Obscene Extreme Fest Day 1

March 29, 2013
La Marquesa, MX

Today, I discovered the only supermarket near our hotel was a Walmart. I haven't been in one in years because I don't approve of their corporation's lack of environmental responsibility, lack of fair wages, and disregard for child labor producing their items. Not to mention, female employees of theirs are treated even worse than their male counterparts. So, needless to say, it was a stretch for my band mates to convince me if I wanted produce, we had to go there.
When we did go, security followed us around the whole time, and as I frantically searched for hummus, I settled on just fruits, veggies, and bread instead. They have a whole panaderia with all kinds of fresh pastries and bread loaves, and Calum pointed out the oval style rolls called pan agua that he knew never contain dairy. All that Calum bought for lunch by the way, was vegan black refried beans in a bag...anyways, I could smell the guavas from the time I walked near the produce, and I was happy to find a huge section full of the little yellow pieces of heaven. Guava is my second favorite fruit of all time (strawberries being the first), but they are a rare commodity in San Antonio. When we do have them, they are over ripe and bruised badly, so I was ecstatic about my find. (Guava is also one of my favorite Synergy Kombucha flavors!! Try it!!!)
When we returned to the hotel, I made two sandwiches using Calum's leatherman knife and a towel for a cutting board. My friend from Philadelphia, Greg Daly, is staying in the hotel too, so I invited him for a picnic at the duck pond next to the hotel. Our sandwiches had avocado, cucumber, and tomato. Then I quartered a few guavas, grabbed two Indio beers, and we were on our way.
The pan agua was the most delicious, almost hoagie style bread I've ever had. Crispy on the outside, but very soft and fluffy on the inside. The ducks wanted in on our picnic, and hung around us while we tossed them bits of cucumber. Then, Calum, Bryan, and a couple of the guys from Doom came and sat and drank beers with us under the willow tree by the pond. Somehow, these guys didn't hesitate when I invited them across the street to the mall with me to look at a pair of boots I had seen the first day we were here. So, we all made the small journey over to the outlet mall, just to find some of Napalm Death and Destroyed In Seconds, wandering the mall for food. I pointed them in the direction of the Walmart (UGH!), ordered another cafe latte con leche de soya, and my little crew and I headed towards the Mexican style Forever 21, called Sasha. I got the approval from the guys on these dark brown, vegan boots with buckles, and found Calum some black aviator sunglasses. I also bought a white pair of heart shaped glasses (which I collect!!), then we finished our journey back at the Walmart. I stayed outside this time while the guys bought some food and alcohol essentials.
When we eventually made it to the Fest, it was rainy and cold. I used my soup ticket right away and it had zucchini, mushrooms (shiitake I think), and dark greens that tasted like collards. I drank a few Indio beers, but was waiting til after we played to eat. It was 6 hours later that we did play and it was a really strange set. The stage was super lopsided and really hard to keep your balance on. I kind of just took a power stance and stayed there. Also, since it was so cold, my guitar had a hard time staying in tune and my fingers didn't move how I wanted them to. Not to mention, there was an insane amount of colored strobe light effects going on and it made me super dizzy!! Regardless, we got thru the set, and afterwards, Bruce from DIS had started a great campfire in the back, and we were finally warming up. I found a tent making tamales, and ordered one for $15 pesos. It was great because I was so hungry, but it was mostly masa, and barely any frijole filling. The salsa was amazing though. Since I have all day to do whatever I want at the Fest tomorrow, I'm going to eat all day long and try all the different options!! Also, I am gonna shop my ass off because there are a ton of vendors with all kinds of band stuff for dirt cheap (they're bootlegs....)

