Being Plant Strong

I think Rip Esselstyn is great!

If his Dad isn't convincing you with science and research (aka Forks Over Knives and The China Study), then manly athlete and fire fighter Rip is going to show you the results in a practical way.



I really want to get our local fire station onto his Engine 2 diet. I think they would feel so much better for it!

Sunday Night Test Kitchen

I've done this in the past but now I'm back at it.

 What am I talking about? I've reinstated Sunday Night Test Kitchen.
 I get to try out a new recipe each week and have our friends eat it all up and give feedback.

 In the past few weeks, we've made...

Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Filling and Cocoa Frosting

Homemade Ladyfingers for Tiramisu

Napoleons

Mini Almond Pound Cakes with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream and Fresh Strawberries

Rustic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's all vegan and all delicious. Who says you can't eat amazing vegan baked goods. Baking with out eggs or dairy is soooo easy!

Friends Don't Let Friends: Not Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

Over the past several weeks, the husband and I have been getting together at another couple's house, along with another couple and all our dogs(!!!), for Sunday night dinner, games and The Walking Dead.

Yesterday, being St. Patrick's day, we decided to get all festive and do a full Irish dinner... veganized of course!

Everyone in the group cooks so we've had some great meals - enchiladas, tacos, lasagna, many many varieties of homemade pizza, chili, and more. Last night we had a corned beef-style seitan (made from scratch), colcannon made with kale, red cabbage and apples and Irish soda bread. Everything was amazing!

 I've also used these dinners to bring back what I call "Sunday Night Test Kitchen". I try to make a new recipe each time and we've had tiramisu, chocolate cheesecake, coconut cake and, of course, cupcakes.

Last night's dessert, to be festive, were Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Buttercream Frosting, modified from Chef Chloe's new book.

Ingredients

Chocolate Beer Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour plus ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup stout beer (I used Guinness Extra Stout, which is vegan)
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar (I used white)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Irish Whiskey Buttercream (note, I made my regular frosting and did not add milk)

• 1 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I use Spectrum Organics)
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 to 5 tablespoons soy, almond, or rice milk
• 3 to 4 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Caramel

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup vegan margarine
• 4 teaspoons soy, almond, or rice milk

I opted to ditch the caramel and instead do a festive green ombre frosting with green jimmies.

Here's the process:

Procedure

To make the Chocolate Beer Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners. Note, I got 16 cupcakes out of this recipe. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together stout, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.

To make the Irish Whiskey Buttercream

Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the shortening until smooth. With the mixer running on low, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon nondairy milk at a time, as needed, until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. You may not need to use all of the nondairy milk. Add whiskey, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired taste. Beat on high for 2 more minutes until light and fluffy.

To make the Caramel

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat brown sugar, margarine, and nondairy milk, stirring frequently.  Once mixture comes together, increase heat to medium-high and let cook for one to two more minutes, until it begins to boil and the bubbles move into the center of the caramel. Remove from heat.

To assemble the cupcakes: Frost cooled cupcakes with buttercream and dust with cocoa powder. Drizzle warm caramel over cupcakes using a fork or a squeeze tube. Caramel will be easier to work with while warm.

If you want the ombre frosting, I use gel food coloring and then paint 4 stripes of it in my piping bag before putting in the frosting.  When it comes out, it's swirled!

I hope you enjoyed some craic and... 

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh

Dogs Can Evolve

I was so excited to see the new study out from Uppsala University in Sweden that shows how dogs have evolved right along side humans, helping them to mesh perfectly into our lives.

The main reason for this is contributed to the fact that, as man was creating an agriculture based lifestyle  planting, harvesting and eating grains more regularly, dogs were able to eat and process starchy foods and carbohydrates.

I love this because it just goes to show, again, that dogs are not obligate carnivores like cats and that they can be very healthy on a varied diet.  Just like ours who are still getting (and reacting to) a veggie filled dinner each night.

Evolutionary geneticist, Erik Axelsson, states that all dogs have this genetic change and that it's thousands of years back in time.

So now when people whine about the fact that it's not natural for dogs to eat veggies (like eating kibble is?) we can say "yes, yes it is!"

Cancer vs Concessions

I went to an event today where Relay for Life was a recipient of some of the funds raised.  They had signage all throughout the event but as I was walking around I noticed that there seemed to be a huge disconnect going on.

While the small Relay for Life signs were promoting healthier eating, we were surrounded by fried brownies and sausage sandwiches and meat and fried, well, EVERYTHING!

Not quite a consistent message, huh?

