Food Snobbery Survey #2

The lovely Liz at Food Snobbery is My Hobbery has posted another survey. Here are my responses:

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?
Probably organic, but really, whatever is fresh and looks good.

2. Favorite way to prepare potatoes:
I don't prepare potatoes very often, but I suppose I like them best roasted.

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
Absolutely.

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
My Nana's noodle kugel is my favorite family recipe, but I haven't attempted to veganize it yet.

5. Any food allergies?
No, I don't, but I have a sensitivity to nutritional yeast and tomatoes give me eczema. I still eat them, though! Ok, I don't eat raw tomatoes, but that's just because I don't care for them.

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
Madeleine Bistro in Tarzana. It's gourmet vegan food!

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
Definitely soup. More specifically, the Chickpea-Noodle Soup from Veganomicon or Cindy O's soup from La Dolce Vegan.

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
I use a Brita water filter at home.

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
Mint or mango.

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
My Mom Was a Home Ec Major and We Still Ate Hamburger Helper on Occasion

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
I live in Los Angeles, so I pretty much have every food at my fingertips year round. I'm so lucky! I wish I had my own personal gardener, though, who would plant and harvest all my favorite fruits and veggies for me according to my wishes. ;)

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
It's between shiitake and portabello.

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
I don't have nearly enough counter space.

14. Last food you burned?
Some of the carrots for Veganomicon's Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes.

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
I always say that I get protein from beans, grains, nuts, seeds, and veggies, but that our bodies don't need as much protein as the colloquial "they" say we need.

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
If I were a magician, it would be a vegan Angel Food cake.

17. Favorite brand of chocolate chips?
Sunspire's grain-sweetened chocolate chips (and I LOVE their vegan carob chips).

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma- What do you buy?
Oh, there are so many ways to spend this money! I would probably get an oven-safe dutch oven. I don't think $200 would buy a Le Creuset one, but that'd be my preference. :) Those mango cutters are cool, too.

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
I don't usually plan menus in advance, but I'll often decide I want to make a specific recipe and then shop for it accordingly.

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
A banana, a Luna bar, or a Clif bar.

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win and how?
Rachael Ray is scrappy, but Martha Stewart would shoot death rays out of her eyes and kill the others.

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
Raisins and brown sugar or real maple syrup.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?
India.

24. Favorite late night snack?
I don't usually eat late at night, but probably a handful of frozen raw cashews or a handful of carob chips.

25. Favorite springtime food?
Asparagus.

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
VegNews or, if that doesn't count, Cooking Light.

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
I don't have a preference.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
Onions and their relatives leeks, scallions, shallots, and chives. Also, avocados.

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
Honestly, there isn't a holiday food I look forward to all year long. I love the stuffing I make every year, but I don't think about it except around Thanksgiving.

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
Everyone I love and the U.S. President.