Toluca, MX

Thursday, March 28, 2913

Today we up hung out in the hotel and played with the ducks, just waiting for our bass player Calum, to arrive, along with all the other bands, including our buddies Destroyed in Seconds. I ate avocado tacos for lunch, all of my emergency Earth Balance vegan cheddar popcorn, a Luna brand protein bar, and was still hungry. Across the street from our hotel is a mall with outlet stores and a cafe where I ordered a cafe latte con leche de soya!!!! I window shopped a little, and almost bought these awesome vegan brown boots, but they were $550 pesos. I might go back today and get them. I attempted to buy a salad from Siempre Natural in the food court which had Subway, Dominos, Burger King, etc, but the woman explained the register wasn't working. Atleast I think that's what she was saying...also, there was a little cupcake kiosk that had beautiful cupcakes!! None were vegan though...
Eventually, when all the bands arrived, we all took tiny little cabs into the mountains where the festival grounds are, La Marquesa. It's the most amazing place evvvver. It's at 8,000 feet elevation in the woodsy mountains surrounded by pine trees and the cleanest air I've ever encountered. There was a bunch of food stands inside the fairgrounds with seitan tamales, papa y chorizo quesadillas, fermented carrot style tacos, etc. Then, outside the grounds was a bunch of other vendors with drinks including coconuts and juices. I ate papa by chorizo tacos on homemade flour tortillas for $25 pesos!! I was soooo happy. I met a bunch of the people doing the video and photo stuff for the bands, and was really excited to see the giant stage with the full moon peeking out behind the pine trees lighting it up. Tomorrow we play, then the next day I get to enjoy myself and watch all the bands and eat lots of homemade food!!! I have the coolest drink and food tickets ever...

Mexico City Day 1

So, I'm in Mexico for the next five days for Obscene Extreme Fest playing with Phobia. There's a ton of killer bands on the bill, and I'm really excited to be here...but I'm hungry!! I brought a tofu taco, 2 gluten free almond coconut cookies, and three mini ziplocks filled with Earth Balance vegan cheddar popcorn in case of emergency. I brought clementines too, but had to eat them all on the plane because you can't bring fruit into the country. Luckily, my drummer Bryan Fajardo and I flew in together from San Antonio into Mexico City, otherwise this first day would have been even more of a mess. We arrived, pushed the little red button at customs that lights up either green (for you to just walk thru) or red ( for you to get hardcore searched!), both of ours was green...then proceeded to try and get a taxi to a hotel in which we had no idea where it was. My phone is way too expensive to use for phone calls and texts, so I downloaded an app called Viber, where if you have wifi you can text and call for free other people with that app. Paid $330 pesos for a cab, then realized none of the cab drivers knew where the hell our hotel was. Turns out, it was nearly 50 miles away from the airport and ended up costing over $1,000 pesos to get there!! We were not happy to discover this, and I was super annoyed that all the money Bryan and I had exchanged into pesos was already gone our first hour in the country. Anyways, the guy finally got us to the hotel, and it's beautiful. It's pretty much a little oasis in Toluca, MX. We found Shane at the bar, settled into our room and proceeded to have a few beers and order dinner. I am prepared for it to be difficult for me to eat with the language barrier and mass amounts of carne y queso here, but luckily the hotel employees are OVER THE TOP nice. I'm still confused about tipping here though, because every time I get a bill, the tip line is crossed out....anyways, I was able to order avocado in corn tortillas for only $25 pesos!! I had one of my cookies for dessert, then we slept for nearly 12 hours, only to wake up to a delicious breakfast buffet for $45 pesos this morning. I could only eat the fruit, but I am content with that. Here's some photos...supposedly we are going to the Pre-Fest show in the city tonight...I know there are some vegan restaurants there!!!

Pearl Brewery Farmers Market Demo Recipes

On Saturday, March 23rd I did a vegan cooking demo at the Farmer's Market with my girl, Mia. She and I are the full time bakers for both Green locations now, and we are baking our brains out to keep those dessert cases full!! We are a pretty good team in the kitchen, we like our music loud and grrrly, and we are both always hungry...check out some recipes we whipped up to demo and share with folks at the demo... They are all gluten free!!!!

RAW TACOS!!
Wrap in collard greens or Swiss chard, add chopped poblano peppers, and avocado.

