My post regarding veganism and the “man card” was incredibly popular.
And, the feedback was amazing. I realized that there are actually so many vegans and vegetarians out there whom are already breaking the stereotypes.
So, we want to see your mancards and womancards (yes, such a thing exists)!
Continue reading Show us YOUR Man Card and WIN some goodies!
As vegans, we have all lived on some deserted islands. We have all defended our protein intakes. And, we have spoken (or perhaps marched) on behalf of the animals.
But of all the curves the omni crowd throws at me, the one I struggle with the most is the topic of processed foods.
I am what I like to call a “meaty vegan.” I grew up in the woods of New England, eating wholesome foods like ham steaks, meatloaf, and spaghetti sauce “flavored with meat.” So personally I enjoy the meat analogs that allow me to bridge the gap between my personal heritage and veganism.
But that also comes with it’s own set of concerns, mostly around the fact that most of this food is highly processed and contains a lot of oil, salt, and sugars.
So what is this meaty vegan to do?
Continue reading Eating Vegan and the Processed Food Dilemma
In my opinion, there are two titans of the vegan “fast/casual” restaurant market: Veggie Grill and Native Foods.
Fortunately for us vegans, they both take a different approach on their food so we truly get to enjoy the strengths of each.
Veggie Grill uses purchased meat analogs where Native Foods makes all their own stuff. Both options are great, but with Native Foods you can enjoy food that you just can’t make at home. Another plus? Native Foods has ventured further inland than VG, with locations in places like Boulder, Washington D.C., and Chicago.
Continue reading Restaurant Review: Native Foods Cafe [Portland]
Manly stereotypes have been around as long as the image of a brawny lumberjack graced the wrappings of our favorite paper towels.
We have “Hungry Man” frozen meals, deodorants that promise zombie-slaying odor fighting, and tales of men that eat raw meat they slaughter themselves. Marketers show us that the only real way to enjoy a sports game is by drinking beer and slapping some juicy steaks on the grill, or downing a platter of buffalo wings.
But where do tofu scrambles and bags of soy curl jerky come into play? I want to identify some of the fallacies (freudian slip intended) that exist.
Continue reading Can you Be Vegan and Still Keep your Man Card? (Possibly NSFW)
I have been spending every free post-work minute in the garage working on my expedition trailer! Last night I installed a new wiring harness, tongue box, mounted the tent and added cables to the tailgate.
Getting ready for the maiden voyage!
One of my fav dinners to make is something I threw together a long time ago. We had a few different vegan meats left over and I wanted to combine them into a hearty dinner.
This vegan pasta bake is easy, hearty, and makes great leftovers for work.
There was a study (er, an article I saw on the internet, so it MUST be true) that there is a certain color of red that instinctively makes humans hungry.
Think about one fast food brand that does not have this same red in it: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, Carl’s Jr., In ‘N Out, etc.
It just so happens that the vegan meatballs at Brass Tacks are the EXACT same red. That must be the reason I am drooling like a Pavlov dog each time I walk into the place.
Brass Tacks is in a non-descript building facing Vancouver at Fremont. The interior is austere and a bit cold, attributed mostly to the huge glass windows along the front that make for great people watching.
While BT is very accommodating and knowledgeable about veganism, they do serve meat, so keep an eye out on the menu.
But what a menu.
What the menu lacks in quantity (there are 4 options + 1 special), Brass Tacks makes up for in quality. The white bean meatballs are housemade, and they are some of the best I have ever had. The housemade “ham” is also amazing.
I have yet to try the Salamigeddon, as the word “spicy” scares off this New Englandah. Their new Curry Chicken Salad will be my next choice for sure. But those meatballs are just amazing and I find it hard to order anything else.
Melanie tried the Velveeta Underground along with the potato salad, claiming to love both. The sammy looked really good, but paled in the sloppy beauty of my meatball sub. I tried the potato salad and it was good, but I am not a huge potato salad fan, so take my criticism with a grain of salt. Or paprika, as there was a metric ton of it on the salad.