And this is something that bothers me a lot... inconsistency.  A big issue that I have are animal rescue groups who do fundraisers and events where they are serving other animals. It's a connection I never thought about before I was vegan(not that I ate hot dogs and hamburgers, the main items served).

But now it bothers me a lot.  Especially when it's done by groups, groups that I work with, that not only rescue dogs and cats but also rescue cows, goats, chickens and pigs.

I have decided, that as much as want to and do support many of these rescue groups, I will absolutely NOT support them at these events.  I also make a point to tell them WHY I'm not supporting them at their events.

All animals are worthy of rescue and protection.  And those that are working to end animal cruelty and neglect need to adhere to that. They may choose to not be vegan on a personal level but at events they should absolutely be so.

Part of the purpose of these groups is education.  And there are no excuses for not serving vegan food.  There are many commercially available delicious options, including non-animal-based hot dogs and hamburgers.  Not only will you be exposing people to healthy tasty food, you will not be alienating your strongest supporters... those who have incorporated animal welfare into their entire lives.

This post is going to be a part of my response to these groups from now on.  This is a call to action!  Live according to what your mission is all about! 

Compassion for ALL ANIMALS!

Food - rules to live by

The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet

Source: Peta

Downloadable/Printable version here

The Vegan Food Pyramid

via http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/

Veggie Dogs Redux

Back in January we started feeding our pups a grain, bean and veggie filled dinner and they are really thriving on it.  Well, they also get carrots for treats and there are these great sweet potato treats we get them too.  While we give them other veggies from time to time, we just found out how much they love a new treat - collard green stems! 

Both Badger and Oona crunch them right up.  Badger likes both leaf bits and stems while Oona is more about the crunchy stems.  These are now fun treats to give them anytime.  We don't have to worry about fat, salt or who-knows-what-else in commercial "treats".

Our dogs eat more veggies than most people do, especially compared to some kids we know!

Sites for Easy Fun and Tasty Recipes

Vegans love to talk about food and are, on the whole, "foodie" people.  We're concerned with taste, texture, quality, sourcing and freshness.  So, when you're around a group of vegans, foods going to be a topic of conversation eventually.  From our favorite breakfast, to the best tofu cream cheese to where to get a great meal. And while we like to come up with our own veggie creations, it's always fun to get inspiration and ideas from other vegans cooking on the web. 

Vegan Stoner is a great resource for cheap easy but tasty meals.  Plush I love their fun illustrations.

Happy Herbivore is one of my new favorites.  Lindsay has a great cook book as well.  All her recipes are low to non-fat, filled with easy to source ingredients and fast.  I really love her chocolate zucchini muffins and chick-pea tuna salad.

The husband really loves to try out ideas from Vegan Dad.  The recipes here are very kid friendly and are perfect for transitioning vegans because it's filled with lots of familiar favorites and comfort food.  If you're working to change over your whole household, there are great ideas here from "hot wings" (above) to sausages or "fish" fillets.

With so many resources and ideas, you won't be stumped for an answer to the "what do you eat" question.  What's great is while all of these are tasty, you get real life feedback and experiences, and no excuses!

Recipe to try - Vegan Ranch Dressing

I haven't made this yet, but it sounds and looks great and I want to.  So I'm saving the recipe here.  If you make it before I do, let me know how it goes!

Vegan Ranch Dressin'

Source: No Face Plate

1 tub medium-firm tofu

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons chive oil

3 tablespoons dill pickle juice

4 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 tsp mustard, spicy

1.5 tablespoons each - minced parsley, chives and dill, fresh

20-30 twists of your pepper grinder (yup, I like mine punchy)


In a blender, blend the first 4 ingredients until super-smooth (you can add a little more oil if you need to, and remember to scrape down the sides as you go). Scrape the white sauce into a bowl and add remaining ingredients.

Taste for salt and add a little more if you need, but usually the pickle juice + mustard is enough for moi. Resist the temptation to add nutritional yeast - this is just tangy enough as it is.

VeganMoFo: Dinner and Breakfast in a Snap

I've been kind of slack about keeping up with my Vegan Month of Food posts, but here are two quick meal ideas that are perfect for when you want something comforting. 

Hopefully you are making stock, so when you want some good warming soup, you can defrost a few containers, saute up some veggies and throw in the pasta.  Here I diced up carrots, onions, leeks and tomatoes.  I then cooked them until soft in a bit of oil, salt and pepper, as well as a bit of Braggs.  I then added enough stock to cover the veggies well (make it as soupy or chunky as you like, you can always add some water) and about a cup of pasta.  Cook until the pasta is soft and you are done.