Filling:
1 large Portabella mushroom
1 TBSP. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TBSP. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 cups Pecans
2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 tsp. Cayenne
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 TBSP. Olive Oil

In a food processor, pulse your portabella mushroom into fine little pieces. Set aside in a bowl. Pour apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and Liquid Aminos over the mushroom pieces and combine using a spatula. Next, put pecans into food processor with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, pepper, and salt. Process until pecans are finely chopped, then pour in olive oil thru the top while processor is on. Once a thick paste is created, remove pecan mixture and add to bowl with mushrooms in it. Use your hand or a spatula to thoroughly combine and squeeze together and make a well mixed blob of taco meat. Use right away or refrigerate in an air tight container for up to two days.

STRAWBERRY PICO DE GALLO

1 Serrano pepper, 1/2 depending on how spicy you want it) diced
1/2 White onion, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 case Strawberry, about 4 or 5 depending on size, diced
1 Tomato, diced
2 sprigs Cilantro
Salt/pepper to taste

Dice all ingredients about the same size, toss in lemon juice.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve immediately or let chill in refrigerator until ready for use.
(For freshest flavor, use the same day it is made or one or two days after.)

SAGE SLAW

1/4 head of Purple Cabbage
1/4 head of Green Cabbage
1 cup chopped Carrots
3 TBSP chopped, fresh, Sage
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. Salt
A dash of Black Pepper
1 tsp. granulated Garlic

Chop both purple and green cabbage into fine strips and set aside in a medium sized bowl. Add all other ingredients to this bowl, and mix thoroughly until evenly combined. Serve fresh, or save in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

ORANGE VINAIGRETTE

2/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 TBSP. orange zest
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
A dash of Salt
A dash of Pepper

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients thoroughly. Blend on high for 30 seconds. serve fresh, or in a refrigerated, air tight container for up to one week.

SPRING KALE SALAD

2 cups rinsed, chopped, Kale
3 TBSP. Orange Vinaigrette
1/4 cup slivered raw Almonds
1/4 cup dried Cranberries

Toss all ingredients in a mixing bowl, serve fresh. Toss in some slices of Clementines too!!

Philadelphia, PA

March 16, 2013

I visited Philly a lot when I was a teenager. I had some friends I met on tour that lived out here, and in particular, a boy I was smitten with that went to Temple University. I remember being really bummed that I wouldn't get to experience the tradition of eating a Philly Cheese Steak, but ended up happier than ever with the vegan options available!!! Sure, I can't eat at Gino's or Pat's, but a cute little vegetarian restaurant at South and Broad St. called Govinda's, has the most amazing chikin cheesesteak, with what I think is a homemade soy cheeze and mayo. I prefer it in a wheat or spinach wrap, but they also offer it on a whole wheat hoagie as well. They have all kinds of salads, burgers, sandwiches, etc...but everyone I saw that came in, ordered either the chikin or pepper steak phillies. They do offer a dairy cheese, so be sure to specify vegan when you go there. The desserts there rule too. My favorite is the brownie chunk cake, but this time I got two caramel nutty brownies. YUMMMMY LIFE.

St. Patrick's Day, 2013

Another place that rules, is Blackbird Pizzeria, right down the street off South, and is an ALLLLL VEGAN pizza place with giant slices, hoagies, including a killer Tofu Cubano, and salads. They have seitan pepperoni, seitan sausage, and all kinds of veggie toppings, and of course DAIYA cheese. When my friends and I sat down at a really cool bar called Tattooed Mom, which also has a ton of veggie options (and free crafts!! I made bows, and potato heads!!!) we were disappointed with the high prices, so ordered mimosas, vegan bloody Mary's, and called in a couple pizzas from Blackbird. They're just a few blocks apart, and Tattooed Mom didn't mind us bringing in outside food since we were ordering a lot of drinks. The marinara was delicious, and the crust was just thick enough. I could eat that pizza every day if you'd let me. Another awesome thing about Philadelphia is that they have a couple different Whole Foods. One, being right down the street from where we were on South. I had never seen so many fresh juices bottled before, as well as cashew cinnamon milk, and almond coconut water. They had a bunch of cool faux meats in the deli, and tonight for dinner our lovely hosts, Mika and Jerry, are cooking General Tso's with a chikin from the deli, and tofu as well. It smells good........

