West Coast Isa???

Isa - the Veganomicon/cupcake queen - is moving to Portland, Oregon.

I feel abandoned.

Why, oh why, are all these fabulous vegan types over on the West coast and I am here in Massachusetts?

Portland even has a vegan mini-mall. All vegan businesses. I was in Portland 2 years ago and had no idea it was that kind of city. I missed the boat there, I think.

Good luck in your new home, Isa - and keep up the good work!

Stay Vegan, Friends!

Across Preston in the dark, cold and rain...

I'm very excited! My Beloved and I just signed up for a vegan cooking class tomorrow night! OK, maybe I'm easily pleased, but I am **really** looking forward to it. It's at our local Whole Foods (aka 'Bread & Circus' to those of us who remember the place before the takeover...) and we'll be cooking a 3-course meal and enjoying it with wine. All for $20 a head!

Since I know everything I know from Colleen's podcasts and her wonderful Joy of Vegan Baking (as I know, I know, I've said before....) along with the rich library of other cookbooks I've compulsively purchased over the last 5 months or so, it'll be great to actually see how others do it. And hopefully pick up a few more tips.

That's one of the best parts of being vegan - there is so much to learn. Food becomes endlessly exciting and novel. Tastes are deeper and more satisfying. And the adventure of taking a hitherto unknown ingredient and incorporating it into a satisfying and cruelty-free meal....well, for a foodie, it's really fulfilling.

Issues I must raise are:

1. how to cook with diabetics in mind
2. how to cook without gluten (the mother of a friend of mine cannot eat gluten...)
3. when's the next class...so that said friend and I can go again!

In the meantime, I *must* post some pix of My Beloved's amazing Lentil and Potato Curry that we had for dinner last night. The recipe is actually in the Veganomicon, but the original calls for cauliflower which - as noted in a previous post - My Beloved won't touch with someone else's 10 ft pole. Soooooooo, we have spuds in it instead....sorry, Isa!



And a close-up:



I enjoyed the remainder for lunch today and must confess that it was just as good the second time around. Even microwaved - a technique I don't normally use as I don't like microwaves particularly. But I was at work, so what else am I going to do????

My Beloved also made a stack of poppadoms as we'd bought some hot lime pickle from our semi-local Asian store. It transported us back to the 'old country' where on a Saturday night we'd frequently go out for an Indian and a few beers.....

Sigh!

Sometimes I miss those days!

But then I remember the long walks home too - right across Preston in the dark, cold and rain....

:: shudder ::

Stay dry...and Stay Vegan, Friends! :)

Gingercake Giggles

I have taken soooo many food pix recently. Many. Many more than you'd believe. Especially as they've been staying in the camera and not actually seeing the light of day...

Too sad.....

So tonight I hope to remedy that a little - here's one of my newest creations:



Well, you didn't think you'd get the whole thing, did ya?!?!

I am still getting the hang of my new camera, so this is perhaps not the best gingercake photo of all time. But rest assured: it is the best **gingercake** you'll ever taste! And the recipe is mine, all mine, veganized by Yours Truly for your munching pleasure!

So here, without further ado, is the recipe....

You will need:

3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp crystallised ginger, also minced
1/2 cup ginger beer (the dark, caribbean type one - not gingerale!)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup silken tofu
2 tbsp dark rum

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9x9 cake pan
2. In a large saucepan over a low to moderate heat, mix together the molasses, sugar, ginger beer, fresh ginger, crystallised ginger and applesauce. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

**********
Vegan tip: in this recipe, the applesauce takes the place of the stick of butter you would otherwise have used and thus renders this cake ***fat-free***! So it's kind to your heart and kindhearted...at the same time! Imagine that! :)
**********

3. In a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, salt and other spices.
4. In a small bowl, mash up the silken tofu with a fork or hand whisk and combine with the rum.

**********
Vegan tip #2: the tofu replaces the 2 beaten eggs from the beaten bodies of the 'layer chickens' who would have suffered and labored for 30 hours apiece in the living hell that is their existence on a factory farm to produce those easily replaceable eggs for you.