Breakfast can be a pain too. Of course, I love cereal, but on the weekends, I like a hot breakfast.  We always have oatmeal in the house so that's easy to whip up, but I ran out of my favorite topping of chopped dates.  So I added a more seasonal ingredient - apples and walnuts!

I sauteed the chopped and peeled apples and chopped walnuts in a bit of EarthBalance, ground cinnamon, brown sugar and maple syrup until the apples are soft.  Add the hot apple and sugar mixture to your cooked oatmeal and you have a delicious warm and filling breakfast.  Plus you can make extra and microwave individual portions for a fast breakfast.  Don't buy instant!

There you go!

This recipe is a part of:

Disconnect

People sometimes ask us if we mind if they eat meat in front of us.  If you ask me this and you really want an honest answer, not just the answer that will make you feel okay or that society expects us to say, it's going to be: yeah, I mind.

When you see this...

I see this...

It would be like some one killing your dog or cat or child in front of you and then eating it.   Do you mind???

Let me say it again... Yeah.  I mind.  

 If that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, then maybe it's because you know you are eating what was once a living creature that had thoughts and emotions and a will to live a happy peaceful life.  Don't apologize to me for eating it in front of me (which I also get a lot), apologize to the animals.

Telling the Truth

I'll admit - I'm excited to see commercials getting funded to run on the air telling the truth about the animal based foods we eat. That we eat daily without thinking about ourselves, our health, the corporations and lobbies behind them, the cost to the environment and the animals that give their lives for them.

PCRM's is a bit harder hitting and speaks to the direct negative health effects.

While Compassion Over Killing speaks about the animals.

I hope these get plenty of air time, or at least some controversy so that people will seek them out!

2500 Calories Plus

I've been talking more and more here and on the Facebook page about dining excess.  Not just the way we eat but in the food that is being created, glorified and shoved in our faces over and over again.

I have noticed more and more some bad decadence at work from restaurants.  They are competing, I think, to see who can make us eat the worst.

Burger King's latest is a “burger” made with 4 Whopper patties, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce and pesto and is coming this month to the New York City BK Whopper Bar in Times Square.

And while I know this is a gimmick, it is also real.  But why?

This 9.5" monstrosity is over 2500 calories, more than a day's worth of calories for an adult.   That alone should stop you but if it doesn't:

1. There are a hundred an forty-four grams of fat in the NY Pizza Burger.


2. There are fifty-nine grams of saturated fat in the NY Pizza Burger.

3. There are 3,780 milligrams of salt in the NY Pizza Burger (more than double the daily allowance for adults).

4. You have better ways to spend thirteen dollars.

5. You do not want to be a part of the culinary suicide that Americans are committing.

6. You want to be a role model for healthy eating.

7. Your stomach just turned at the idea of this culinary travesty.

8. You value your health, both now and in the future.

9. You do not want to participate in the methane production related to making that much meat and dairy – if in fact there is real meat and dairy used in that product.

10. You don’t have an interest in financially supporting the fast food industry’s belief that they can get rich by feeding America death-food.
 
I hate fast food in general, but when I see examples of garbage like this being served and idolized as food, it makes me crazy.

Sources:
Do not Eat This
Tiny Green Bubble

Tonight's Dinner: Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Pilaf

Tonight's Dinner

Acorn squash - halved, seeded and roasted until tender

Stuffed with wild rice pilaf

Steamed broccoli

Baby greens salad with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes

topped with ginger dressing

Cut the squash in half and remove seeds, rub edges with a bit of oil so they don't stick and bake about 45 min at 400 degrees until fork tender.

In saute pan with about 2 Tbl of EarthBlance, cook chopped carrots, celery, mushrooms (optional) and 1.5 cups of wild rice blend until the veggies are soft.  Add 3 cups of vegetable stock, ground pepper and stuffing herb mix (sage is ideal) and bring to a boil.  Turn temperature to low and let simmer until rice is done.

Steam broccoli for 15 minutes.

Serve the squash filled with the rice mixture and with the broccoli on the side.  Add a green salad for a fresh addition.

Less Impact Fam(ily) Waste Notes:
Squash - no packaging
Wild Rice - from bulk bin purchased in reusable bag
Carrots - bunch in plastic packaging
Celery - rubberband
Stock - some homemade, some from veggie boullion cube w/ foil wrapper
Broccoli - no packaging
Dressing - glass jar
Salad - Bulk plastic bin
Cucumber - no packaging
Cherry tomatoes - recyclable plastic package

Friends Don't Let Friends: Stress Over Dinner for Guests

I think at some point and time, we realize that we have to invite people over for dinner.  Maybe for a slightly fancier dinner than just grabbing a pizza or layout out some chips and salsa.  We want to impress but we don't want to stress ourselves out so much that we miss out on the whole point of having our friends over... we want to enjoy their company.