Brass Tacks is an in-and-out place with not much in the way of comfort. But that is part of the allure of the joint. It’s utilitarian yet the kraft paper tray liners harken back to a 1940s lunch bell place, where lunch was scarfed and you went back to riveting the bridge together before your 20 mile uphill walk back home to milk the cows.
And that is why Brass Tacks will be on my fav lunch spot list along with the Veggie Grills, Homegrowns, and DC Veg’s of the world. They offer enough difference to make it awesome. In Portland, no two lunches are ever created equal.
Next time you are craving a great, hearty lunch that is relatively inexpensive and delicious, hit up Brass Tacks.
UPDATED! I am building a SECOND expedition trailer! On 4/1/2016 I purchased a 1946 Willy’s M100 trailer from a seller in Livermore, California.
While on a recent trip to San Francisco, I happened to open Facebook and saw a unicorn – a 1946 Willy’s M100 for SALE! And the price was right. So I bought a trailer hitch, installed it in a dirty alleyway, and the following morning dragged the trailer all the way to Portland.
At this point, plans include better electrical, paint, fab and welding, 37s, and a few extras.
4/10/2017: My friend is doing the fab work for this phase of the build which includes new fenders, platforms before and after the fenders, extended tongue and tongue deck, fitment of a CJ tailgate, and a new bumper. We are also discussing the possibility of a raising platform to make better use of the annex.
The trailer below this point was built and sold. Read on for build notes!
Last Summer while camping on the Rubicon, we camped at the base of a small ledge near Buck Island Lake. Our tent was on the ground at the base of this ledge. All night, (what I though could be potentially drunk) drivers drove their rigs around the area. The thought of one of them not seeing our tent, and attempting the ledge kept me up all night.
So finding a way to get up off the ground has been on my list.
In addition, the ability to have “just enough” creature comforts without having “too many” is appealing to me. Also, as trail-bound vegans, we tend to bring all our food with us, so the additional space is critical. Continue reading Building an Off-road Expedition Trailer
UPDATE: Jeep’s official microsite is online!
This week, the auto world was thrown into a tizzy over Jeep’s latest salvo in bringing more fuel-efficient vehicles to the fleet. This of course, is mostly to offset the MPGs of their core vehicles (Wrangler and Grand Cherokee), but also aims to make the Jeep brand more appealing to a larger audience.
When Jeep (a.k.a. Chrysler, a.k.a. Fiat) introduced the new Cherokee, I feel they missed the mark. But most of that was simply because they blew the Cherokee heritage. Had they called it something else (maybe something patriotic like the “Justice” or “Freedom” to match the “Liberty” already in their line up #sarcasm), I am sure the reception would have been warmer.
This is no joke: Earlier this week, we went to New Seasons to buy a package of Beyond Meat‘s newest product – Beyond Beef. Each place we looked however did not yet have Beyond Beef. So when I arrived at home, I was so surprised to find a package on my porch – a freezer pack from Beyond Meat! They sent me two retail packs – one of their “feisty” flavors, and one of the standard “beefy” flavor.
So tonight we decided to use the feisty version for taco night. This is a super easy, delicious dinner that easily fed 3.
What we included:
First, combine the Beyond Beef, corn, black beans, garlic and onions in a frying pan. Brown slightly.
Second, build your tacos!
Third, enjoy!
This was our first time trying the new Beyond Beef. The second we put it in the pan, we could recognize a difference from all other ground up beef crumbles. It was more substantial, and had a great color and texture. It cooked easy and uniformly.
In the tacos, the Beyond Beef was delicious – adding its own flavors. Beyond Beef is an awesome new addition to the vegan crumbles market, and I look forward to using it in many other dishes!
![Restaurant Review: Native Foods Cafe [Portland]](https://offroadvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2012-07-10-20-14-05.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![Restaurant Review: Brass Tacks [Portland]](https://offroadvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014-02-28-11-25-01.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
Off-road Vegan 