"The Face on Your Plate"

One of my favourite authors, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, is at it again. Not content with tempting me from afar with exotic visions of the Antipodes (New Zealand specifically), now he's written a new book that I can barely wait to get my sticky paws on!



From his website, I learned the following:

I have finished The Face on Your Plate, The Truth About Food, a book about vegetarianism and veganism, which will be published in March 2009 by W.W. Norton. Here is the table of contents:

Introduction: The Gold Standard is Green
1: The Only World We Have
2: The Lives They Lead
3: The Fishy Business of Aquaculture
4: Denial
5: A Day in the Life of a Vegan

Given the quality of Masson's previous research and writing, and his commitment to veganism, this is sure to be an outstanding work to add to the compassionate cannon!

Stay Vegan, Friends!

Is raw where it's at for you?

I'm a big fan of Happy Cow - no, not Happy Meat - Happy Cow, the online resource for locating vegetarian and vegan restaurants and stores worldwide. I have used it several times to find somewhere to eat and have resolved always to post reviews of culinary experiences to help build out their database.

So, with that in mind, I've just submitted my review of Grezzo, a raw vegan restaurant in Boston that I visited last weekend with My Beloved and our good friends C and D. This is what I had to say:

Last weekend, I visited Grezzo with friends from out of town. This was my intro to raw food and it was great in many ways. We mainly opted for the sampler menu - many courses, small portions - and were delighted by how much food apppeared. The quality seemed excellent (although, ofc ourse, I have nothing to guage it against!) and the staff were superbly knowledgable, friendly and helpful. The plates looked like mini works of art and often it seemed a shame to eat them.

On this occasion, the chef's taster menu included soups - Mushroom Tea, Thai Hot and Spicy Coconut - appetizers - Grezzo Sliders, Pickled Asparagus Salad, Gnocchi carbonara - salads, and entrees - Tomato Ravioli, Land and Sea, and Lobster Mushroom Fettucini.

The ravioli was nice but way too simple to be a good menu choice. The Land and Sea was a complex dish, artfully presented and delicious, and my husband - initially the most skeptical of our group - particularly liked his entree: the lobster mushroom fettucini which was finished with a saffron 'cream' sauce.

The desserts were wonderful and really, if we have the chance to go again, I think I'll be tempted to skip straight to them! I had the choc brownie sundae with home-made gelato and ultimately had to share with everyone - it was soooo good! The rest of the party opted for the Mexican Chocolate Torte which was good, but heavy on the hot pepper!

Of the experience in general, my husband made an intriguing observation: with raw food, there is little smell. Since smelling the food is part and parcel of enjoying its taste, I guess this was the only thing that counted against it. Of course that's not a critique of Grezzo as much as of the genre of food.

The venue itself is ridiculously small: 'cozy' is an desperate understatement. The few tables really are crowded together and the plush overstuffed dining chairs are a luxury the space cannot really afford.

Overall, it was an excellent intro to raw food and, if you are interesting in dipping your toes in that particular pond, Grezzo is a great place to do it!

Although we definitely all enjoyed the food, the chance to meet with our friends and spend a chunk of time catching up was certainly the best part! Given the circumstances, I think I would have enjoyed a veggie burger and fries on Boston Common just as much, as long as the company was the same! And I am relieved that I have not developed a sudden urge to 'go raw' in the same way as I was overcome with the need to go vegan almost a year ago. My Beloved, too, is breathing a hefty sign of relief, especially as we have just purchased that 'sales-tax free stove'.....

Raw food is fine - delicious, nutritious and all that jazz. Don't let anyone kid you that it's all grated carrots and sprouts - that is a tremendous dis-service to the whole ethic. But I do think that it's also somewhat contrived - 'ravioli' and 'fettucini' dishes without pasta? Hmmm...I know that raw foodists will disagree and that the same skeptical criticism is levelled against faux meats/meat analogs/mock meats/whatever you want to call them. And I eat those things happily, given the chance! But I remain unpersuaded by the whole raw deal. Perhaps it is because the basis of my veganism is ethical and springs from a horror of the atrocities committed against farmed animals and a refusal to partake in or support the industry. It does not spring from health concerns and so the additional nutrition benefits derived from raw veganism just don't cause too big a blip on my radar.

But if raw is where it's at for you, more power to you. And if so, visit Grezzo - the staff really is wonderful and you will be very well looked after.

Main thing is - whether cooked or uncooked - stay vegan, friends!

