Archive for the ‘ Vegan Life ’ Category

Let the Eater Beware

Jun 19, 2010 in Vegan Life

Jane and I were out and about today and popped in to an ad hoc cooking class. The teacher was presenting different summer recipes and one of them sounded very interesting. After the class was over we chatted with the teacher for a few moments. After a few references to different meats we could incorporate into the recipes she had presented we told her we were vegan. Her first question, "Do you eat fish?" Then she suggested various ingredients we could add to certain recipes to "spice them up" -- including Worchestershire sauce, which contains ANCHOVIES! (Note: she didn't know, nor did she suggest searching for vegan Worchestershire sauce.)

This woman then went on to mention that she would be presenting a vegetarian cooking class later in the summer, and suggested we sign up. Now I understand that not everyone knows the definition of "vegan" -- I mean really, there's even debate about it within the vegan community. But if you are promoting yourself as a cooking instructor, especially one who is going to teach a class on vegetarian fare, should you have an understanding of what vegetarian means? And shouldn't you have a vague understanding of what the ingredients are in the products you are promoting?

Oh, and did I forget to mention that this woman is also a caterer?

Anyway, the point of this post is to remind everyone, ourselves included, that you don't always know what you're getting when you don't prepare your own food.

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Got Milk?

Mar 11, 2010 in Vegan Life

If you're new to the vegan thing, or considering switching to a vegan diet, the idea of replacing dairy can be quite daunting.  In reality, replacing milk isn't an issue.  There are a wide variety of replacements that are conveniently available in almost any supermarket.  In addition to that, you can go ahead and make your own nut and oat milks.  (Jane makes almond milk religiously.)  However, soy and tree nuts can be allergens for some people, so if you have questions,  check with your doctor or nutritionist.

We've pretty much tried them all over the time we've been vegan, and here's how we typically use the various vegan milk products.

  • Almond milk -  We have a Soyabella Milk Maker, and Jane uses that to make our almond milk.  I use that as the base for my morning shake, and she uses it for hot cereals, in her baking, and some soups.
  • Hazelnut milk - Jane likes to use hazelnut milk in the same manner as almond milk.  My mom likes it in her coffee, and we've used it to make chocolate milk (yum).
  • Soy milk -You can find this milk replacement anywhere.  And there are a wide variety of flavors available, from coffee to green tea, to eggnog at the holidays.  We've found they vary greatly in taste and mouth-feel, so we'd suggest buying a few different brands and having your own taste test.  Our personal preference is the Silk brand ever since they reformulated it to be more creamy.  You can also make your own.  We find it to be a bit on the  "beany" side, but Jane makes it occasionally and uses for savory dishes.  Don't forget to hang on to the bean remains, also called okara.  You can use it in cooking or baking or in soups to give your dish an extra protein punch.
  • Oat Milk - We love this for our hot cereals and soups.  It has a very creamy texture.
  • Hemp Milk -  I really enjoy the taste and texture of hemp milk, but it's the most pricey of all the milk alternatives (here at least) and so we tend not to buy it all that often.
  • Coconut Milk - We buy the light version in cans at our local Trader Joe's and Jane uses it to prepare thai dishes and in some baking.  The full fat version is pretty high in calories.  So Delicious has also come out with milk, sold in cartons on the supermarket shelves.  Since we love their yogurt ($$$$)  and ice creams we were very excited when this product came out.  However, neither of us really cared for it as a milk.
  • Rice milk - The least nutritious of all the milk-alternatives, we tend to stay away from rice milk, although we do buy some on occasion and sprinkle it with cinnamon to make our own Horchata.  It's a good snack.

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Vegan Questionnaire

Oct 04, 2009 in Vegan Life

So there is this fun little vegan questionnaire going around, you may have already seen it.  It comes to us via an email from Janine in England (she has no blog).  Anyway, it's below.  Feel free to submit your answers on your own blogs.  It's a fun way to get to know each other a little better.

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
Actually, I have three:

  1. Home-made almond milk -  Jane whips up a batch using our  Soyabella Milk Maker every four or five days. I use this in our breakfast shake and Jane uses it for almost all of her cooking/baking endeavors.
  2. For cereal, I like WestSoys Plain Light - it's closest to the old fat free cow's milk I used to drink BV (before vegan).
  3. Silk Light Chocolate - I like this as a snack.  I'm totally addicted!

