Vegan vs. Vegetarian

I originally created this as a page, but I think it functions better as a post.  Be back in a few days with some travel experiences and lessons learned.

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I'm not sure of the origin of this cartoon, as I've seen it on more than one blog, but it makes a good point: it's hard to be a true vegan in our society.  Heck--it's hard to even be a true vegetarian.

As I've discussed on my "Why Vegan" page, part of the reason I chose to move towards veganism was because I discovered that things I loved as a vegetarian were actually not vegetarian at all.

At least in my mind, "vegetarian" has always meant someone who doesn't consume any animal product that required the animal to die.  Thus, no beef, chicken, fish, etc., but also no leather or silk (although some seem to be divided on that last one).  So when I discovered that most cheese is processed with rennet, an enzyme mainly sourced from veal calves' stomachs, I realized that cheese was not okay with me.  Further reading and research brought up the great sugar conspiracy, and I realized that much of what is considered "vegetarian" today is really not.

This was one of my top reasons for taking the final step to veganism, but I wonder how many other vegetarians know about these things?  Was I living in the dark for 15 years?  Are there vegetarians out there who search out rennet-less cheese, and only use organic sugar?  How many vegetarians research the contents of their cosmetics and body products to make sure they don't contain carmine/cochineal, gelatin, glycerin/glycerol, or guanine?  I know that until a few months ago, it never crossed my mind.

So how are we defining vegetarian these days?  Is there still a focus on preserving the lives of the animals that produce our food and body products?  Because if so, I think vegetarians as a whole have a lot to learn.  Maybe the cartoon was a good thing.

Too Tired to Title This Post

Working kicking butt.  Can't form complete sentances.  (Can't spell, either, apparently).

Tonight's Dinner:

Was supposed to be tofu scramble, but quickly became Random Stir-Fry Meal.  Oh well.  Tasted good.

Flexibility and Comfort Food

So I was feeling adventurous at the commissary the other day, and I bought some turnips...And they've been sitting in my fridge since then, because I had absolutely no idea what to do with them.  My standard tactic in this situation is to google, "turnip recipes" and see what pops up, but the first recipe that I found was this.  Now, AllRecipes is a great site, but they are not a vegan site, so I shouldn't have been surprised that this recipe contained both beef and lard (though really, who uses lard anymore?)  Still, the idea looked interesting, so I decided to make some modifications.

Crust:
Mix 4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 cups lard-substitute in medium sized bowl.  Further google-ized research revealed that various items may be substituted for lard, but I chose 1 cup Crisco vegetable shortening + 1/2 cup organic applesauce.  The recipe says to mix these ingredients directly with your hands, but since I was using a slightly different mixture, I recommend mixing the shortening and applesauce before adding them to the flour/salt mixture.  Finally, add 10 tablespoons of ice water, form into 6 equally sized balls, and refrigerator for approximately 1 hour.

Filling:
Here is where I largely deviated from the recipe.  Since this is basically a dinner pastry, I figured any combination of vegetables would suffice.  Tonight, I used the following, but we're really only limited by creativity:
- Broccoli flowerets (is that not a word?)
- Yellow onion, diced
- 2 Turnips, peeled and cut into chunks (the whole reason for the recipe, after all)
- A handful of baby red potatoes, also cut into chunks
- Firm tofu, sliced and cubed
- MorningStar Farms tvp chik'n

I also took the advice of one of the recipe reviewers and decided to add gravy, which gave the filling more of a pot-pie feel.  AllRecipes had a great vegan gravy recipe, which I followed to the letter, and it was good.

So after all my substitutions, the problem came when I tried to make the actual pastries.  According to the original recipe, you're supposed to roll the dough into roughly 9" circles.  Following which, you scoop a decent amount of filling into the middle, pull one end over to the other, and pinch the edges together.  I don't know if it was the fact that I couldn't get the dough decently flat (did I mention I don't own a rolling pin?) or that the substitutions changed the consistency of the dough, but I couldn't get it to come up in one piece.  So I improvised, created foil "bowls," and formed the dough into lid-less pot-pies inside of them.

