SuperVegan: Vegan Blog and New York City Restaurant Guide

Adopt-A-Turkey at the Next Vegan Drinks NYC on Thursday, November 19

info@vegandrinks.org (Deborah Diamant) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:11 EST

Since we are forced to hold Vegan Drinks one week early because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we hope that you will join us this Thursday, November 19, at Angels & Kings bar for some drinking and turkey adopting. David from Farm Sanctuary will begin accepting your Adopt-A-Turkey sponsorships ($25 cash or check only) at 7:30pm.

DJ Lil Ray will be there to help us get rid of our tired iPod playlist.

As always, the drinks are cheap ($3 domestics, $4 imports and $1 off well drinks) and the crowd is rad. Plus, we will give away some items of nominal value. Just in time for the winter holiday season!

We'll turn down the music around 8pm and encourage people to promote themselves, their groups and/or causes for 30 seconds. If you represent a veg*n or animal rights group, come prepared with your (very short!) spiel and literature.

Check out our map of restaurants near Angels & Kings where you can grab a bite after the event. And if you haven't already, link up with Vegan Drinks on Facebook and MySpace.

Vegan Drinks is held from 7pm-9pm at Angels & Kings, 500 East 11th Street (btw Ave A & Ave B), New York, NY 10009.

The last Vegan Drinks for 2009 will be on Thursday, December 17. (Please note: This is not the last Thursday of the month; some major holiday got in the way).

[Comments (0) | Add Your Comment]

L.I. Food Not Bombs Gets SuperSized with 2,000 lbs. of Vegan Whipped Cream

info@vegandrinks.org (Deborah Diamant) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:06:08 EST

[Food Not Bombs shares meals in over 1,000 cities world wide every week.]

The Long Island Food Not Bombs (L.I. F.N.B.) chapter gets sh*t done. They coordinate three food shares (Hempstead, Huntington and Farmingville) each week; redistribute clothes, toys and books; and many L.I. F.N.B. activists also carve out time in their busy schedules to volunteer with the Food Not Bombs chapters (Bed-Stuy, Bushwick and Manhattan) in New York City.

Naturally, L.I. F.N.B. did not balk at the prospect of redistributing a 2,000 pound donation from Soyatoo. So, if you want to see what 2,000 pounds of vegan whipped cream looks like, get thee to Long Island this weekend for the start of "Long Island Food Not Bombs Thanksgiving Bonanza"!

The "Bonanza" starts Saturday, November 21, at 7:00pm with an all night cooking party to prepare 50 vegan entrees, plus appetizers, soup, bread, salads and desserts, including five different kinds of vegan cheese cake. All of the food prepared will be distributed the following day, Sunday, November 22, at 2:00pm at the Hempstead Food Share Bonanza. Show up to share good vegan food and take home a bag of groceries, including a portion of vegan whipped cream, that would otherwise go to waste if L.I. F.N.B. did not collect it from area grocery stores and redistribute it.

The remaining "Bonanza" events include:
Monday, November 23, at 9:00pm - Dumpster Scavenger Hunt/Olympics
Tuesday, November 24, at 6:30pm - Huntington Thanksgiving Food Share
Thursday, November 26, at 11:00am - Thanksgiving Lunch in Farmingville
Thursday, November 26, at 6:30pm - Farmingville Food Share

Learn more about L.I. F.N.B. and the Food Not Bombs movement at www.lifnb.com. If you've never participated in a Food Not Bombs share, then next week is a very fine opportunity to get involved as more hands are always needed.

[Comments (3) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Veggie Conquest III: Yes We Cran!

(Abigail S. Bean) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:59:31 EST

The third installment of Veggie Conquest took place this past weekend and it was another smashing success.

In case you missed the introductory blog post, Veggie Conquest is an amateur cooking competition similar to Top Chef... except that it's not televised. Oh yeah, and it's ENTIRELY VEGAN! The event is held monthly, and you can buy a chef ticket in order to be part of the competition or a taster ticket for an excuse to stuff your face. There are generally about six chefs participating and sixty-five tasters in attendance. One week prior all ticket holders are notified of the "secret ingredient" and course to be prepared so that menus and taste buds can be primed.

This time around it was cranberry dessert and the submissions were incredible. Though not normally a big fan of cranberries, I was surprised to find how sweet and delicious they were incorporated into such delights as "Double Cranberry Cinnamon Oatmeal Nut Bar," "Almond Crusted Chocolate Cranberry Mousse," "Cran Velvet Cake," and the inventive (and winning) "Rice Crepe with Cran-Ginger Sauce." I was not as much of a fan of the raw submission, "Cranbanapple Parfait"; the texture was too much like a runny pudding for my taste. Neither was I impressed by the "Swedish-Style Charoset," submitted more as comedic performance art than recipe contender.

Per usual, while the votes were being tallied from the tasting portion of the evening, all guests were treated to a second course of assorted dishes prepared by the event's plentiful volunteers. This time, Match Meats provided an array of products to be used in the recipes and Raw Ice Cream Company was on hand to give everyone a taste of their offerings.

Thus far, each event has been presided over by the creator of Veggie Conquest, Jessica Mahady, and emceed by the incomparable Joshua Katcher, The Discerning Brute. The friendly volunteers keep the night running smoothly, and a live DJ is on hand to set the mood with music. The judges vary but have included chefs, cookbook authors, writers, restaurant owners, etc. I was a little disappointed this time around, however, that the judges were quite harsh on the contestants. They came across as nit-picky know-it-alls and that doesn't fit with the friendly and communal veg atmosphere Veggie Conquest works so hard to achieve. Hopefully future judges will keep their criticism constructive and will be more encouraging, as has been the case at previous events.

Overall, I find the cost of the tickets to be a steal for a full evening in a beautifully decorated space featuring countless tasty goodies, great company, and door prizes. Sign up for their email notifications or follow them on Twitter so you will know as soon as the tix for the next event go on sale; they are limited in number and don't last long.

[Comments (2) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

SV Interview: The Dudes of Daiya - Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake

cat@supervegan.com (Cat Clyne) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:47:15 EST

[Got Pizza? We do now! (Photo: courtesy of Daiya)]

As most vegans know, the biggest thing to hit our culinary universe this year is Daiya. It's a totally yummy vegan cheese that melts and shreds just like dairy cheese. (Check out SuperVegan's love-letter, er, review.)

