I made a trip to Healthy by Nature this weekend and realized that this is out of the several health food stores I stop in once or twice a month, that it’s the only one that employs mainly younger workers. It’s good to see that it’s not just stereotypical “hippie-granola” types (whatever that means), but everyday high school and college aged kids that are working there. One guy I met this weekend is probably about 19 or 20. He’s a vegan and is into death metal (he commented on the Soilent Green shirt I was wearing)… kind of an interesting mix.

One product I picked up during my trip was Tofutti’s “Better Than Cream Cheese,” a dairyless cream cheese alternative that is mighty tasty. I bought the chive flavor, but added a few fresh chives to the mix when I got home. I’m happy to report that it definitely passed the bagel test.

And today I was pretty psyched to find Sumac at a Persian market near my work. It added a nice flavor to the Fatoosh that I made, despite the fact I didn’t have a couple of the ingredients on hand, and therefore had to improvise a bit.

Now that I have some Sumac, I think I may try out a vegan variation on Sumac-Garlic Mayonnaise. I also picked up some Fava beans, so if anyone has any recipe suggestions for those, I’m listening.