able to see my precious cargo in the front loaded position.

But I digress. There is something to be said for having winter weather that asks you to slow down, get cozy inside, and do some baking. Today I made chocolate shortbread cookies from the Innocent Primate blog. Yum.