We thought we'd take a look behind the curtain and find out more about the wizards behind this new Canada-based cheesy phenomenon. Here they are, the Daiya Dudes. Andre Kroecher is the mad-scientist inventor of Daiya, and co-founder of the company with business-savvy Greg Blake.

SuperVegan: Why did you set out to create vegan cheese and what were your main criteria?

Andre Kroecher: I have always really loved dishes such as pizza, lasagna, quesadillas, burritos, which typically have cheese in them. Being a vegan though, I found that simply removing the cheese from these left me terribly disappointed. I tried replacing the cheese with extra salt and olive oil, but to me the taste and texture is just not nearly as satisfying.

Having a background of more than 10 years experience as a product developer, I had a real passion for trying to invent a vegan cheese that might actually have the properties of real cheese. I also love imported exotic cheeses and other European cheeses like havarti, so I decided to just start experimenting to see if I could make something that would satisfy me more than the other [products] out there. I tend to naturally approach things in an unconventional way and this yielded some unexpected results. Eventually, I developed a block of something quite like a soft havarti style cheese.

Greg Blake: When I tried the havarti style cheese Andre made I was convinced that it had commercial potential, but what would be even better would be to create a cheddar and mozzarella style vegan cheese that actually tasted, shredded, sliced and melted like dairy-based cheese.

We wanted chefs and food preparation staff to be able to use Daiya just like cheese - on a pizza in a conveyor oven running at very high temperatures, in a salamander [broiler], in a sauce, baking - you name it. All things considered, it was a pretty tall order. Andre and I set up R&D kitchens in our own homes and went to work. Eventually we ended up with some exciting and unexpected results, but both of us know that the R&D has just begun.

SV: How is Daiya different from the other products on the market?

AK & GB: There are some great products out there and all categories of vegan food are constantly improving as is demand, which is good for everyone. People like Bob Goldberg from Follow Your Heart are real pioneers who actually helped create this category and should be applauded for all of the great products he and Follow Your Heart provide to vegans [such as Vegenaise and Vegan Gourmet cheeses - C.C.]. As for our products compared to others, Daiya differentiates itself in that it brings together all of the desirable attributes of dairy-based cheese in terms of taste, shredding, slicing and melting without casein, soy or any common allergens.

SV: How did you settle on tapioca as a main ingredient?

AK & GB: Tapioca is actually only one part of the puzzle. It works in concert with the other ingredients. But a large part of what gives Daiya its unique properties has more to do with our proprietary manufacturing process.

SV: What's up with the name 'Daiya'?

AK & GB: Daiya is a play on the word dairy - it's like dairy but different. We didn't want to try so desperately to say some version of the word "cheese," especially since there are quite a few of those in the market already. We wanted to create a distinct brand that can stand on its own - and thanks to all of the early vegan adopters we've made a good deal of progress given that the company is less than one year old.

SV: When will Daiya go mainstream retail - meaning, when will folks be able to buy it at their local grocery stores?

AK & GB: We anticipate launching our retail product in spring of 2010. Many consumers have wondered why it is taking us so long to get to retail and we certainly understand their frustration. Our approach is based on our corporate philosophy of creating the very best tasting and performing vegan products we possibly can. We concluded that the only way to achieve our goals without compromise was to produce the retail products in an entirely new manufacturing facility which is, of course, both time consuming and expensive to get up and running.

SV: Are there ready-made food brands or national restaurant chains that are - or will be - using Daiya in their products?

AK & GB: Gardein and The Higher Taste Vegan Buzzito are products using Daiya that are currently available. We are working with a number of other well known manufacturers and expect more products using Daiya to be released very soon.

SV: What's your favorite way to enjoy Daiya?

Andre: I love to make pizzas and quesadillas. My favourite, however, is to prepare a mixture of sauteed black or pinto beans with onions, garlic, and peppers, add fresh tomatoes and cilantro. Turn off the heat and cover with shredded Daiya and leave the lid on the pan. After a few minutes, the residual heat and steam [will] make a nice cheesy topcoat on the beans.

Greg: Nothing resonates with my idea of comfort food like a Daiya grilled cheese sandwich. When I serve grilled cheese sandwiches made with Daiya to my non-vegan friends and family they have no idea that it isn't made with dairy-based cheese - I still get a kick out of that.

SV: When did you go vegan and why?

Andre: I grew up on a strict vegetarian diet as both my parents were vegetarian. It was a logical progression for me to go vegan for so many reasons. We had a miniature dachshund or "wiener dog" and I figured that if I wouldn't eat him, how could I eat other animals which are easily as emotionally developed? In the early '90s my wife and I started going vegan and pretty much phas[ed] out the last remaining dairy (cheese) from our diet. This was largely in response to all of the information relating to [the] ethical and health aspects of vegan diets. I remember waking up and realizing that if I had to be born a livestock animal, a modern dairy cow would have to be the worst because of the prolonged torture these animals have to endure before their eventual slaughter. When T. Colin Campbell's The China Study came out it really reinforced my feelings on the health aspects relating to animal product consumption.

Update: Due to a technical error, Greg's answer to the vegan question was omitted from the original post. Here it is.

Greg: I became a vegan in 1978 when I first moved to Toronto. I had read Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and it had a profound effect on me. I remember feeling disappointed with myself - it had never occurred to me how food magically appeared at the grocery store and how that might impact an animal's welfare. Back then, it was pretty slim pickings for vegan restaurants and grocery options so I was compelled to learn about cooking from cultures where vegan dishes were staples. Although my parents were very good cooks, they stuck to traditional North American fare, so veganism exposed me to a whole new culinary experience. Still, I missed some of the traditional comfort foods and longed for the day when great tasting vegan alternatives would arrive on the scene. That day has come and we now have so much wonderful food to choose from, and with great chefs like Tal Ronnen to guide us, it's the advent of a whole new era for vegans.

To stay on top of all things Daiya, visit their website www.daiyafoods.com.

[Comments (11) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Latest Episode of "Bones" was all AR/Vegan!

cat@supervegan.com (Cat Clyne) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:16:24 EST

The latest episode of the popular mainstream Fox TV show "Bones" featured an animal rights/veg story line. Entitled "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken," it's surprisingly jam-packed with info and intelligent discussion. Centered on a murder at a poultry processing plant, footage and info on how chickens are treated were shown, including video of the debeaking of newborn chicks. It isn't all blood 'n' guts (they show those images only briefly), there is an emotional discussion between characters on the ethics of saving one pig from slaughter. Animal activists are also part of the story line. But that's enough. I won't spoil it...

