Kindred spirits are two people that make a special connection by sharing a bond or experience that has drawn them together on a higher level of consciousness.
~~~urban dictionary
A kindred spirit comes in all forms. Yesterday I was shopping in the Whole Foods produce section when I met mine.
As you all know from my previous post “Were the Produce Guys at Whole Foods Making Fun of Me?” – I always have a lot of questions when I shop at Whole Foods.
Yesterday, I noticed this women asking one of the produce guys if he was sure that something was organic. My ears perked up and I quickly walked over.
I pretended to look at the same produce so I could easily hear the conversation. She had a strong argument. The vegetable she was examining was from Mexico, and she was asking the produce guy what the regulations are in Mexico for organic food.
Good question – I thought. The produce man tried to be helpful, but you could tell from his face that he couldn't wait to get away from her.
When she was done talking, I butted in and said, “I always think the same thing”.
She said, “what do you mean?”. I told her, “I always wonder about organic produce from outside the country.”
She said, “me too!” Then we got to talking about produce, genetically altered food and guess what ??? She was also a vegan!
I told her about the delicious vegan blueberry muffins that Whole Foods carries and took her over to the coffee and muffin stand.
We both bought a vegan muffin and an organic coffee with soy milk and stevia. We sat at one of the small tables and continued our lively and interesting conversation about all things vegan.
While we were eating our muffins, I suddenly realized that I wasn't confident that our muffins were vegan. I shared my concern with her.
There was no special identification on the muffin wrapper specifying that it was vegan, and it looked exactly like the non-vegan blueberry muffins.
Oh no – what if we were eating non-vegan muffins? We both marched up to the counter and asked to speak with the manager. I have done this many times, and it was so nice for a change not to be alone in this task.
We told the manager our concern and she said she would get her muffin supplier to use different color papers for the vegan muffins in the future.
Mission accomplished. We high-fived. My kindred spirit and I then parted ways.
I may never encounter my kindred spirit again but it doesn't matter.
It was just nice knowing there are other people out there who care as much about what they are eating as I do. It was almost like meeting myself……. Well, on to food.
Just finished the Steve Jobs autobiography. He was the master of simplicity, and it was essential to his success. I like to practice this strategy in everything I do, and when life gets busy, food preparation also needs to be as simple as possible.
This week I have been preparing a lot of stir-frys and soups with prepared packages of mixed veggies which are available at Traders Joes and Whole Foods.
Just add a protein like tofu, tempeh or a grain and voila you have and easy and nutritious meal.
This can also save some money by not buying a lot of produce you don't use and end up throwing out.
Last but not least, there is a lovely vegan chef named Megan who is always kind enough to share many of her yummy recipes with us.
This week she shared this simple marinade for tempeh. I served it with some steamed bok choy. It was extremely tasty and simple to prepare.
You could also use this marinade on firm tofu and bake it in the oven.
Hope you enjoy this marinated tempeh as much as I did. Vegan day 272 – wish me luck.
Marinated Tempeh
- 2 Packs tempeh
- Marinade:
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup shoyu or tamari (that is all natural soy sauce, just use soy
- sauce if that is all you have.
- chop or some garlic - about 3 cloves or more or less to your liking
- fresh ginger - grated or just chop up to taste (I used about an inch or two)
- toasted sesame oil - 2 tablespoons or so.
- chili powder (optional) - to sprinkle on top after cooking.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Slice the tempeh into logs and place in a small bowl. Mix all of the marinade ingredients and pour over the tempeh. Marinate for one hour or more. Pour tempeh and marinade into a shallow baking pan in a single layer - the tempeh should be covered by the marinade.
- Bake for 45 minutes at 350.
- Bok - Choy - just clean well and steam until slightly tender. Salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve over brown rice.
Hi Nancy, I didn’t realize this was you! How long have you been doing this? What a fantastic thing you’re doing and educating at the same time. How is Dave? Please say hi from Arthur and me. By the way, I’m half way through the Steve Jobs book. I love it. All the best to you and Dave!
Vivian
Hi Vivian – so nice to hear from you – Please give Arthur our best – Thanks for checking out the blog xo