I'm going to let you in on my favorite "company" dinner. Risotto.

Risotto is the perfect meal for when you are having guests over.  You can easily make a large batch.  It's easy to make and you can flavor it in a number of different ways.  You can prepare it bit ahead and keep it warm on the stove.  And by pairing it up with a steamed or grilled vegetable and maybe a salad, you have a beautifully presented meal.

Risotto even sounds a bit fussy and fancy but, here's a secret... it's just rice!  Okay, it's really creamy tasting and amazing rice but it's not very complicated and you can't really mess it up.  Plus it can be very inexpensive to make, which let's you have friends over more often.  

Depending on how many people you are planning to have over and what you are pairing with it, this recipe will easily serve 4 - 6 dinner portions. 

What you need is Risotto rice, a medium yellow onion, stock (homemade!!!), about 2 Tbls of olive oil, white wine and salt and pepper.  You can add any combination of other ingredients such as saffron, mushrooms, peas, asparagus whatever you want, really.

Risotto takes a bit of time but it's not complicated.  The slow cooking and slow additions of the broth are what creates the creamy texture with almost zero fat.  You don't need to add anything such as butter or cheese to accomplish the richness that risotto is known for.

Begin by chopping the onion into small, not quite minced pieces.   In a wide and deep pan, saute this in the olive oil about 7 minutes until the onions are soft.  Add 2 Cups of the risotto rice to the pan and cook that until the rice is a bit translucent with a white dot in the center, about another 5 or so minutes.  Add a 1/2 Cup of white wine to the rice and the onions and let it absorb into the rice.

While your onions are cooking have the stock warming over low heat in another pot.  I like to have about 8 cups on hand. You are going to be adding the stock to the rice about a 1/2 cup (or a good ladle-ful) at a time, slowing letting the rice absorb the liquid each time before adding more.  Stir the rice a bit after each addition and make sure to scrape along the bottom of the pan.

Once the rice has absorbed all of the stock and is completely soft, usually this takes about 30 - 40 minutes, add in any additions.  If you are adding in mushrooms or a vegetable I would recommend cooking them separately and stirring them into the cooked risotto.

And that's it!  Plate and serve.  Here is our dinner from the other night - risotto and steamed broccoli.

And here is a fancy dinner out - mushroom risotto served with grilled asparagus.

Even if you are not having people over, make the same amount. Risotto stores well and is even better the next day.   You can reheat it or you can even form the chilled risotto into small discs and fry them to serve on the top of or on the side of some tender raw or cooked greens.

Enjoy!

I salute you, Stephen

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know a Lobby - American Meat Institute
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

Okay, not only is this hilarious but it points out the real truth - humans are animals too. Why is it okay to kill some animals?

I'm sure we all get the joke and are not advocating eating people. But then, why is it right to kill and eat other feeling and thinking beings?

Nothing but Excess

In a time when we as an American society seem to be perched precariously on the edge of economic and political unrest, when we are being continually reminded of the huge health issues we are facing, we also seem hell-bent on driving ourselves there as quickly as possible.

I don't know if it's our perverse need to never conceed. That we feel it's better to give a big middle-finger to nutrition warnings or the fact that we can't admit that we're wrong but I am just staggered every day when I hear ever more excessive and decadent (in the degenerate, debased, debauched and self-indulgent meaning) ways.

You can't turn on a TV without hearing about some XYZ burger or triple-tier dessert. I was actually in a restaurant for a party this weekend and the "ultimate brownie" was: brownie, chocolate sauce, ice cream, nuts, whipped cream, Kahlua, etc. It was a bit crazy.

And here are two more examples...

As if the junky empty calories of Doritos were not enough... we now have Doritos Late Night All Nighter Cheeseburger flavor. They may not have trans fats but they do have "Natural Beef Flavor", whatever the hell that is, along with all the oil, milk and cheese mixed in and dumped on top.

On the high end we have ridiculous creation of disgusting proportions... the Foie Gras Loco Moco.

This concoction from a restaurant in California. This thing is beyond politically incorrect, it's disturbing. Foie gras (fatty liver), Spam (who knows what), beef patty, a fried quail egg and a reduction of foie gras.