I suspect the star (and a producer) of the show, Emily Deschanel, an ethical vegan, had something to do with it. Go "Bones"!

You can watch the episode on Hulu for free or click on the image above.

[Comments (0) | Add Your Comment]

Does it matter that Jonathan Safran Foer isn't vegan?

jason@supervegan.com (Jason Das) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:42:47 EST

[Foer is not actually shilling for the dairy industry, but should he be doing more to chase people away from it? (Original photo by David Shankbone.)]

Writer Jonathan Safran Foer's been getting a lot of media attention lately for the just published Eating Animals, his first book-length piece of nonfiction, which is very much against the eponymous activity. I haven't read it, and I don't expect that I (or most SuperVegan readers) will learn much from it that we don't already know about what's wrong with eating animals. This is not a book written for vegans. But it's a book that vegans ought to have some understanding of.

For better or worse, an established literary novelist like Foer can get people to pay attention to what's wrong with factory farming in a way that more academic or of-the-movement authors such as Peter Singer or Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson cannot. And Foer is relatively folksy and accessible (if not artless) compared to someone like J.M. Coetzee, whose arguments in defense of animals are unapologetically over most people's heads, and who isn't about to do a bunch of press interviews.

Foer finds lots of problems with industrial animal agriculture, and with eating meat in a general ethical sense, but he does not come down against non-meat or non-food animal products. This is a book about meat. That's got a lot of vegans understandably perturbed--an influential guy sets up a strong argument for many tenets of veganism, yet fails to go there. Mainstream media may not care, but it's important for us vegans to understand why Foer isn't vegan, and how he feels about veganism.

Josh Hooten of Herbivore attended a talk by Foer last night at Powell's Books in Portland, OR. Hooten is the right kind of vegan, and he wrote a great report/defense on the talk (which he posted on Facebook, and graciously allowed me to republish here.) Here's the first and last sentences, and you can read the whole thing below.

Foer isn't an animal rights person, he is coming from outside our community and perhaps that is why he is getting the attention he's getting for his new book Eating Animals.
...
As a messenger getting people to think about this stuff for the first time, I think he's amazing.

The only published interview I know of that specifically asks Foer why he isn't vegan is Katie Drummond's at True/Slant. The upshot is he's "transitioning to veganism." (No doubt it's better to become vegan slowly and mean it, rather than rush into it and drop out again, as Foer's done multiple times with vegetarianism.) The interview also reinforces that the book is a primarily a personal essay: "I was just trying to record my own thoughts – as a father, not as an activist or an expert."

Indeed, it's this arational approach that's so off-putting for many committed vegans. Foer's writing about feelings more than he's writing about science or even ethics. It's a loosey-goosey, touchy-feely, "truthiness" approach to coping with animal exploitation. It doesn't appeal to me personally. But I have no doubt it's doing good in the world.

And of course feelings are important, if only (especially for rationalist ethical hardasses like me) in how we interface with other people over these issues. An excerpt Elizabeth Kolbert plucked from Foer for her review in this week's New Yorker (which you should read all of):

Two friends are ordering lunch. One says, “I’m in the mood for a burger,” and orders it. The other says, “I’m in the mood for a burger,” but remembers that there are things more important to him than what he is in the mood for at any given moment, and orders something else. Who is the sentimentalist?

That's certainly a scenario I can relate to. I may no longer face a dilemma in how I relate to animals, but I bump into trouble all the time in relating to other people about animals. And this is what Foer's book seems to be about, in addition to detailing the horrors of factory farms and all that stuff we already know about.

Here is Josh Hooten's full take on Foer's talk at Powell's last night:

Foer isn't an animal rights person, he is coming from outside our community and perhaps that is why he is getting the attention he's getting for his new book "Eating Animals." I saw a lot of people I recognized at the talk, but out of the couple hundred who were there, I knew probably a dozen of them. Which means most of his talk was to people outside the AR community. The people who can actually use the information he has.

I feel like a lot of the frustration people are having with Foer is that we want him to have the AR philosophical line and tell people that animals are not for us to use under any circumstance, and he doesn't do it. But he's not an animal rights person and his book isn't an animal rights book, so I feel a bit like he's being criticized unfairly for that. As much as I want him to say animals aren't ours to use for any purpose, it just isn't what he's about. At least not yet.

This is probably why he can get a few hundred people to come see him speak and we can't consistently get a dozen people to come to AR events. What he said to the few hundred people there was about food production, mostly, and not about philosophy. And what he said to those people was probably the most radical stuff they've ever heard about the food they eat. The fact that he hasn't completely gone vegan yet seems trivial to me considering how short of a time he's had this information, how he is coming from outside of the AR community, and how despite those two things he is writing article after article and on a speaking tour perhaps reaching more people than all of us combined ever will.

He said:
- Eggs cause more suffering than beef and if you're going to give one thing up, make it eggs.
- Fish farms are horrible for the environment and fish always die horribly.
- Turkeys we eat are so fucked up they can't reproduce naturally and in fact there is nothing natural about them. And that not have a turkey at all on Thanksgiving is a much better celebration and giving of thanks.
- The "good" farms, where the farmers love their animals could never supply us with enough meat to satisfy demand.
- There are farmers who treat their animals well. He jokingly said some treat their animals better than he treats his dog, however, he doesn't kill and eat his dog and there is something weird in there. And he still wouldn't eat those animals regardless of how nice their lives were.
- If you still want to eat organic, "humane" meat (quotes mine, not his) you're going to have to pay a lot for it and your best bet, if you don't think you have the money, is to eat way way less.
- He said countless euthanized cats and dogs make their way into our food supply because they are ground up and fed to the animals we then eat.
- He described in detail the living conditions of so called "free range" and "cage free" operations and made a point that neither of those words meant cruelty free.
- He described how little space chickens have to live in by holding up his book, and saying "they have about this much space and cannot move and have their appendages cut off." (i assume he meant debeaking.)
- He said the only way to know about your animal products is to go to the farms yourself because "free range" and "cage free" and "humane" pushers are lying and taking advantage of the public.
- He said if you eat meat you can only be an ironic environmentalist.
- He spoke about how much global warming comes from agriculture
- He said how much greenhouse gas would be saved if we all went vegan one day a week and how many animals would be saved

He said a lot more very informative stuff, the logical conclusion of which is veganism. He didn't advocate for it, and he didn't advocate for vegetarianism either really. He just layed out facts and ideas and let people do with it what they wanted. As self-congratulatory as I would have felt if he said "so you're all going to go vegan after this right?", I am certain his approach is far more effective.