Brooklyn, NY

March 15, 2013

For dinner, we ate at Champs off the L train Lorimer stop in Brooklyn. I LOVE THIS PLACE WITH ALL MY HEART. It is my bassist, Calum's, favorite place too, and even though is sounds like a sports bar, I assure you it's not. It's a vegan bakery/diner/my dream place for breakfast. The only weird thing is that it's 100% vegan, except they offer dairy milk and honey for your drinks. Strange, and annoying, I know. But anyways, the set up and decor is adorable. They have a bar with cute, spinning, stools, and a light up sign that says "sweet", as well as crocheted dessert art, and retro booths. They have a giant dessert case that has a large assortment of cakes, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc. As well as beautiful cake stands that hold muffins and other pastries staggered on the bar. This particular night, they were crowded and it took us ages to get a table, but was totally worth it. We ordered tempeh buffalo wings, oven baked fries with chipotle dipping sauce, a cheesy seitan sandwich called The Grinder, and berry lemonade. Our drinks were free since we waited so long for a table, but we spent $17 on desserts to make up for it. They didn't lose out. Please please please go to Champs next time you're in Brooklyn!! They even host 3 course meal, movie nights once a month, but by reservation only.

Another great thing about NYC is vegan slices!!! Everywhere!! But my favorite selection is from Vinnies off Bedford in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I ordered a Mac n cheese slice, jalapeño buffalo chikin slice, and veggie sauté with tofurky pepperoni. HELL YEAH.

Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NY

March 15, 2013

This weekend, I played Philadelphia Infest at Gunners Run in north Philadelphia. It was a great show, and a great excuse to eat yummy food. First, we flew into New York to meet up with the rest of my band....and eat....

Let me start by saying...There is way too much food for me to eat in New York. I am always so belly full in that city, that's it gets hard to walk and go up and down those damn subway stairs. This trip was my brother, Levi's, first time to the east coast, and I wanted to show him some of my very favorite NYC spots. So, the first place we went, after we got off the plane in La Guardia, was to Soy and Sake in Greenwich Village. My friend, Zeta, is a piercer at Whatever Tattoo, just a few blocks from there and she let us drop off my suitcase and guitar so we could wander the city hassle free for a while. I was excited that this ALLLLL VEGAN SUSHI restaurant had a lunch special, so we went all out. I had eaten dinner there once before, so I told Levi to order the craziest sushi roll he could imagine for us to split. This place has vegan eel, shrimp, tuna, etc. and it's insane. He was never a fish fan anyways, so he ordered the Village Roll, which was shrimp, fried banana, avocado, and spicy mayo. It was a work of art!!!! For our entrees, we got house salads with a citrus ginger dressing, green curry with fried silken tofu, and General Tso's Chikin. One thing I loved about the green curry was that it had whole basil leaves, a ton of vegetables, and was such a light and fresh flavor. It wasn't overly salty and dense, so it didn't make me fall into a food coma, and was served with brown rice. I don't usually eat fried tofu, since most Thai restaurants in San Antonio fry meat in the same oil, so it was a special occasion for me. It was particularly interesting because it was so crispy on the outside and straight up soft silken texture on the inside. I would like to try and recreate this on my own using the vegan fryer at Green sometime. Levi's General Tso's chikin was amazing. The thick sauce was sweet and the chikin balls were breaded, fried, and were super dense on the outside, yet flaky on the inside, almost like a puff pastry texture. The only thing I've had that was similar is the Protein 2000 at Veggie Heaven in Austin. All in all, we were very happy with our meal.