Vegan Bits

Got Milk?

Lane — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:27:25 +0000

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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National Margarita Day?

Lane — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:14:46 +0000

I've been informed by Jane that Today is National Margarita Day. I must admit, I've never heard of it before, and if I'd given it any thought, I would have tied that in with Cinco de Mayo. However, any excuse is a good excuse so we will be going out for Mexican food and margarita's tonight. Mexican is one of the easiest cuisines to veganize. Simply start with Rice and Beans. We usually get a fajita and split that as well.

Just a reminder... there can be pitfalls. Some restaurants prepare their rice using chicken stock, and some use lard in the preparation of their beans. In order to be on the safe side, ask your server to check with the chef. We've had good luck ordering black beans -- so far none have bee prepared with lard.

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Peta at Westmister Dog Show

Lane — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:17:07 +0000

The Westminster Kennel Dog Show ended today. Just before the award was given for "Best in Show," two Peta protesters managed to get out in the ring and held up signs reading "Mutts Rule" and "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances." The protest was cut from television, so if you missed it make sure to watch the following Associated Press video:

This really touches a nerve for us. According to Peta, 4 million unadopted pets are euthanized annually! Get your animals from the pound!!!!

Some of you may remember that we had to put down our beloved 16 year old cat last June. Our boy cat is still hanging in there, he'll be 16 in April. We finally got to a place where it was time to entertain the idea of bringing new cats home. After meeting a few different cats, all of whom would have made wonderful additions to our home, we settled on a brother and sister from our local Humane Society.

We decided to get two because our boy is getting older, so when he goes, there will still be two cats to entertain each other. Jane also figured that siblings would be more likely get along well.

Our two monsters were abandoned by their owner... we're not sure why. They are really fun cats. They have very distinct personalities and love to play. They're three years-old and they are fantastic. As with any animals being introduced into a new environment, they require a little bit of attention to make sure they don't shred the furniture or climb the curtains. But we've gotten them new scratching posts and toys to keep them active and help them to bond with us.

When we were at the shelter, the adoption counselor was so excited that we would take the two together. Apparently siblings are much less likely to be adopted together, or at all. They were even running a special... get one cat for $70 and the second for $15. Plus they gave us a coupon for a free vet exam at the vet of our choice in the San Gabriel valley. This seems to be common practice if you adopt from a Humane Society. They even offer senior discounts... if you're over sixty and get a cat over 5 years old, there is no adoption fee (not sure about dogs, but there are discounts).

If you're looking to get a new companion animal, you can find plenty of lovable animals looking for a home at Petfinder. They host photos of adoptable animals from a variety of shelters all over the country. There are currently almost 300,000 animals looking for a home! Don't buy a pet, save a life instead!

And one other interesting fact we learned upon adopting our furr-balls. The Humane Society provided us with a fact sheet advocating spaying/neutering. According to them one unaltered cat could yield 420,000 cats in seven years based on the average cat having a litter of 6 every year and each cat from that litter producing the same, etc. Even if those numbers are halved, that's certainly reason to spay/neuter your pets!

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Eating Animals

Lane — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:10:41 +0000

Firstly --- Happy 2010! We wish you all a peace-filled new year.

Secondly -- Sorry for the vanishing act. We're still here, and still vegan. Life has been getting in the way of blogging. We've both been very busy and when we've had a break, neither of us has been motivated enough to blog.

And thirdly -- If you had to fly through Newark tonight, you have our deepest sympathies!

But enough with the excuses already... Back to the blog.

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While I've been m.i.a. I had the opportunity to read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and I can't recommend it highly enough. While none of the information presented was new to me, it was presented in a manner that I found easy to read and entertaining. Often this material can be very difficult to read. Safran Foer lays it all out in its gruesome details, but he also alternates that information with stories from his personal life, and his personal experiences with food.