I think sizing him up through an AR lens is a mistake. I think sizing him up as someone outside this community with a massive, massive audience who he is giving very radical information to and very clearly not preaching to, makes me think he is going to be very effective in alleviating animal suffering, be it by getting people to cut down on meat, eggs, and dairy, or going vegetarian, or going vegan, or at some point going vegan himself.

I also think he has the kind of reach none of us do. If he gets them to think about this information for the first time, many of them will look deeper. The second source of information they get will be from someone a little further down the vegan line hopefully. As a messenger getting people to think about this stuff for the first time, I think he's amazing.

[Comments (39) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival: My Top 10 Observations

brownbird@supervegan.com (Brownbird Rudy Relic) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:06:00 EST

[ There wasn't a smoke machine; my iphone just takes blurry photos]

This weekend was the 14th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. I was so there dude - here are my top 10 observations.

10. Investment Firms will always seem out of place at events like this. I rarely go to food based events with financial planning on the brain.

9. Some people in the crowd have no idea that they're at a vegetarian food festival as exhibited by comments like "Wait. This is ALL vegetarian. UGH!"

8. Renewing your subscription to VegNews is best done at the BVFF because not only is the timing perfect but they give you free stuff too.

7. Sooner or later the organizers are going to have to move this event to a bigger space. Seriously, sometimes you have to swim through people like some kind of vegan Michael Phelps.

6. The BVFF is better when Isa Chandra Moskowitz is in attendance, because, y'know she's the bomb and I was hoping to get a signed cookie book.

5. The sheer sight of the Vegan Treats table may make you weep bulbous tears of joy.

4. Just because something is vegan does not mean it will taste good.

3. It's best to starve yourself before the event because there is a good chance that if you don't your stomach might explode.

2. Samples are really the life blood of this event. Without samples, the squished feet, the random nefarious odor combination and line-cutters might supersede the event's worth.

1. Old ladies with Farm Sanctuary shirts will sucker punch you in the ribs to get the last Cedar's Hummus snack pack. Seriously.

[Comments (5) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Vegan MoFo Mashup

cat@supervegan.com (Cat Clyne) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:36:26 EDT

[Listen up! Natalie goes vegan!]

As readers know, October was the third annual Vegan Month of Food. Started by celebrity chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz, vegan mofos everywhere posted daily blogs in celebration of our favorite subject — food! Vegan Month of Food kicked off with World Vegetarian Day and ends with a bang tomorrow at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. In addition to this sandwich of events, here is a completely subjective roundup of things that made October one mofo of a month!

In the Mainstream

Vegan for the Animals
Author Jonathan Safran Foer made a big splash with a taster from his new book Eating Animals, published as a feature article in the NY Times Magazine's Food issue. After reading Eating Animals, actress Natalie Portman went vegan and announced her reasons in her essay "Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals Turned Me Vegan" for the Huffington Post (that counts as a MoFo blog, right?). Blink 182 drummer (and rehabilitated puppy-juicer) Travis Barker has once again seen the light. He says he's back to being vegetarian and "almost full blown vegan now."

Vegan for the Environment
We've been saying it all along but it looks like we may finally be arriving at a tipping point. Even mainstream sources and enviro orgs are agreeing that eating meat causes global warming and going veg reduces your carbon footprint. Omnivore's Dilemma author and foodie darling Michael Pollan stuck his foot in it by stating: "A vegan in a Hummer has a lighter carbon footprint than a beef eater in a Prius." Then retracted the statement the next day. I thought it was fuzzy math to begin with (here's an interview with one of the original researchers and number crunchers), but I hope his blunder doesn't cloud the issue, which is that vegans have a substantially lighter overall effect on the environment than meat-eaters. Duh. Joining the bandwagon, the WorldWatch Institute's latest magazine asks the question, "Carnivorism and climate change: Is it worse than we thought?"

Vegan for the Food
As readers know, Oprah featured vegan chef Tal Ronnen's new book on her show, bumping Conscious Cook to the Amazon bestseller list and potentially turning millions on to yummy food, and actress Alicia Silverstone released her book The Kind Diet. But in the race to veganize the world, two important developments also occurred: Gardein released its line of tasty frozen vegan meaty treats on World Vegetarian Day, and Daiya dairy-free cheese exploded into restaurants and stores near you (without even being released in the retail market yet).

Vegan for Health
On Oprah's website (I do not have a fixation — she's a big deal), Ultimate Wellness author Kathy Freston asked the question "Can a Plant-Based Diet Cure Cancer?" in a discussion with China Study author T. Colin Campbell. The USDA released a tip sheet guide for a healthy vegetarian diet that is, drum roll please: 100% vegan. I kid not: see for yourself.

Vegan ... just cuz
Ethicist and Animal Liberation author Peter Singer caused an uproar by proposing a tax on meat-eaters while the UK's leading authority on climate change, Lord Stern of Brentford (who is not veg), ruffled feathers by suggesting that in the future, eating meat may become as socially unacceptable as drunk driving.

Awesome Activist Movies

"Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home", the long-awaited documentary by Tribe of Heart, premiered earlier this month, winning Best Feature Documentary at the Moondance Film Festival in Boulder, CO. Check here for upcoming screenings. "Fowl Play: The Untold Story Behind Your Breakfast", an award-winning short documentary by Mercy For Animals, was released this month on DVD. Activists are holding screenings across the country. Organize one in your community!

November: Look out! Next month will also be a MoFo!

Whew! As if October wasn't jam-packed enough, more awesome vegan-full days are still coming. Check it out:

Isa and Terry's new cookie book comes out on the 10th!

The sold out annual New York League of Humane Voters gala happens on the 12th.

Farm Sanctuary is throwing its annual Thanksgiving FOR the Turkeys at its two shelters on the 21st, and a Vegan Thanksgiving Brunch at NYC's Tavern on the Green with guest speaker Jonathan Safran Foer on the 22nd!

Stay tuned folks, and keep blogging vegan mofos!