Eggs vs tofu: it's a complete no-brainer!!
**********

5. Add the tofu/rum mix to the cooled mixture in the saucepan. Combine well.
6. Add the flour mix to the saucepan too and mix until all the dry ingredients are well mixed in.
7. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-40 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a rack.
9. Place well away from small children, hungry husbands and acrobatic doggies....the smell as the cake cools may just prove toooooo tempting!

I frosted a slice or two with vegan cream cheese frosting, but didn't do the entire cake as I knew I'd be utterly powerless to resist locking myself in my room and eating the entire thing in one sitting.

You may chose to do otherwise!

And if you do, remember: it's fat-free!

So enjoy....

...and Stay Vegan, Friends!

Got (Soy)Milk?

Think Spring!



The end of winter is a great cause for celebration here in New England. And it is marked - in my mind at least - by the beginning of the maple syrup season. And of course, with the running of the sap comes the inevitable maple pancake breakfasts.

My Beloved and I love the maple breakfasts - pancakes or waffles or french toast with lashings of maple syrup, cooked right there in the sugar shack. And of course, we stay local and frequent a family-owned place called Pomeroys.

This year, of course, things are slightly different. Being vegan means there is little I can eat there, as the whole menu revolves around sliced/ground pigs (aka 'bacon' and 'sausage') and cows' milk - in the french toast, waffles etc. So we were in a real quandry. We know the people who own the farm and they are truly good folks - genuine, kind, salt of the earth types, who are eeking out a living with a small dairy herd, battling for fair market prices for their milk, and cooking up maple sap for our breakfast. And their animals are well cared for and free roaming. I guess it's farming like it used to be.

Or is it? I took some pictures and in reviewing them notice something startling: there are few babies. There is a stable of dairy cows, but only one baby. And as you see, she's a bit of a tourist attraction:



As I stood with her, she rubbed her head on the wire of her enclosure and clearly adored being tickled around the ears. Her pink-mottled nose was slightly wet and softer than velvet. And her eyelashes were curled, silken strands that seemed to 'whoosh!' as she blinked gently. She really was the most gorgeous animal.



While I was scratching her head, a woman with a young child came to stand with us. The little girl was clearly rather taken with the calf and her mother was quick to explain how the little calf would grow up to be like her mommy - a big cow who'd give us milk. My Beloved and I exchanged a glance which said as clearly as if he'd spoken: do not say a word! He needn't have worried - the lump in my throat prevented me from speaking anyhow. Because I was thinking about the future of this little one. Of how she would be raised only for her milk, how she'd be impregnated year after year, only to have her baby removed from her each time. How she'd develop porosis as the demand for an unnaturally high milk yield leached the calcium from her bones. And how she'd find herself on a truck to a slaughterhouse when her productivity waned, around 6 years from now.

But this is a dairy cow? Can this be her future? Yes. It can and probably will be. Ask yourself this question: even on the small holdings, on the organic family farms...how many retired cows do you see? How many aging animals can you visit and see being cared for in their 'twilight years'? And remember the recent story about the unconscionable abuses of cows in the California slaughterhouse? Well folks - these were dairy cows. Spent, used up, abused and broken animals whose only purpose in life was to provide you with your daily glass of milk at breakfast.

So take a look into their endlessly soft and deep eyes and ask yourself if you couldn't perhaps make it a soy-milk after all?

Shout-Out to Gravity Switch!

I have been remiss. I haven't posted recently. It's all to do with being exhausted from my new job, but there are a few things I need to get to, the first of which is a shout-out Thank-You! to Rachael and the Gravity Switch team.

One day last week, I was greeted by a large parcel waiting outside my backdoor. It looked like this:



The greeting read "Congratulations on your new job. We loved working with you - Thanks for eveything!" and inside were the following:





Which I have to say was an awesome idea. These are truly nice folks who went out of their way to send a gift to me, even though we'd worked together only briefly. People constantly amaze and hearten me! :)

Anyways, the couple of non-vegan items were eagerly snapped up by My Beloved



who will enjoy the honey and has already scoffed the scones. The crumpets remain and will probably form the basis of a weekend breakfast for him. And I'll stick with the vegan muffins and scrumptious strawberry jam!