I still cooked them at 200 degrees (Celsius; Fahrenheit would be 400 degrees) for 45 minutes, and the end result, while not pretty, was flaky and yum.

P.S. Turns out turnips are pretty good.  Read more about them here.

The Official Meatrix I

I'm gonna let the video speak for itself:



But if you want to see more, check out the Meatrix site.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

Okay, we're going to try this again.  Apparently my Atom feed doesn't update after a post has been edited, so I have to create a new entry.  Technorati, I hope you're worth it...QYEWP65K2GGU.
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P.S. Dinner was simple tonight.  Just some Amy's Kitchen Lentil Soup, with some added TVP and fresh vegetables mixed in.  Nothing too creative, but I really need to get back to that essay test...More entries coming soon...

Blog Drive

I have an take-home essay test due tomorrow, so of course, I spent the morning on the internet instead.  Following Google's advice, I looked up and registered with some blog directories, and made a few changes to the site.  Technorati is supposed to be a good way to drive site traffic, so just for them, I present the following random alphanumeric sequence, that proves this blog is mine: QYEWP65K2GGU.

ETA:...Which apparently isn't working, and that's making me annoyed.

Fast Food and Vegan?

I like cooking, but things have been hectic lately, and I forgot to bring a lunch today.  You would think that a vegan living overseas would have almost no choices in the fast food arena, but there are some surprisingly fast and easy options available:

Taco Bell - This place is awesome.  I usually go with a fresco bean burrito with rice and guacamole, but there are many other vegan options.  Their website even lists super-specific ingredient lists for all their items, so you can double-check things for yourself.

Subway/Any other sandwich place - The hallmark of a sandwich place is (supposed to be, at least) fresh veggies.  Since Subway and the other sandwich place on base both have a decent selection of vegetables, my other stand-by choice lately has been a veggie sandwich or wrap with mustard.  Unfortunately, the flat wraps at Subway contain animal products, but the Italian bread is okay.  At any other sandwich place, the best thing to do is ask.  Subway also carries apple slices, and some potato chips are vegan, so you can go ahead and make it a meal

Pizza - Pizza is also an option, and usually easy to find.  Obviously, you want to order a veggie without cheese, which makes the ladies behind the counter stare at me like I've lost my mind, but that's okay.  You also want to check the ingredients of the crust and sauce, to make sure there are no animal products:

- Dominoes - Only the thin crust is vegan.  The rest contain milk.

- Papa John's - Information is not clear.  They say there are no animal fats, but they don't specifically say "no animal products."

- Pizza Hut - Looks like the hand tossed and thin and crispy doughs are animal-free, but they do mention that the doughs are prepared in an area common to other products, so it depends on how picky you

The final option is to make a salad from the salad bar at the commissary.  This is great because you can also shop for some fresh fruit, nuts, or other vegan snacks at the same time.  You can also pick up some Amy's Kitchen or MorningStar Farms frozen dinners for future lunch emergencies.  Be sure to check to label though, because only some dinners are vegan.

So--lots of quick meals available.  Yet another "yum!"

My Reward

So I passed my PT test today (94%!), and decided to reward myself with yummy chocolate chip peanut butter cookies.  Of course, these aren't an everyday recipe, but as a celebratory dessert, I thought they were perfect.

This is the second vegan cookie recipe I've tried (the other is here), and while both produced decent-tasting cookies, my one bit of advice is to pay attention to the cooking time.  On both recipes, I left the cookies in a few minutes longer than recommended, because they didn't look done.  However, once they cooled, they ended up a trifle crunchy.  So my advice is to listen to the recipes, ignore the look of the cookies-in-progress, and enjoy chewier awesomeness.

Yum.
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ETA: I shaved a whole minute off my run time on my PT test.  Is it the diet?  Was it a fluke?  Only time will tell.
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E(again)TA: I took the leftover cookies to work and passed them around.  I only told a few people they were vegan, but everyone seemed to like them, and some took seconds.  Now they're all gone, and I'm contemplating a vegan cake...

