The Food Show!

Today, I hit the Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio for the first time as a vegan.  I didn't have very high hopes, but to my surprise there was a little bit of something for everyone, even a whole foods, plant-based girl like me!  I was also very happy to see so many locally-owned business doing their thing!

My Lunch!

I was relieved to find a Subway there, so if no one could accommodate me, at least I could get a veggie sandwich.  Honestly, when I go to these types of events I'm always concerned with starving.  But, at the way back of the event, the food trucks gave me hope!  I scored a very tasty entree of baked white bean mash with carrots and fresh zucchini in a lemon sauce - oil-free & vegan, double score!  This vegan meal came courtesy of StrEat Mobile Bistro, one of Northeast Ohio’s newest gourmet food trucks, making the rounds in the Cleveland area!  When traditional restaurants drop the ball, food trucks always pull through, never be afraid to approach them, they just might surprise you to how with it they are when it comes to vegan/vegetarian connoisseurs.

After lunch, it was time for dessert!  I hit the various bakery booths, and scored with two that offered vegan options!  The first, Ciste by Crystal, located in Parma, Ohio.  They had the most adorable tiny cupcakes and I am a sucker for a cupcake.  They only had one vegan option on hand, a French Toast Cupcake, but that's all I needed and it was delicious!  I was told that they can make anything on their menu vegan - I like the sound of that!  The next bakery was About the Cake.  They didn't have any vegan goodies on hand today, but they do offer them as well as gluten-free - both of which can be ordered via their website & they deliver!  About the Cake also does those tricked out designer cakes you see on Food Network!  One vendor there had dark vegan chocolate which was awesome, some painted like Aztec gold - but I ate my sample piece with such delight, that I forgot to get their card or even their name (sorry nice man who deserves a shout out).  I did get a Chocolate Chia Cinnamon Bar from Fantasy Candies, another Cleveland-based company!  They won't come out and say they are vegan, but close inspection of the ingredients revealed that this bar at least was!

Aside from the eating, there was the shopping.  Lots of cool little gadgets and niche vendors.  I think Beanilla was my favorite because their booth smelled the best!  They sold various flavors of vanilla in all forms.  I got myself some whole Madagascar Vanilla Bean so I could make my own vanilla sugar - super excited for that!  Then the Tupperware lady (her real name is Loretta DiCenso-Tiber) got a hold of me and I had to pick-up a the Time Saver Chop N Prep Chef - it's a small chopper that I can use to quickly grind up small quantities of nuts, garlic, ginger, herbs, almost anything.  I already used it and it did an awesome job on some fresh cilantro.

 Something I didn't buy, but think is a totally cool new concept is a grow your own mushroom garden kit by Back To The Roots!  Everything you need to be your very own mushroom farmer is in one little box.  In fact, your mushrooms grow in the box or rather out of the box!  In 10 days and with very little effort, you can have 1 1/2 pounds of oyster mushrooms in your kitchen or wherever you like to grow things. The very helpful girl at the booth told me that oyster mushrooms are similar to Shitaki mushrooms and that you can get up to 4 crop yields out of one box, not bad for $19.95!



I had a very nice chat with Amy Jamieson-Petonic, a Cleveland-based health & wellness coach.  She runs Nutrition Today with Amy J and offers a variety services for all your health needs.  Super nice, full of energy and good info!

Lastly, I stumbled upon a pick-your-own berry farm - I do love farms!  This one has been right under my nose for years, who knew there was a farm in Brooklyn, Ohio!  Rosby Greenhouse & Berry Farm located at 42 E. Schaff Rd, Brooklyn Hts., OH 44131 is open to the public for red raspberry picking mid-August thru October - already marked my calendar!

All in all, a good show!
The Hoff

Christmas in April!

About a week ago, I received my first KLUTCHclub goodie box!  You may recall last month that I wrote about this company providing health & wellness surprises right to your door step. You know I had to sign-up!

Just as I suspected, I felt like a kid at Christmas - anxiously awaiting my arrival and feverishly tearing into the box once it landed on my doorstep!

So what did my first box of loot bring me?