Thank you so much Gravity Switch guys - especially Rachael and Jason! You are the best!

Stay Vegan, Friends!

Happy Birthday, Colleen!

A very special person has a birthday coming up, so this is a shout out to her - Happy Birthday, Colleen!

As you may know from previous posts, I am addicted to and inspired by the Vegetarian Food for Thought podcasts produced by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks. Colleen's work is consistently thoughtful, highly-researched, balanced without pulling punches, and above all each podcast embodies the compassion she advocates. She truly is a hero to me and I recommend her work to anyone with even the faintest interest in healthful, sustainable eating or animal welfare. To learn more, search for vegetarian podcasts in iTunes, or click here to visit her website.

My teacher, my guide, my friend - Happiest of Birthdays to you!

:)

Today's WTF Moment...

So what, do tell, is a 'ham shoot'?

It conjures up images of the fairground, where kids shoot paper targets to win goldfish. Perhaps at a sportsman's ham shoot, the competitors win packets of sausages? Or bacon sandwiches?

I say this tongue very firmly in cheek, of course.

What in the name of all that's holy is a ham shoot?

In the run up to Thanksgiving, I've seen 'live turkey shoots' advertised at the same spot and have always cringed at the thought. And now, as we approach Easter, there are ham shoots, and I am absolutely terrified to consider the possibilities there.

And - note the shingle - this is at a fish and game range. Which is open to the public. Anyone can wander in off the street presumably and take a shot.

Some days I can't help but wonder what the heck I am doing here.....

Stay Vegan, Friends....

This Eagle Has Landed!

I am exhausted.

And thrilled.

And confused.

Happily challenged.

And getting results.

In short: my new job is great!


OK, you've all been very patient while I've been offline recently, so here are some pix....

Epicenter of the Chartpak Empire:



My workspace:



The 'Hot Seat' or 'where it all happens'...



Of particular note are the photo on the desk of My Beloved, and Cow Tse-Dung, who is dangling from the shelf on the left....I leave you to work it out....

:)

And here are my new coworkers, Tara (Sales Director) in the foreground and Lana (Creative Director) standing behind her:



And here's Jamie, fellow Haggis-head and my new boss...



Am not entirely sure what he's thinking...perhaps this is ripe for a 'caption competition'?

OK, so nothing particularly vegan about this post, but just keeping ya'll up to date!

Everyone has been really nice - very welcoming, easy going, receptive to new ideas (including my veganism) and the transition has been smooth as silk. Makes a change, right?

Stay Vegan, Friends!

On Being 'A Good Vegan'...

A new job, for me, always heralds the arrival of a new coffee mug.

Some folks get a whole new wardrobe. Some a new computer. Me, I get a coffee mug. But hang the expense...sometimes I use it for tea too!

This is my latest acquisition in action:





It's from Compassionate Cooks and is easily the best mug I have bought in several jobs. Capacious with a large, palm-friendly handle, this mug is going to hold all the coffee or tea I can drink on the job and then some. And it spreads the message without me having to say a word: "Be kind to animals - Don't Eat Them". Nice and simple - a philosophy you can take to the bank!

Which brings me onto the topic I was mulling over this morning - practical veganism. I'm currently reading Joanne Stepaniak's book 'Being Vegan' in which she emphasises the difference between veganism and vegetarianism. One is a way of life, the other a way of eating. And I think this is the first time I have seen that distinction set out so clearly. Within the vegan community, I get the sense that vegetarians are considered 'pre-vegans' or maybe 'not-quite vegans', but Joanne draws a very firm line between the two and I think I'm tending towards agreeing with her.

The difference is fundamental and goes a long way to explaining how vegetarians can continue to eat animal products - eggs and dairy, specifically - wear leather and use products which are tested on animals, such as big label cosmetics and detergents. I had always been unable to reconcile this apparent incongruity, unable to understand 'selective compassion'.