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (2) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

We Attempt to Solve NYC's Greatest Mystery: What's the Best Bagel in the Five Boroughs?

info@vegandrinks.org (Deborah Diamant) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:55:33 EDT

[Not a NYC bagel.]

People in this town are convinced they are bagel experts. They know the best shop, the appropriate hour to stop in and what combination of toppings rounds it all out. What makes a NYC bagel better than the ones in other cities? It's not the water, it's the attitude.

The gluten-tolerant SuperVegan staff members want to help you locate the best bagels in the bagel capital of the world:

Deborah Diamant insists that Bergen Bagels (473 Bergen St., Brooklyn) toasts her whole wheat everything bagel before applying a liberal layer of scallion tofu.

Jason Das can be found eating a whole wheat sesame bagel with scallion tofu, cucumber and tomato at Bagel Bob's (51 University Pl., Manhattan).

Olivia Lane, who buys her bagels at Earthmatters (177 Ludlow St., Manhattan), thinks bagels are best nude, like all great things.

Patrick Kwan loves Bagels On the Square (7 Carmine St., Manhattan) where he orders a toasted sun-dried tomato bagel with sun-dried tomato tofu for an �ber tomato kick.

Tod Emko keeps it simple at Bagels & More (331 Lexington Ave., Manhattan) with plain tofu on a whole wheat bagel.

Our vegan accountant, Kim, is a fan of Terrace Bagels (224 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn) and thinks toasted plain bagels with sliced tomatoes is a tasty, economically sound meal.

What's your favorite bagel, Dear Reader?

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (12) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Picture This: Best Broccoli Ever!

brownbird@supervegan.com (Brownbird Rudy Relic) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:43:39 EDT

Preheat your Broiler. Cut heads of broccoli in half and blanch in boiling water for 4 minutes. Dry on Paper towels and place on a greased cookie sheet (Figure A.) Rub each floret with Veganaise and sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast (Figure B). Place under Broiler for 10 minutes or until blackened.(Figure C) Serve as a delicious side dish to your meal (Figure D).

I didn't invent this recipe, but I'd be hard pressed to tell you where it originated from. I know it was in a Men's magazine; this is my veganized version of that recipe.

" style="float: left; margin: 0 .5em 0 0" /> This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (3) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Price so right: Bob Barker Donates $1M To Establish Animal Rights Professorship

sam@supervegan.com (Samantha Cohen) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:30:37 EDT

[Go, Bob, go!]

Bob Barker this week donated $1 million to the creation of the college professorship we've all been waiting for: an animal rights-focused undergraduate program. The donation to his alma mater, tiny liberal arts-focused Drury University in Springfield, Mo., is the second of two million-dollar donations Barker has gifted to Drury; the first, made last fall, established an animal rights forum and brought to life a single class in animal ethics, taught for the first time this semester. Prof. Patricia McEachern, professorship awardee, will develop this class into an undergraduate degree-granting program in AR studies with Barker's help, using the funds gifted this year. The AP reports: "McEachern said it is too early to know how soon the animal rights program could be started, but she hopes to add two more courses to the program in the next two years. Drury would first offer animal rights as a minor before students can major in it." Check out the donation in action here.

Drury's is one of the few US college animal rights courses (compared to, say, classes on human ethics) I've heard of, outside of those that focus on bioethics. I speak from experience when I say that it's tough out there for a college student who wants to focus on non-human issues with the guidance of knowledgeable professors with even vaguely similar goals. Often there is only one professor in a given university with any modicum of expertise in animal rights discourse, and then she goes on leave and what do you do? (You write about Shakespeare.)

So three cheers for Bob Barker, Drury University, and animal studies programs! May there be a master's and a Ph.D program coming soon!

[Comments (0) | Add Your Comment]

Farewell, Madras Café

sam@supervegan.com (Samantha Cohen) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:57:11 EDT

[Vegetable Coconut Korma waves goodbye]

Today's was, in all likelihood, my last — and I have to say, best — meal at Madras Café, the beloved East Village kosher vegetarian Indian restaurant (that beats the pants off the 6th Street cluster). Reviewer evelinemater tipped us off to the restaurant's closing, which could happen any time, says owner Manny, and could be as soon as Saturday — eep! If you're hankering for one of their dosas, a garlic paratha, or some channa saag, get thee to Madras immediately! This is your last chance!

Or maybe not. Manny says he plans to reopen Madras, with the same menu, at some unknown location on Long Island (please be in Farmingdale, please be in Farmingdale). He owns another, non-vegetarian restaurant in Flushing that will remain open.

So tonight I say a tearful Farewell, Madras. Farewell to your creamy coconut korma, your succulent soy chunks, your veggie-packed biryani, your vegan lassis, your spicy coconut chutney, and even your fluffy white rice. Goodnight, Madras. Goodnight sweet Madras!

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

UPDATE, 11/13: Madras is still open with no update on when they will close. Why do they play with us so?

[Comments (9) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Work Out Your Halloween Sugar Craving at Vegan Drinks NYC on Thursday, October 29!

info@vegandrinks.org (Deborah Diamant) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:05:35 EDT

You like candy? We like candy. So, join us on Thursday, October 29, for some candy and Vegan Drinks at Angels & Kings bar in the East Village. As always, the drinks are cheap ($3 domestics, $4 imports and $1 off well drinks) and the crowd is cooler than that family who passed out apples on Halloween when you were a kid.

We'll turn down the music around 8pm and encourage people to promote themselves, their groups and/or causes for 30 seconds. If you represent a veg*n or animal rights group, come prepared with your (very short!) spiel and literature.

Check out our map of restaurants near Angels & Kings where you can grab a bite after the event. And if you haven't already, link up with Vegan Drinks on Facebook and MySpace.

Vegan Drinks is held from 7pm-9pm at Angels & Kings, 500 East 11th Street (btw Ave A & Ave B), New York, NY 10009.

The last two Vegan Drinks for 2009 will be on Thursday, November 19, and Thursday, December 17. (Please note: These are not the last Thursdays of the month; some holidays got in the way).

[Comments (1) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Gluten-free, Vegan Cupcakes? Easy: OMG Delivers Directly to Your Mouth

sam@supervegan.com (Samantha Cohen) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:55:04 EDT

[After eating this I might have wept a little.]

That's Oh My Gosh Cupcakes, and yes, they will make you shout their namesake phrase. This afternoon I sat down with a couple of friends to enjoy the goodies Andie and her crew baked and delivered (on time and beautifully packaged in corn-based plastic cupcake holders). Let's meet the edibles!