• Plentils Dill & Sour Cream Lentil Chips - despite the cream in the name, these chips are vegan.  Unfortunately, they contain two types of oil.  But, despite this, I tried them anyway, because they passed the 20% calories from fat test, were very low in sugar and overall had relatively descent ingredients.  I liken these to pork rinds - in texture only.  Having never actually had a pork rind, I can only imagine that the puffy, crispy, air texture of these chips would be similar to that of a pork rind as they kinda look the same.   Verdict: These are good - maybe too good, as I want more, stat!  I need to mention that these are allergy friendly chips - being free of: wheat, soy, tree nuts, egg, peanuts, shellfish, dairy & fish (who puts fish in chips?)
• Zico Coconut Water - I was surprised to find zero saturated fat in this product, not sure where it went since coconut is high in that stuff.  Not sure what the "natural flavor" is referring to.  Verdict: Ew.  For the record, I am not a fan of coconut water.  I've had the real stuff straight from the coconut and this tastes about the same, disgusting.
• Enjoy Life Seed & Fruit Mix - woo hoo no peanuts!  This one is pretty high on the fat scale, sodium, sugar & fiber is spot on though.  Not digging the added oils, but with vegan chocolate thrown in, I had to give it a go!  Verdict: Yummy!  Two thumbs up!
• Kind Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein Bar - there's dairy in this one kids and more oil.  Not happy about the 3.5 grams of saturated fat and the calories from fat is out of control!  Having a peanut allergy, I had to remove myself from this taste test, but my boyfriend was MORE than eager to be the guinea pig.  Verdict: He likes it!  In fact if it didn't contain dairy, he would eat more of them. 
• Hyrdrive Energy Berry Blast Energy Drink Mix - this has a scary list of unpronounceable ingredients and upon closer inspection contains Splenda, disguised under the industry term of Sucralose - not cool!  Add to that the artificial coloring and 160mg of caffeine.  I find it odd that the label declares that there is not a significant amount of calories from fat or saturated fat - what is fat doing in a drink mix and don't get me started on the 50mg of sodium.  That all said, I was happy to see the addition of B12.  Seeing as I don't touch energy drinks, my boyfriend almost ripped this out of my hands in anticipation of trying it.  Verdict: While some energy was gained, the overall taste was horrible (like a diet drink) and managed to spike his blood pressure and that can't be a good thing.
• Tea forte - this tea claims to take care of your skin from within - interesting.  I tend to be leery of food products making health claims, but tea is generally good for you. Verdict:  While this green tea smells good and has some unique flavors (Cherry Marzipan, Honey Zuyu, Coconut Mango Colada, etc.), it's hardly bursting with flavor.  Props for having an organic line!
• Barlean's Omega Swirl Fish Oil - as a reformed prescatarian/supplement junkie, I once actively indulged in this product to provide my omega-3 fix.  I can attest that it is tasty, with no hint of fishiness.  As I am now a pure vegan and kicked the supplements habit, I can't speak for the Mango Peach flavor that was in the box, but I'm sure it's as delightful as the other flavors.  I will gift this to someone still on the "wagon".  Verdict: If you're into fish oil, you'll enjoy this product. 
• Sheaterra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap - I think I was most excited to try this product as I love organic beauty products!  I was surprised by it's black molasses-like consistency, definitely never saw that with any facial cleanser I've ever tried - this added to the intrigue.  Verdict: After leaving it on for 5 minutes as instructed, I did begin to feel slight burning, but nothing major - apparently this is the microderm going to work.  My skin did feel squeaky clean afterwards and I guess a little softer.  I have to admit I never see much of a difference when I try these products.  I will tell you that despite the name, this is not 100% certified organic, only a few ingredients are organic.  There's also no scent, so if you're allergic to that type of thing (me!), you'd be happy with this.
• Hyde Yoga Clothes & Apparel $25 coupon - Even with the coupon, this stuff is a little too pricey for what they're offering.  Verdict: Pass
• Kristin McGee's Power Yoga DVD - I couldn't wait to try this DVD!  I like yoga & I like MTV (or at least when they actually played music videos, did I just date myself?), which is where this chick hails from, she did a series of MTV yoga videos - who knew!  Verdict:  Being a off/on yogi, this DVD kicked my ass!  From an endurance standpoint, I was struggling to keep up, but from an instructional standpoint, it was very easy to follow.  Not digging the studio backdrop or lack of zen-like music (you know I love me some Rodney Yee!) and there's not a hint of MTV, but overall a good yoga video for probably someone a little more advanced than the occasional practitioner.