Best of all, I think this book will be easy to read for the disinterested omnivore. Safran Foer is able to present the information in such a way that the facts are simply that, the facts. He explores all sides of the argument so that you, the reader, can decide for yourself. The logic he uses is inescapable. You cannot consider yourself to be an environmentalist if you eat meat (water, pollution, etc.) He recounts his decision to stop eating meat, and all that that entails, in an intelligent and non-judgmental manner. Really, this is one of the better books on the ethics of eating than any other I have come across. The omnivores in my life will be getting copies of this book to read during the coming year.

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Vegan Thanksgiving

Lane — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:44:42 +0000

Jane and I have been traveling recently. We were so wrapped up in planning for our trip, getting things ready for us to be gone at work, and then being away that we cannot get our minds around the fact that it is the start of the holiday season already. How did that happen?

Normally we plan our meal way in advance as Thanksgiving is "our" holiday. Our tradition is that we always eat the dinner alone together and "dessert around the world." One year we visited with four other families for dessert. The trick to surviving that is to eat the smallest possible amount everywhere. Now we try to limit it to 2 households. This year, we'll be stopping at one of our neighbors and our cousins who live nearby.

Anyway, because we're so strapped for time this year, and because we are pretty happy with the way our meal turned out last year, we decided to recycle that menu.

So here's what we're making, again:

Tofurky and Celebration Roast
Poblano Chili Cornbread Stuffing
Cashew Gravy
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Cumin Braised Brussels Sprouts
Green Beans with Balsamic Carmelized Red Onions
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Jane will make her apple pie to bring to our cousins house, and her chocolate truffles for the neighbors. She's toying with a vegan cheesecake recipe, but doesn't know if she'll have the time. Anyway, if you're still working on your menu, don't forget, we've got a number of Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes posted.

Whatever you wind up doing, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

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World Vegan Day – Celebrating 65 Years of Veganism

Lane — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:01:47 +0000

Tomorrow is World Vegan Day, for some of you around the globe, it is today already. So what? Why should you care? Well, it's certainly not as well-known or celebrated as Halloween is. But it is a chance to get out and meet with other vegans, to sample vegan fare, to stand up for animal rights, or simply to get our stories out there.

WorldVeganDay.info is asking us all to do just that, to get our stories out there. To blog, twitter, YouTube, FaceBook, MySpace, or visit forums and get the word out. Why did you go vegan? Tell your story, who knows, you may inspire others.

Below is a partial list of activities around the globe. If you don't see anything in your neck of the woods, check out google, facebook, craigslist, or your local colleges. The information is scattered, but it is out there. As for Jane and me, we're going to be making dinner for a few friends who aren't vegan. Activism through eating.

If you're in Melbourne, AUS, here's some info on your World Vegan Day celebration.
If you're in Wellington, New Zealand, here's info on a World Vegan Day Bake Sale.
If you're in England, near Croydon, here's some info on your World Vegan Day celebration. They're saying you should be there, or be without vegan cake and beer. (Damn, wrong continent!)
If you're in England, near Ennis Killen and are interested in practicing some yoga, followed by a meal of home cooked vegan fare... visit here.
If you're in Glasglow, the Univerity of Glasgow is hosting an Animal Lovers Fayre in honor of World Vegan Day.
If you're in Paris, you should check out Paris Vegan Day. I can't tell you exactly what they have planned, but dusting off my High School french, I believe there will be vegan product representation and vegan food availabe.
If you're in Montreal, they've got a World Vegan Day Fashion Show planned. It's billed as an evening of fashion, gourmet vegan cuisine and musical entertainment.
If you're in India, the Sthitaprajna Vegan Life Centre near Byndoor, Udupi District, Karnataka, is planning a three-day vegan event (Nov 1 - Nov 3).
If you're in San Francisco, there's a World Vegan Celebration dinner on Monday night. Just $15 including tax and tip. Details here.
If you're in the Los Angeles area, VegKids is sponsoring a rollerskating event in NorthRidge
Please note, if you're in the Los Angeles area and were planning on attending the Animal Acres World Vegan Day celebration, IT HAS BEEN CANCELED.
If you're in Phoenix, AZ, the Spectrum Mall light rail station is hosting a potluck of vegan goodies.