Carrot Cake
The first cupcake we tried, the carrot cake concoction, is my favorite, and I'll tell you why: it is perfect. I know you can barely stand superlatives so I have to explain myself the only way I know how -- with a list.
1. The carrot flavor is king to the raisin and vanilla peasantry.
2. It has a tight crumb without being too dense.
3. The sweet, decadent icing complements a cake that could knock a man down on its own.
4. Extra points for mini carrot decoration on top.
My only complaint is that it contains raisins, but I can't criticize it for that since most people like raisins and wouldn't call this carrot cake without them. If you like raisins, or even if you aren't hot on them, take it from a woman who usually can't stand 'em: you will love this cake.

Maple Cinnamon
Oh, these are really very good. A little dry, yes, but they offer a powerful blend of maple and cinnamon that's just right for fall. Again, a lovely, sweet frosting with a not-so-sweet cake. Hand me the almond milk, Sally.

Vanilla Agave
Oh, Vanilla Agave cupcake, you are so close to perfect. Your cake is aromatic, your crumb is just right, you have a round, sweet flavor. But alas, you are topped with a too-sugary frosting (especially for an agave cupcake). Without your topping, you're a 10.

Red Velvet
This is not a cupcake; it is a work of art. Look at that adorable AND classy heart atop the frosting and the deep red coloring of the cake beneath. Just look at it! Eating it is a slightly different story, though. I thought it was a little bland, and the frosting didn't taste like cream cheese to me, just vanilla.

Double Chocolate
I thought this one would be my favorite, but it was a bit dry and not chocolate-y enough. More wet ingredients, please.

Caliente Hot Chocolate
An adventurous take on an old staple, the Caliente Hot Chocolate cupcakes have a lovely spicy/sweet aftertaste. They're a little crumbly because they're so darn moist, but hey, hip, hip for moist cupcakes!

In conclusion, I think OMG Cupcakes saved my life. On my recently limited diet I didn't think I'd make it another week without something bread-like. (Really, I was totally going to sneak a bagel at some point. No one would have known except my victimized body.) I would never have guessed that these flavorful, delicately decorated morsels are gluten-free. Thank you, Andie and company for these wonderful treats!

OMG offers vegan, gluten-free, and traditional cupcakes. They deliver throughout New York City, free of charge between 96th Street and Canal Street with a $24 order. These sweet sweets are available at Elm Health (1st Avenue and 88th Street) and Cafe One (Amsterdam and 139th Street). You can also order them online at omgcupcakesnyc.com.

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (1) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Is Ikea Dark Chocolate Vegan?

jason@supervegan.com (Jason Das) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:59:59 EDT

[Maybe they dropped Futura cause of that weird-looking question mark. Ikea's Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut flavors have dairy, but M�rk's ingredients are all vegan.]

Ikea restaurants are pretty great places to eat. The views are killer (at least in Red Hook and South Philly, the only Ikeas I've eaten at recently) and the food is dirt cheap. While they're not all that vegan-friendly, I'm quite happy with getting french fries, salad, coffee, and a veggie wrap, all for about $6.

I'd also become quite a fan of Ikea's dark chocolate, Choklad M�rk, which boasts all-vegan ingredients and a respectable enough 60% cocoa content, and is a pretty good deal at 100g for 99�. After a year or so of eating M�rk, I took a closer look at the nutrition info and was shocked to discover 4mg cholesterol per serving listed in the nutritional information panel.

I always thought dietary cholesterol only occurred in animal products. Yet all of the listed ingredients are vegan. Is there some animal ingredient in the chocolate that is not listed, or is the nutritional breakdown incorrect? (I am assuming that the "may contain traces of egg and milk protein" refers only to shared manufacturing equipment and would not account for such a significant amount of cholesterol being present.) A bit of internet researching reveals that plants do contain a small amount of cholesterol. But it's a tiny amount.

The Curious Waveform blog cites a study in the Journal of Chemical Education which claims this is uncommon knowledge even amongst chemists, and points out that "the USDA does not state the existence of cholesterol when it is less than 2 mg/serving, which is the case with plant products."

As Dina Aronson wrote as VegFamily.com "the ratio of plant cholesterol to plant fat in foods is one to 20,000. If we try to measure the ratio of plant cholesterol to the total weight of plants, it would be one in several million. That's why we round the cholesterol number to ZERO when reporting the nutritional components of food." (Though elsewhere in another of her undated columns she states "the only way to get dietary cholesterol is from animal products".)

OK, so I learned some science. But how the hell could plant ingredients equal 4mg of cholesterol per 33⅓g serving?

I wrote to foodservices@memo.ikea.com and asked them about it. A few messages back and forth with Ikea Food representative Josefine Hallberg didn't help clear things up much. Here's the salient parts of her responses:

The dark chocolate contains a relatively high amount of saturated fat and thereof comes the small amount of cholesterol that is listed in the ingredients list. The total amount of cholesterol per 100g chocolate is 11mg.

We have been in contact with our supplier of the chocolate and they affirm that the saturated fat comes from cocoa butter, so this has to be seen as vegetarian. The supplier also affirm that they do not add something which is not on the ingredient list.

No, the nutritional analysis is correct. The supplier confirms that the saturated fat (from cocoa butter) contains a small amount of cholesterol (11mg/100g chocolate).

Does this make any sense? Are you (or do you know) a chemist or food scientist or nurtitionist who can help explain what's going on here?

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (9) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Vegan Hits it Big-Time! Chef Tal Ronnen Set to Take Over the World

cat@supervegan.com (Cat Clyne) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:55:27 EDT

[Pierre digs Chef Tal]

I've got Peter Gabriel's song "Big Time" stomping through my head. Here's why: The all-vegan cookbook by Chef Tal Ronnen, Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes to Change the Way You Eat (which was released on October 6), is now number three on Amazon's bestseller list and number two on Barnes & Noble's.

I'm on my way, I'm making it: Big Time!

Chef Tal is beloved by many, but perhaps the most influential in the Tal Fanclub is Oprah Winfrey. (I'm not one to really care about celebrities, but even I admit she's pretty big-time.) Conscious Cook was featured on her show yesterday. For those not in the know, Tal Ronnen was Oprah's personal chef for her 21-day vegan 'cleanse'. Check out today's headline on her home page under the Food section--there's a picture of Chef Tal and the headline: "Go vegetarian with recipes from The Conscious Cook."

