Old Dogs and New Tricks

I have to admit that I am more frequently more cynical than I would aspire to be. Some might even say that I am not sufficiently charitable in spirit.

And they might be onto something.

However, I am excited and somewhat humbled to confess that I have learned something these past few weeks. That people can change. That you can, in fact, teach a 'venerable pooch disparate exploits'...if you catch my drift.

As faithful visitors to Cackleberry will recall, my Dear Mama has been visiting for a while. She arrived warily anticipating the culinary equivalent of Colditz - a dietary regimen of gnarly carrot sticks and toxically-green wheatgrass juice on one side and thwarted attempts to escape to a steakhouse on the other. (And no, before you wheatgrass devotees get on my case - there is nothing intrinsically wrong with grass juices or carrot sticks, but they're not really my bag either.) This delusion did not persist long, however, as - and the breadth of my rear will attest to this - I much prefer carrot cake (covered with a thick coating of vegan cream cheese frosting) to carrot sticks and sugar cane juice (from 'The Islands') to wheatgrass....

So it quickly became apparent to her that she was not about to starve on the cornucopia of new foods that awaited her. In fact, she was able to do what Erik Marcus suggests (in his current series of Oprah-related podcasts) and 'crowd out' the animal-based foods she has consumed all her life. Gone were the filets of tortured chickens, the steaks of 'spent' dairy cows and in their place were hills of beans, thick slabs of tofu, home-made seitan, toothsome tempeh, vibrant vegetables, mountainous plates of salads and the occasional egg-free, dairy-free, cruelty- and guilt-free dessert.

Together we investigated erstwhile unknowns like quinoa, low-glycemic load pasta (she's diabetic), TVP and other meat analogs of all kinds, nutritional yeast, collard greens, cashew butter, tapenade, israeli couscous, avocado, torn fresh herbs straight out of the garden in salads, oven-roasted garlic, home-blended hummus and, of course, some 'commercial' products too - Earth Balance and Braggs Aminos being perhaps two of the absolute favourites.

And so, it was a proud moment for me when I arrived home yesterday at dinnertime to find that My Dear Mama had taken it upon herself to recreate one of my childhood favourites: spaghetti bolognaise. Absent from this dish was the standard ground cow flesh with its accompanying heart-clogging fat and heart-rending cruelty and in its place was TVP. Also present were carrots, peas, onions, celery, green peppers, tomatoes, corn and a host of herbs. I had stopped on the way home to pick up a bottle of wine and so we sat aimiably in the garden, me virtually *inhaling* the pasta sauce, and celebrated Mum's newfound dexterity in the vegan kitchen.

Not a bad way to spend a Monday evening...






Cheers and Stay Vegan, Friends!

Interesting in Becoming Vegan?

If Oprah can do it - you can do it!

For an excellent introduction to all things veggie and vegan, Erik Marcus is producing daily podcasts on his new Vegtalk blog! If you have even the mildest interest in how to make your diet more compassionate and healthy - for you, for the animals and for the environment - please do check out Erik's work...

Oprah Goes Vegan

Yes, I know that's a headline you are going to read on a million blogs, but I just had to jump on the bandwagon too! Yesterday, from 3 separate sources - and later also from my Dear Mama who is staying with us right now - I heard the excitement that Oprah was undertaking a 21-day cleanse that includes cutting all animal products out of her diet.

This is a great development for the vegan community as she is such a mega-star and can only do us good. I found a link to submit comments, questions and notes to Oprah's production team (no, I am not sufficiently naive to believe she reads these all herself, but no matter!) so I emailed the following:

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Oprah!
I am a long-time fan, of course, and also a new vegan so am very proud of the steps you're taking. I truly hope the transition brings you what it has brought me: peace, integrity, renewed energy and hope. The vegan lifestyle is so very rewarding and life affirming - every day, in the simplest way, we are living our values of compassion and mercy for all creatures. Plus we are giving our bodies what they need to carry us through this remarkable adventure. One of my greatest inspirations as I move along this path is Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks and I wonder whether she could be a guest on your show? Eloquent, intelligent, engaging and dynamic, she is undoubtedly the most charming spokesperson for veganism I have ever met and you would just love her! She can be reached at www.compassionatecooks.com, I believe.
Have fun with your challenge!!
Best wishes,
Amanda

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As a complete hero to me, I would love to see Colleen on Oprah! And if you feel the same, why not click on this link and suggest it too!!!!

Oh, and to follow Oprah's journey, bookmark this link.

Stay vegan, Friends!