Really, do we need this? In light of the issues with our health, do we really need this? Can it even taste that good? I mean, we're talking Spam here.

We, as individuals and as a nation, need to retrain ourselves. Learn to show a little restraint. We don't need it all, all the time, right now? Do we?

And wouldn't it be better for ourselves, the country and the world if we did?

Information Flows

I was on Facebook the other day and saw a friend's update that stated:

My son's gem of the week: "Dad, how do cows give their milk? Do they spit?"

I posted a comment on Twiter about how this was sad to me and it became a discussion between me and some of my online friends. Part of the discussion was that many people grow up not learning this information from school biology or health classes or from their parents.

We are a society that is, generally, very far removed from the sources of what we eat. And as the world becomes more and more urban (it's estimated that by 2050, 70% of the world will live in cities) there are few opportunities to connect with the plants and animals that make up what most people eat.

I will readily admit that I was as disconnected as anyone else from what I ate. I grew up in Miami, FL. I never had a garden, never raised animals for food, never visited a farm or cleaned a fish that I caught. Frankly, much of what I've learned about the life cycles of farm animals (aka the animals we eat) I've learned in the past two or so years since we brought our rescued hens, rooster, turkey and goats to come live with us.

Animals are the best teachers.

What still surprises me and makes me sad is that we don't know these things. That we are not taught them and that we have fewer and fewer opportunities to learn.

We live in a a semi-rural and traditionally agricultural area in North Carolina. The town is a mix of people who have lived here for almost 70 years and some newer residents. There are still tobacco fields dotting the area, although those are becoming harder to find. Yet, even in an area where many people have exposure to animals and farms, since we brought home our "outside" animals they've become ambassadors for their relations. And they bring up opportunities to answer questions on how animals would live in a more natural way.

For example, when we brought home Tulip and Petal, the pygmy goats, people asked if we would be utilizing their milk to drink or to make cheese. We answered "No". We will not be taking milk from them because, like cows and other mammals, they only have milk when they have babies who need it to grow. For Tulip to have milk she would have to be bred, impregnated, have babies and then have the babies taken away, for us to then take her milk for our own purposes. This will never, ever happen.

This is what happens on a enormous scale to millions of cows (and on a smaller scale to goats) every day. The dairy cows are impregnated over and over again. Their babies are taken from them right away (males to become veal, females to become more dairy cows or meat) and they're hooked up to industrial milking machines which often injure them. Now I never ate veal on "priciple" but I didn't know or connect the steps between the milk I put on my cereal and the veal calf that I refused to eat. I didn't know that my cereal milk or favorite cheese was contributing just as much to supporting the system as eating veal or a steak.

There are similar questions regarding the eggs that Meg and Gertie lay. People ask how often they lay and we respond that they lay, generally, once a day during the spring, summer and a bit into the fall. That they do lay even without a rooster around because it is their fertility cycle, so they create a egg just like women do, whether it is fertilized or not. We also say that they don't usually lay in the winter because it would be too cold to have chicks hatch during the winter to survive, so they naturally don't lay eggs then... unless they are unnaturally manipulated through lights and temperature, as factory egg farms do.

We also explain how the egg farms work. That, as you could statistically expect, about half of the chicks born on the egg farms are male. These male baby chicks are unwanted so they are thrown, alive, into grinders and either disposed of or fed to the chickens or other animals.

It's hard to fathom and yet, that is what happens and what we support when we buy eggs.

I had no idea about any of these facts just a few years ago. It makes me sad and sick that I was never taught it. I feel that I should have known. I love and was interested in animals. I was very involved in science and biology. I wanted to be a vet. Yet I never connected the dots about how they live, how they are meant to live and how the animal foods I ate came about. Why is that? And why was none of this ever taught any where? Why are we never educated about the animals that live in closest connection to our lives? If I had known these few things I probably would have made the changes I've made years earlier.

When people get to meet our animals they are often entranced (see our little friend above). They engage with them. Love their unique personalities. They want to know more and are amazed by how they live and how they act. They ask to come back to see them and play with them again.

I know how they feel. Because I'm amazed by them every day.

I think if more people where taught the truth about the animals that we use and how their lives are manipulated and twisted for our own ends and for profit that people would not want to support this. I believe that most people are kind and compassionate. That they don't want baby cows ripped from their mothers, they don't want hens to have their beaks sliced off or male chicks ground up alive because they are "trash". That the abundance of fruits, vegetables, beans and grains available to us is more than we could ever tire of.

And that the joy that comes from knowing we are not causing harm with our food choices brings us an immense satisfaction and sense of peace.