Chef Tal is a vegan evangelist through food. Aside from being a creative chef who rubs elbows with the highest echelons of celebrity, Ronnen serves as an adviser to college and corporate cafeterias on veganizing their menus and has worked with major gourmet vegan restaurants (read his official bio). He also helped in the development of the new vegan meat-replacer Gardein (check out SuperVegan's reviews of Gardein).

In the book's introduction, Quantum Wellness author Kathy Freston gushes: "It's chefs like Tal who are leading the revolution in conscious cuisine; his exquisite, seasonal, and plant-based fare is simply some of the best food in the world."

My sister-in-law (who is a head librarian for the New Haven Free Public Library) just brought the book home for us to test out some of the recipes on our half-carnivorous household. I pawed through and was surprised to see that the word vegan is all over the place (as opposed to the supposedly 'safer' word vegetarian)--it even has an opening chapter all about "being vegan."

Conscious Cook is a beautiful gourmet cookbook with color photos accompanying each recipe. It is geared toward meat-eaters (Ronnen's introduction screams "Welcome Meat-eaters!" and closes with: "I PROMISE, YOU WON'T MISS THE MEAT"--yes, all in caps) and cooks who prefer French gourmet cuisine (entrees centered around a meat-like substance). What's cool about the book is that it features guest chefs, like Madeleine Bistro's Dave Anderson, and their own original menu and recipes, and interviews with vegan entrepreneurs, such as Follow Your Heart's Bob "Mayo Man" Goldberg.

It's kinda cool to think that just maybe this could be a big step in veganism becoming even more mainstream and having some staying power--if Conscious Cook is number three on the Amazon bestseller list, is it delusional to assume that at least some people will try at least one or two recipes and even like them (before shelving the book for show)? One can only hope.

I've been vegan for 20 years, so it is mind-blowing to have a vegan book be such a bestseller, pimped by one of the most influential Americans on earth. I've adjusted Peter Gabriel's "Big Time" to:

Ve-gan: we're on our way we're making it. Vegan! We're gonna watch it growing!

Forgive my goofiness. I think I'd better feed my brain. I'm gonna stroll over to the community garden, pick an armful of kale, and try making Chef Tal's Braised Kale. (Here's a taster of recipes from Chef Tal's book.)

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (9) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Scientific Research Results from Japan's Lethal Whaling Program: Whales Eat Krill

tod@supervegan.com (Tod Emko) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:36:36 EDT

[Japan may never know if whales truly eat krill]

Japan has released its 2009 cetacean research findings after killing dozens of whales for the study. Japan, which asserts that it must conduct fatal whaling for necessary scientific research, killed 59 Minke whales off its coast this year for the scientific program. And the conclusion of this year's Japanese whaling program is that whales eat krill.

Because no one in Japan's scientific community knew that or asked anyone else on earth.

It is, however, arguable whether or not this year's findings have more scientific merit than Japan's 2008 whaling research findings. In 2008, Japan announced - after stating it had to kill hundreds of whales for this research - that injecting dead whale sperm into a cow egg does not result in a half-whale-half-cow monster creature.

[Comments (3) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Vegan Eating On The Road: Pawtucket, Rhode Island

brownbird@supervegan.com (Brownbird Rudy Relic) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:22:52 EDT

Being a touring Vegan musician is never easy; there's a delicate balance between starving and knowing what, when and where you can grub. If you travel throughout a region enough, you get to know the standbys, the health food stores and the one-offs.

Sometimes it's the potato chips that save you. Other times, it's the grocery store hummus and pita. Every so often though, you get a treat and find a new veg*n place you never knew existed.

Enter Garden Grille Cafe in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. I was in the area recently playing a festival and happened upon this spot. It's an unassuming joint located in what could best be described as a strip mall. The food is straight cafe fare; sandwiches, wraps, pizzas and salads.

I'd be hard pressed to write a proper review, because, well, I was hungry and the sweet taste of vegan nosh always skews one's vision when all you've had is water and some nuts – to me it was all delicious. So, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Gluten Free Vegan Mac & Cheese with Brocoli

Soy Chicken Strips & Homemade Vegan BLT with avocado

Garden Grille Cafe is located at 727 East Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860,

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (2) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

Woodstock's ThanksLiving 2009

cat@supervegan.com (Cat Clyne) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:37:59 EDT

[Andy amidst Catskill Mountain foliage. Photo: Roseann Marulli]

Big tent. Friendly critters. Funny emcee. Yummy food. Cool music. No, it wasn't the circus, it was the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary's annual ThanksLiving.

Over 250 people came for this sold out event Sunday to visit with rescued farm animals and enjoy a fabulous sit-down all-vegan meal. ThanksLiving rather than Thanksgiving is a celebration of turkeys and other farmed animals during a season traditionally centered on meals of dead animals. This is the third year I have volunteered for this event, and here's my "take" on it:

The weather report promised a 100 percent chance of precipitation, but we were lucky. The cold schvitz of the morning gave way to light banks of clouds by the afternoon. The sanctuary is nestled between two Catskill mountains, which were resplendent in fall foliage. A giant heated tent was set up in the goat pasture, with elegant light fixtures, dozens of white-clothed tables, and a stage.

The Critters
First, of course, let's visit with the animals. The welcoming committee of turkey boys greeted visitors, looking regal with their fans of white tail feathers. Folks marveled at their fuchsia (now pink, now blue!) snoods and wattles, while the curious boys ogled back, moving up close to check us out.

Turkey welcoming committee. Photo: Roseann Marulli

I touched base with familiar friends—Sophie the black and white pig, who grunted in greeting and sleepily pulled herself up from a nap when she heard my voice; Dylan, a former veal calf now van-size steer, offered me his snout for rubs; and Anne the cute-as-a-button Boer goat and young escape artist. Albie, the three-legged goat bopped around on his new fake leg as Louise the beautiful ewe hung out with her sheep posse, eyeing visitors from a distance.

Sophie takes a mud bath (2008). Photo: Cat Clyne

There was the spanking-new duck pond to admire and its new residents to meet: Teddi and Quincy. Teddi provided a lively commentary as he proudly showed me his new digs (occasionally nipping my jeans to accentuate a point), while Quincy gracefully bathed in the man-made pond, complete with a waterfall cascading down rocks.