Can't wait to see what I get next!

Till Next Month!
The Hoff

Oh Yes I Did!

Tonight I was in the mood for Hoff's Chinese Lettuce Wraps and was not in the mood to cook anything else.  But, these wraps do not an entire meal make.  So, I thought about it and wondered if I could get away with a McDougall Teriyaki Noodle Cup (just add boiling water) as a side dish.  I typically reserve these cups for snacking.

The answer would be - YES!

The two paired perfectly together & was filling enough for two, just be sure to make one noodle cup for each person!

Event: Health & Fitness Expo

As part of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, there will be a Health & Fitness Expo at the I-X Center, featuring over 115 booths showcasing health & fitness products as well as information.

This expo is sponsored by Prayers From Maria Children’s Glioma Cancer Foundation.

• Meet Running Legends
• Attend Workshops
• Shop, shop, shop!

Expo is open to the public.

When: Friday, May 18 - Saturday, May 19, 2012
Where: I-X Center: One I-X Center Drive, Cleveland, OH 44135
Time: 11:00am - 7:00pm (Friday) & 11:00am - 6:00pm (Saturday)
Cost: Free (standard parking fees apply)

Cayenne Tea

Ugh!  It's spring and I feel a cold coming on!  At the first sign of sickness, I immediately begin to chug what I call Cayenne Tea.  And by chug I mean all day long, as many cups as I can handle.

This "tea" is a hybrid of another tea I was introduced to while on my travels, that I will talk about at a later date.

This is a very simple tea to make that you most likely have all the ingredients on hand already.

Here's how:

Warm up 8oz of water (stove, microwave, etc.), stir in on teaspoon Honey (local is better, but not a deal breaker), and all the Cayenne Pepper you can handle.

Hint: You CANNOT handle a lot of Cayenne Pepper at first, go easy. Overtime, your palette will be able to handle more.

When I chug this tea, typically my cold will not fully develop and rather tuck tail and run!  I put this theory to the test last month when 24 hours before I was about to board a plane for California for a 10-day trip, I was getting a head cold!  I chugged this tea all night and by the morning I was fine, my symptoms never fully developed.

Why does this work?

Lets start with the Cayenne Pepper, it is very high in Vitamin C and helps to unblock the sinuses and clear out mucus.  It also helps to soothe soar throats.  Cayenne has antibacterial properties, along with high amounts of Vitamin A, which both help with healing and fighting infections.  If you're running a fever, Cayenne can help lower the body's core temperature.  Of course, Native Americans are well aware of all the benefits of Cayenne and have been using it for thousands of years.

As for the Honey, it also aids in soothing a sore throat and may been an effective cough suppressant.  Honey has strong antibiotic properties as well as being an antimicrobial agent (kills or slows growth of microbes). It also helps to boost immunity. "Different varieties of honey possess a large amount of friendly bacteria (6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria), which may explain many of the "mysterious therapeutic properties of honey." - http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=96

Or, this could all be in my head, a placebo if you will.  For me, it doesn't matter, because it's working.

So, next time you start to feel not so great, kick back a Cayenne Tea or two and see what it can do for you!

Keep It Healthy!
The Hoff

Help From My Friends

The other night, I got a little help from my friends for dinner - my friendly grocer to be exact.  I frequent a family-run farmer's market type grocery store and noticed recently in their prepared foods case, a mouthwatering variety of grilled veggies all ready to go!

I chopped the veggies even further and mixed them into a batch of Hoff's Buttery Rice to heat through.  Dinner was done in 15 minutes - only one pot to clean!

Check out what your grocer might have in their prepared foods section to give you a helping hand at meal time.

Thanks Chuppa's for making dinner a snap!
The Hoff

Hoff's Buttery Rice

Hoff's Buttery Rice
Yields: 2 cups
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of Water
• 1 cup of Jasmine Rice
• 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Bring Water & Seasonings to a boil
2. Stir in Rice, cover, reduce to simmer
3. Cook for 15 minutes
4. Fluff & Serve!

My2Cents: I was going for cheesy rice with this one, but it ended up tasting like butter instead.  No worries, equally as good!