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Mezzetta Vinaigretta Review

Lane — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:54:03 +0000

Mezzetta Southwest Vinaigrette

Jane and I sampled two of the Mezzetta Vinaigretta salad toppings recently. We tried both the Southwest (pictured) and Mediterranean toppings. The product comes ready made in a jar. Their tag line is "just add lettuce." Jane loved the idea of the product as something quick to prepare for those days when getting a meal together can be a challenge. I was a little leery. I'm not a huge fan of things like this... I feel that the ingredients all tend to gelatanize over time and become a soft mush. But I'm not the cook, and if the cook needs to have the occasional quick fixins I'm not going to complain.

We were concerned about the lactic acid and "natural flavors" on the ingredient list. This is the email we received:

The Vinaigretta is indeed Vegan (except for flavors with honey, which is debatable). Regarding your questions:
1) The lactic acid we use is produced from the fermentation of sugar.
2) The natural flavor is derived from spices.

Let me know if you have any further questions, thanks so much!

So how did it taste? Neither of us loved the Mediterranean Vinaigretta. It had an odd taste and was rather oily. The Southwest Chipotle Lime Vinaigretta was better. I liked it, Jane thought it was okay. Neither of us in any rush to run out and buy more, but it makes a nice meal if you don't really want to think about putting together salad dressing and fixings.

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Vegan Questionnaire

Lane — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:26:10 +0000

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:

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.
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).
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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Pound Puppies

Lane — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:52:27 +0000

It's been awhile, sorry. While I've been ignoring this blog, I've been watching a fight brew in a chat I visit. The issue is animal adoption. One of the people involved is choosing to buy a dog from a breeder. The other person is a staunch animal rights activist and has taken to berating her openly and is actively recruiting others to harass her. He even started a chain email to petition her to get an animal from the local pound. This has been going on for almost two weeks now. It's gotten to the point where I think the animal rights activist has been banned from the chat.

Personally, I cannot understand how someone would buy a pet when there are so many animals in shelters, especially today when many people are giving up their companion animals because of financial issues. And yet, it is very common. My cousin bought himself a boxer last year, and a co-worker is getting herself an English Bulldog. Both of them have purchased their animals from breeders. I tried to dissuade them, but they both had their minds made up, and nothing I said had any influence. I even sent them links to websites for rescues for the breeds they were looking for. Also, it's not uncommon to find specific breeds at local animal shelters today. But my money is still on the mutts.

Regardless of how you feel however, if someone wants to buy a companion animal, they currently have that right. So I find myself in the interesting position of siding with the person who bought her dog, even though I think what she is doing is morally wrong. But her antagonist is really out there. The most bizarre thing about all this is that they live on different continents. It almost seems like he is venting all his frustrations at her because she is so far away and can't really retaliate. Regardless, it is her choice. It is still very legal in this country to breed and sell animals. His behavior is alienating others on the board who might otherwise be on his "side." This chat has nothing to do with animal rights or veganism.

Having said all that, if you are considering getting a pet in the near future, please look to your local animal shelters. There are so many wonderful animals in need of a good home. Petfinder, which is an on-line, searchable database of animals that need homes, has animals all across North America. Be aware that each shelter has their own set of fees and requirements for adoptees.

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Food, Inc. on DVD

Lane — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:24:16 +0000

Jane and I went to see Food Inc. in June (here's our review in case you missed it). Many of you emailed us and expressed interest in the movie, but it had a limited run and so you may not have had the opportunity to even get to a theater to see the movie. But now you can pre-order from Amazon. The movie will be released on November 3rd, 2009. It will change the way you think about food!

UPDATE: CLICK HERE to reserve your very own copy of Food, Inc. now:

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