The Joy of Food

Let's Talk About Food

I like food.  I'm eating as I type this.  What am I eating?--Half an avocado,  a handful of olives, fresh baby carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, and a few strips of tofu chik'n--all vegan.  Earlier today I had some roasted almonds, Fritos, two honey crunch apples, brown rice with steamed vegetables, and a banana/berry smoothie.  Sound good?  Still vegan.

What I Eat:

I get asked this question all the time, and it's really very simple.  Fresh produce is a staple of my diet.  I have two fruit bowls in my kitchen, because my mountain of apples, peaches, pears, kiwi, and plums won't fit in just one.  I also have a couple of bunches of bananas on a rack of their own which prevents browning (brown bananas are just gross).  In my refrigerator, I have Rice Dream rice milk (way better tasting than soy), fresh vegetables, 100% orange and tomato juices (no added sugar, no HFCS), organic jam and organic applesauce.  My pantry is filled with whole wheat Kashi cereal (I love Cinnamon Harvest), Amy's Kitchen (vegan) soups, egg-less vegetable-based pasta, cans of olives, jars of pickles, and a few cans of vegetables that aren't currently in season.  I also keep some Amy's frozen dinners in my freezer in case I'm too busy or tired to cook, but I don't usually need them.

I've found the best meals are things I've just thrown together: egg-less pasta with tomato sauce, topped with lightly browned zucchini, olives, artichokes, eggplant, and asparagus.  Steamed rice with a variety of vegetables.  Organic peanut butter and no-sugar-added fruit jam on egg-less bread (really good).  Last night I made a spinach salad with avocado, olives, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and tofu chik'n.  I steamed some cauliflower to serve on the side, and finished with grapes for dessert.

Recipe Resources:

Overall, vegan food is surprisingly easy, but there are options for the more gourmet-oriented out there.  I've found several blogs covering vegan recipes, and several other sites that show how to adapt almost any recipe to make it vegan.  I'm not the most food-creative type, but I've been able to follow some of these to create really unique meals.  More information can be found at:

http://vegweb.com/ - vegan and vegetarian recipes

http://www.goneraw.com/ - raw food recipes

http://www.laziestvegans.com/ - a blog about how to eat vegan with minimal effort

http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/ - another blog with some amazing gourmet recipes, all vegan

http://www.seedlingshowcase.com/cv08/cv.aspx - a vegetarian cooking school.  Yes--you read that right.  I've actually registered for a class here in March, so more on this later.

In conclusion, I am not starving on my vegan diet.  I'm actually really enjoying my new-found recipes, and the freedom to create whatever I want from scratch.  I'm healthier and happier, and as an added bonus, my waistline has begun to shrink.  I love vegan food.

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P.S. I actually wrote this a few days ago and forgot to post it, so today's menu is incorrect.  I've been experimenting with some new recipes, and tonight I had a really great casserole using a modified version of this recipe, which is amazing.  My mods:

- Add fresh veggies to the sauce.  My current favorites are zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli.  This has the added benefit of making the dish chunkier without adding too many carbs.

- Nix the pasta and vegan cheese.  While I'm sure vegan cheese is great, it is mostly unavailable in my current location, and is also full of calories.  Also, since giving up cheese last month, I've noticed how many things taste really good without it.  And the pasta is really unnecessary, and only takes away from the taste of the rest of the meal.

- Replace basil leaves with spinach.  Basil is probably good, but I didn't buy any on my last shopping trip, and I had a full bag of spinach.  Worked well.

Otherwise, great recipe.  I feel full, and it's fairly healthy, too.

Pancakes!!!!

I like pancakes.  (I also like exclamation points).  Anyway, a search for "vegan pancake recipes" brought up Broke Ass Vegan's idea to use Bis-quick without adding eggs.  I tried this a few weeks ago, and it worked out pretty well, but the pancakes were a little thick.  So I was reading some other recipes, and discovered that a lot of people like to use applesauce or mashed bananas in place of eggs.  Tonight's dinner:

1 1/4 cup Bis-quick
1/2 cup rice milk (Rice Dream is awesome)
3/8 cup applesauce
1/2 cup blueberries

Mix well and pour onto a lightly oiled skillet.  Yum.

Food Fight!