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
I don't do any of the cooking... but Jane's certainly got 3 recipes on the back burner that I can't wait to try.  Susan's Okara Crab Cakes and her Seitan baked in Sweet and Sour Orange Sauce.  And a whole bunch of new recipes Jane is planning on debuting for Thanksgiving this year.

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
I have never been a huge fan of flavored popcorn.  I prefer the regular buttered and salted variety.  So it's Earth Balance for me!

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
The worst thing Jane has made for us as vegans has been Veganomicon's Mac & Cheese.   I know plenty of you enjoy it, but we both took one bite and then Jane threw out the panful (something she NEVER does).  It was such a disaster that we have avoided all mac and cheese recipes

5. Favorite pickled item?
There is a wonderful Japanese pickled cucumber condiment we get sometimes.  I can't remember what it's called, but I know they use a bit of sugar in the brine too.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
I don't understand how Jane has the books organized, but she knows where each one lives.  She's also got a ton of recipes online organized by things like: appetizers, breads, soups, breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, cakes, cookies, and FAVORITES

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
How about recycling?   I compost all our kitchen scraps.  And we're lucky, we can co-mingle all our recyclables, including all plastics, which are picked up weekly.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
Turkish Lentil Stew, Strawberries (really ripe, fresh from the farmer's market) or Cherimoya, and almost any bread.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
My mother made hamburgers for dinner one night; they were rocks (my mom was and still is a HORRIBLE cook).  When my parents weren't looking, my brother grabbed our burgers and threw them out the third floor window.  When my parents went out that night, my brother ordered us a pizza.  He was 6 years older than me, and I thought he was sooo cool.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
So Delicious - Chocolate Brownie Almond

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
Again, I defer to Jane.... It's her Kitchen Aid Mixer.

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Savory: Cumin // Sweet: Cinnamon

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Joy of Cooking, and we still use it!

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Blackberry.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Tofu chocolate mousse.  People cannot believe that it is vegan.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Seitan by far.  But tofu is the easiest.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
Jane likes to cook in the afternoon.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Because we have such a tiny kitchen, we have a ton of stuff on top of our fridge.  The toaster oven lives there, along with whatever cold cereals we are eating at the moment, tea bags, two bottles of liquor, and the local phone books (what are those?).  I'm probably forgetting something!

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
That's easy.  Morningstar's Grillers Vegan, frozen fruit (blueberries, blackberries, and cherries) for our breakfast shake, and Trader Joe's Chocolate non-dairy dessert (our vegan ice cream).

20. What's on your grocery list?
Phyllo dough, Field Roast sausages, and tofu.

21. Favorite grocery store?
Trader Joe's.  They are starting to carry more and more vegan products, and their prices are usually much better than what we get elsewhere.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
Macaroni and cheese!

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
Fat Free Vegan - Susan has the best recipes!

Seitan is My Motor - Mihl also has a great blog.  Jane has had good results with her baked goods.

Bitten - Mark Bittman's blog for the NY Times.

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Jane's chocolate truffles.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
Soy milk powder.  Jane uses it in icing.  It was around $14 for a canister.  Sheesh!

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
Jane bought something called annatto for a recipe she can no longer find.  It's been sitting in the cupboard for about 4 months now.

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Living The Vegan Life

Jul 07, 2009 in Vegan Life

Today is our two year vegan-versary.   Over the past two years we've learned a lot about the positive health benefits of a vegan diet, about the benefits of being vegan on the environment, and about the horrific conditions in which livestock spend their entire lives.  And while we may not be "perfect" vegans, we have found our stride and are quite confident that we will be vegan for the rest of our lives.

When we first went vegan, we experienced a considerable amount of trepidation.  Would we be able to do this?  Would we miss meat and dairy?  Would we be any healthier?  Would we be able to eat out again?  I've blogged about many of these experiences, and you've shared your own with us, and on your blogs as well.  I think most of us have found the transition to veganism to be far less painful, and much more rewarding than we could have anticipated.

The most unanticipated thing though, is our shift in thinking.  There is no way we would be able to go back to a meat-centered diet.  We went vegan for our health, we're staying vegan because we cannot conceive of eating meat again after learning how that meat is produced.  (And some of you can say you told me so!)

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