But what I'm learning from Stepaniak's work is that vegetarianism really is about diet, whereas veganism is a whole lifestyle founded in compassion and active harmlessness. I particularly like this last part - active harmlessness - as it moves veganism out of the realm of passive avoidance (of animal bodies and secretions in 'food', of animal skins as clothing etc) and into an active realm of making life better - for animals and human animals alike.

I have always felt strongly that it is not sufficient to simply switch from a ground up cow burger to a veggie burger, but that I had to do more. I have to spread the message, to show folks how their actions - like mine - affect others around them. To be a good vegan and to make a difference.

And so, I came upon a post by Agnes, the high priestess of homemade vegan ice cream and was saddened to learn that she's received flak about a recent recipe. Apparently the Guinness in her Guinness ice cream is not vegan and some people have slammed her for being a 'bad vegan'. Since she's disabled comments on her blog, I hope she's able to get to this open letter.

*************

Dear Agnes,

I am a fan of your blog - I guess that goes without saying. And I was sad to read your latest post as it's obvious that you feel pretty bad right now. Your 'Mea Culpa' is wholly unnecessary and here's why...

Veganism, to me, is not about 100% purity - it's about minimizing suffering and exploitation. It's about making big choices every day to step outside of the meat-eating culture and refuse to support the institutionalised torture of the sentient beings whith whom we share this living experience. It's about doing the maximum we can to make life better for animals - human or non-human.

It is not about obsessing over minute ingredients.

It is not about alienating those who might otherwise be drawn to veganism by being the difficult diner, the scourge of waitstaff, the sotto voce grumbler or whiner.

And it's not about being holier-than-thou and judgemental.

It's about showing people that the vegan lifestyle is fun, expansive, fulfilling, easy and healthy. That what we put in our mouths very literally becomes part of us. And if that food is full of life and energy then we become different people than if we 'nourish' ourselves with the results of pain, torture, terror and death.

It looks like you've felt forced to hold up your hands and admit to being 'a bad vegan', but that's ridiculous. You obviously spend a great deal of time on your blog and who knows how many people that has inspired to **at least try** a cruelty-free option. You are 'walking the walk' and doing immeasurably more than all of the the critical label-readers and nit-pickers out there.

OK folks, so Guinness may not be vegan. Let's move on. Give everyone credit where it's due and don't let's slam each other for perceived infractions of a code. Because that kind of reaction is decidedly Not Vegan!

Take heart, Agnes, and keep up the good work!

************

And Stay Vegan, Friends!

One Chapter Ends and Another Begins...

Today was my final day at work. On Thursday I start my new job, so today entailed a lot of leaving. It took me pretty much the entire morning to do so in fact. And some of yesterday too.

There is always a get-together. A small celebration of someone's time with the organization, so I half-expected a few words and a glass of something slightly less caffeinated than my usual beverage of choice at work....

....a full-blown vegan extravaganza, however, I did **not** see coming.

Yes, you read that right!

The folks at my (now former) company catered a full vegan meal and it was lovely. Just lovely.

I hope they won't mind me sharing some of the pix....

This is my former boss, smiling so happily. I miss you already, Tom!



And see how wide people grin when there's great cruelty-free food on the table!



This is some of the spread, sadly I didn't get any close-ups as I was in a state of overwhelmed confusion at the whole thing and not quite in my right mind.





It's an odd fact that you really only learn how truly good people can be at certain, defining moments. Yesterday was one of those moments. Everyone at my organization is busy and overstretched, but still they took time to do something for me. Some people cooked at home and brought food in, others special-ordered 2 vegan cakes (I am usually the baker, and I would have made my own cake if I'd thought about it!!!), and still others brought a heart appetite and made it a really fun and relaxing lunch. And I am feeling humbled and grateful and sad to be leaving and excited to begin the next chapter of my life....all at once.

And perhaps becoming vegan has helped me in that regard too. I feel it's made me humbler, more open to seeing the compassion in others, quicker to offer kindness and more able to accept it from others.

And I really like that.

Tom, Rachel, Suzette, Chris, Jennifer, Tim, Humera, Katie, Angela, Bhavin...everyone...I will miss you all!



Stay Vegan, Friends!