There was a coop full of new black and white chickens to meet. They were recently rescued from a live-kill market in New York City. 110 chickens in all were brought to the farm, many sickly and injured. This is a reality most New Yorkers are unaware of: there are roughly 100 markets around the city where people can buy meat from animals freshly killed on the premises. Some animals escape and many are confiscated by authorities due to neglect and cruelty; these city critters end up at our local sanctuaries (one more reason why New Yorkers should support their work!).

A high point for me was meeting Ciyalana the 11 year-old African Spurred tortoise (they can live up to 80 years!). He's got little buck teeth and a sweet 'smile'. A few years ago, some kids tried to bash in his shell with a brick, so he has an alarming gash in his armor. But that doesn't stop him from liking humans. We spent a little time checking each other out. Here's a crazy-cute video of him eating dinosaur kale!!!

Ciyalana – tank with legs. Photo: Cat Clyne

The Food
I wouldn't be a vegan if I didn't talk about the food, right? I worked in the kitchen throughout the event, so I had an up-close perspective.

While guests milled about the merchandise, raffle and silent auction tables, platters of hors d'oeuvres were offered: spicy meatballs with carrot-ginger sauce, veggie dumplings, bbq seitan skewers, and stuffed mushrooms.

The dinner plates were filled to the rims with a festival of seasonal fare: Blue corn crusted seitan with chimichurri sauce (a hearty specialty of local restaurant New World Home Cooking), savory stuffing (whole cranberries made a nice touch), warm Tuscan farro salad with butternut squash, and roasted seasonal veggies. Sweet potato and walnut biscuits from all-vegan Karma Road Deli topped off the feast.

Dinner plate. Photo: Roseann Marulli

What's a Thanksgiving meal without a rockin' dessert?! Provided by the famous Bethlehem, PA-based bakery Vegan Treats, there was a selection of delectable cakes: spicy pumpkin cheesecake, death by chocolate, and peanut butter bomb. Bakery founder Danielle Konya was on hand to help cut and serve the cakes.

Cakes in the kitchen. Photo: Roseann Marulli

The Entertainment
Bizarro cartoonist, WFAS Board member, and all around funny guy Dan Piraro suavely emceed the evening, keeping things moving smoothly with jokes and witty commentary.

Nathan Runkle, founder of Ohio-based grassroots group Mercy For Animals, gave an empowering talk with enough facts about factory-farmed animals to bring the reality home, but staying positive by reminding people that they can help animals by choosing vegan food. John Phillips talked about his impressive work with the New York League of Humane Voters and local shelter director Brian Shapiro gave a shout-out to the Ulster County SPCA.

Then Jenny Brown took the stage - the illustrious co-founder and director of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. She told stories about the animals at the sanctuary and featured some wonderful stills by photographer (and longtime volunteer) Bob Esposito. She gave an impassioned plea on behalf of farmed animals by outlining what many of them go through, particularly the suffering of dairy cows and egg laying hens. She brought the mood back up again with an outrageously cute video of Fern, a little blond goat and recent arrival at the farm. Too cute.

The evening was nicely topped off with live music by the NYC-based band Ida. They started with some mellow mood music as people gathered by the stage, then picked up the pace with folk-rock songs. They are a strong supporter of animal issues and a regular guest at WFAS events.

By the end of the event, the sun was peeking through the clouds as people picked up their bulging gift bags.

Big top in the goat pasture. Photo: Roseann Marulli

Some people commented that the food wasn't as fabulous as years past (ok: it's no easy feat topping the meals of the past two years featuring dishes handmade on site by celebrity vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz—I am remembering her mouthwatering chickpea cutlets with mushroom gravy...). But in my view, this year's ThanksLiving was a fine mixture of good food, uplifting (and brief) talks, fabulous raffle and silent auction prizes, and weather that was warm enough to allow for quality outdoor time with the animal residents of the sanctuary.

Hats off to the staff, board, and army of volunteers who made this a super-smooth event. To support the work of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and find out how to visit, see their website: woodstockfas.org.

Thanks to fellow SuperVegan Roseann Marulli for sharing her lovely photos. See more of them on her FaceBook page.

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (3) | Read Comments and Add Your Own ]

In the Super Kitchen with Gardein beefless tips

daniellekonyaismyhero@supervegan.com (Andrea Wachner) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:57:19 EDT

Didja hear? It rained in LA. Don't worry! It's right back to 92 and sunny, but for a few days there, it was a sure sign of the apocalypse. People were FREAKING OUT.

I, on the other hand, put on long pants and close-toed shoes for the first time in a long time, went to Trader Joe's for provisions, followed the directives of my fauxtein ("Cook with me!") and made stew with the beefless tips provided by the good people at Gardein. I loosely followed this recipe, adding way more veggies (peas, two kinds of green beans, mushrooms, tomatoes), some extra spices (salt, garlic, thyme, rosemary) and swapping out the onion soup mix for some "beef" broth.

Results, Day 1: (There will be many days worth of stew.) It looks better than it tastes. It's disappointingly bland. The Beefless is also flavorless. Or, the flavor it has is not what I want in m'stew. I thought about marinating them beforehand, but I kinda wanted to see how it would turn out used as-is. Lesson learned: do not use as is. But even the veggies are bland. I'm not sure if this is due to crock pot cooking, which I have never done before, or the flash freezing process they surely endured. Save yourself appx. $25 on groceries, and just saute some $3 mushrooms, cause that's all I taste.

Results, Day 2: No magical vegan elves came and fixed it overnight, but it's improved slightly. "The flavors have gotten to know each other" as my mom says, but not nearly enough. I'm still not proud to have birthed it. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to eat it. The texture's good, it's thickened up a bit, and well, it's there.

Results, Day 3: I heard a some high pitched giggling, jingling, and pitter pattering in my kitchen during the night--I got up, sharpened my elbows, and went to check it out (I had been cat food burgled by a hungry raccoon last week, so I'm on high alert). I found the crock pot out of the fridge, a tiny pouch of Magic Yummy Dust on the counter, and one abandoned elfin slipper near the cat door. The stew is delicious! Robust and full of various tastes! I think there's even more of it than there was before!

(Okay, I haven't had any since day 2, but I wanted to end on a posi note.)

Next up: Chicken Scaloppini.

This is one of Supervegan's posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

[Comments (0) | Add Your Comment]