My Food Fight! order just came in (yes, the exclamation point is actually part of their name).  I picked the package up at lunch, and couldn't even wait to get home before I ripped it open.  I got some basic staples like nutritional yeast, seitan mix, and vegan sauces, and some amazing junk food: vegan jerky, gummy candy, chocolate, some jello-type substance, and marshmallows.  I didn't realize how much I missed marshmallows until I had the vegan version.  (They're awesome, btw).

Anyway, Food Fight! is just one of many vegan resources out there, so I thought I'd share the news.  More info to follow, but two other great vegan superstores are Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe and Vegan Essentials.  I'm not going to play favorites, because all three are amazing, so check them out.

Chocolate!!!...and Rules, I Guess

So I accidentally bought some non-vegan chocolate spread the other day, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to explain the rules of my new diet.  These rules will eventually be posted in the "About" section, when I get them finalized:

1. This is a gradual process for me.  My first priority is food.  From 1 Jan 2011, I have not (knowingly) eaten any animal products.  This includes meat, eggs, dairy products and by-products, slaughter by-products like gelatin and processed sugar, and honey (despite debate to the contrary, honey is not vegan).

2. Once I have the food thing settled, I will be moving on to other areas of my life.  I have already started on clothing and accessories, and will eventually be working with cosmetics, bath/body and household products, and finally, medicine.  At the moment, I have committed to label-reading for all future purchases, but I won't be getting rid of some of items I currently own until I can find suitable replacements.  My goal is to have this accomplished before the end of the year, if not sooner.

3. Although I am committed to a mostly-vegan lifestyle, I purposely titled this blog, "Vegan(ish)."  The "ish" is because I have decided I won't endanger my health if I truly need something that can only be obtained from animal sources.  One example would be vaccinations, which frequently contain porcine gelatin and/or egg protein.  And should I happen to survive a plane crash, I also won't be starving because I refuse to kill and eat any woodland creatures.  Although I will make every effort to find alternate versions of items I need, I will not do without a necessary item solely because it is animal-sourced.  I will, however, be doing without items that exist purely for pleasure or convenience.

4. My final caveat to the "ish" portion of this blog concerns my job--I'm Active Duty military, and there are certain items I'm not confident of finding in vegan versions.  One of these is my uniform footwear, which I have so far been unsuccessful in sourcing, although I will continue to try.  Another issue that might arise is the non-availability of vegan food in deployed locations.  Having recently returned from a relatively austere desert environment, I know that I might face the choice between eating pasta that may be made with milk or eggs, and not eating anything at all.  Again, while I will make every effort to prevent such situations, I will not starve when no other options are available.

These are the rules I have lived by for the past twelve days.  It hasn't been difficult; it's actually felt really good.  Like I said, this is a gradual process for me, but I look forward to what the future may bring.

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P.S. Chocolate CAN be vegan.  Most big brands aren't, either because they contain milk products, or because they use processed sugar.  I was super-excited to find the spread I purchased was sweetened with evaporated cane juice, and somehow didn't notice the milk fat until the next day.  I gave the spread away, but have already ordered truffles and chocolate sauce from the vegan grocery store, Food Fight!  I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that Newman-Os are free of animal products and by-products, and they taste amazing.

My Third Year of Resolutions

Two years and two days ago I lost a bet with my friend Mac.  As a licensed bartender, I thought I could drink him under the table, so we agreed to go drink for drink until one of us called it quits.  To my credit, I lasted fourteen rounds.  To my less-than-credit, my hangover lasted five days.  That was the year I decided to give up alcohol as my New Year's Resolution.

The following year, my friend Sidney told me how he had given up soda one year.  Sidney loves his junk food, so this was somewhat surprising.  I reasoned, if Sidney could do it, so could I.  I think it was actually harder than giving up alcohol, but I made it.

Today is New Year's Day, 2011.  I have been a vegetarian for fourteen+ years.  I've been batting around the idea of becoming a vegan for some time now, and today is the day.  If I can give up alcohol and soda, then I can do this.  My official goal is to be a vegan for the next year, but my ultimate goal is to do it forever.  This is my blog.