The 4-hour detox and other stories (AND A RECIPE!)

Hello, folks! I am back from Quebec City, and I had a fabulous time! It was a little touristy, but still charming, and very, very European. Artemis, her mom, my mom, and I stayed in a hostel, which was so cool. (While I was there, I imagined that I was somewhere in Europe by myself.) Our room was tiny, with two squeaky bunk beds and little else. The free breakfast was very good (they had toast, cereal, bagels, tea, coffee, and juice) and it was right in Old Quebec, which is the really ancient part of the city. Mostly, we just walked around going into shops, and ate. It was fun, although I felt quite guilty about my non-vegan-ness (I ate a crepe, two almond croissants, a cafe au lait, and several cups of tea with milk. Ick.) But! if I never eat another almond croissant in my life, I will be content with the incredibly amazing pastry I had in Quebec! I mean, seriously, you have not had a croissant if you haven't had one at this cafe (which I can't remember the name of, unfortunately.) It was warm, crispy, and buttery, and there was almond filling sandwiched in between two layers of croissant.Yum....
So! after we returned, my mom and I thought, this would be the perfect time to try a detox, and get rid of all the toxins in our bodies left there by the disturbing amount of dairy products we consumed! (There was a plan for a detox in the latest issue of Natural Health, magazine that I, despite the fact that it is aimed at 40-year-olds, read religiously.) We began Wednesday morning by drinking two cups of warm water, and eating a bowl of quinoa oatmeal for breakfast. It was not good; don't try it, but I still finished it. We had to go to the Gap, in the the mall, to return some clothes that my dad bought there (he bought two job interview outfits, and kept one of them) and to Target, to get some hay for April. My mom was quite miserable, actually. She told me that one usually feels like they have the flu at the beginning of a detox. "But I am not in the mood to feel like I have the flu," she added. We both agreed to stop the detox, and on the way home, we stopped at the Udder Place and had coffee. I know, it's sort of pathetic. She felt better immediately.
For our post-detox dinner, we got out the grill for the first time in forever, and made barbecued tempeh (the recipe is also from Natural Health.) It's DELICIOUS! Try it! I am posting the recipe here so that others may enjoy grilling some tempeh before the summer ends:

TEMPEH BARBECUE SANDWICHES

Ingredients:

COLESLAW
4 cups green cabbage, finely grated
2 medium-sized carrots, finely grated
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1/2 cup vegenaise
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

SANDWICHES
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced red onion
8 ounces soy or mixed-grain tempeh
4 whole wheat Kaiser rolls, split open

1. Prepare the coleslaw: combine cabbage, carrots, onion, vegenaise, soy yogurt, vinegar, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
2. Prepare a medium fire in the grill with a well-oiled vegetable-grilling rack in place.
3. To make barbecue sauce, stir together ketchup, vinegar, sugar, chili powder, soy sauce, and onion in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
4. Cut tempeh in half horizontally to make two thin cakes. Slice cakes into 8 pieces about 1-inch wide, for a total of 16 pieces. Add tempeh strips to barbecue sauce and turn to coat with sauce.
5. Grill tempeh until heated through and crusty, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Lightly toast rolls on the grill, about 2 minutes per side.
6. Brush the inside of the rolls with remaining barbecue sauce. Place about 4 tempeh slices on each roll, and top with a generous dollop of coleslaw. Serve at once.