Because we obviously have the monopoly in emotions....

Featured in today's Telegraph...

'Astonishing video footage from a zoo in Germany of a female gorilla grieving for her dead baby.'

Click here for video.

Why is this 'astonishing'???

A Squandered Opportunity....

OK, so I fluffed it.

As readers of earlier posts will perhaps know, I was contacted by the Technology and Business Reporter, Curt Nickisch, of WBUR Boston's NPR station. He was preparing a short piece on the (then) upcoming sales tax holiday (last weekend) and had spotted my blog reference to the planned purchase of a new stove ('Rhubarb Rhubarb').

I was awash with excitement but in classic Amanda-style, I managed to allow my nerves to overwhelm me to the point that I utterly forgot the useful things I had lined up to say. Part of the problem was that he called me at work where the atmosphere is not exactly conducive to quiet chats recorded for the radio - what with the inane pager going off at all times. So conscious that this could occur at any moment, and painfully aware of my (wonderful) colleagues sitting having to listen to my every oven-related comment, I was stumped for what to say.

Yes, I had this marvelous opportunity to tell the dear gentleman all about how **since becoming vegan** I have a renewed interest in and passion for food and cooking. How crowding out (as Erik Marcus says) the animal bodies from my diet has allowed me to learn new techniques, develop new tastes and to savour new pleasures. How much of a shame it is that he lives in Boston because **Western Massachusetts** is where it's at for awesome vegan baking - especially once we get this dang stove hooked up!

But did I say that?
Any of it?

No.

But lesson learned. Having spent all evening rueing my missed opportunity I resolved to let it go. But next time - and there will be a next time - I will be more prepared, more empowered and I will speak my truth.

To hear what I did manage to blurt out, click here and follow the link....

http://www.wbur.org/news/2008/79433_20080815.asp

And, whether in Radioland or elsewhere, Stay Vegan, Friends!
:)

Wha Guru for me!

I wish, I wish I had a photo of the actual chewie bar I discovered yesterday at my local coop, but sadly it was gone in an instant. So here's the manufacturer's official image of this heavenly little treat:



With several varieties in the line and an excellent price point (I think I paid 89cents), Wha Guru Chews are my new favourite snacky friend! Although they don't have a 'certified vegan' stamp, the one I tried (Almond and Ginger) containes only Brown Rice Syrup, Evaporated Cane Juice, Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, High Oleic Safflower Oil, Crystallized Ginger Pieces, Almond Butter, Wheat Germ, Ginger Root Powder, Sea Salt, Soy Lecithin, Natural Lemon Flavor.

But I tell ya - I was blown away by how wonderful it was. I just wish the 1.13oz bars were bigger!

Try them!

Amd stay vegan, friends!

Veganize Boston

--given my thwarted attempts to locate a fine dining restaurant in which to entertain friends from out of town (California, in fact) who perhaps don't want yet another cheeseless pizza or burrito, veganizing Boston seems like a very good idea.

In the face of multiple attempts to find a suitable eaterie, even My Beloved threw up his hands and exclaimed "But where's the **regular** vegan food????"

As a pre-vegan, that says it all.

Go vegan, Boston!

Vegan Blog Tracker - Vegblogs!

Am I the last person ever to learn about RSS and newsfeeds?

Apparently so.

And to remedy that, I have added a feed (top, right, friendly-looking orage icon!) to Cackleberry so now you never need to miss a post!

Why? I hear you ask.

Well, I would very much like to be included in the blogroll at Vegblogs.com among such vegan luminaries as the Vegan Freaks (Bob and Jenna!), Fatfree Vegan Kitchen (Susan!) and A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise (Agnes!) so I have added my feed and will wait to see what happens!

To check out Vegblogs.com yourself, click on this link or visit via my blogroll to the right, 'Blogs of Note' ->

A Life Connected.

I think I shared this link with a few friends, but it bears wider publication.

From NonViolenceUnited.org....

The question isn't whether or not you can make a difference. You are making a difference. But what kind of difference are you making? What kind of difference do you want to make?

Each of our choices in the past built the world we live in today. And each of our choices from this moment forward will build the world we live in tomorrow.

We will build a world reflective of our values when our everyday choices are aligned with those values.

A Life Connected, Pt 1: For the People



A Life Connected, Pt 2: For the Planet



A Life Connected, Pt 3: For the Animals



It all speaks for itself.

Stay Vegan, Friends!

Changing the world, one animal at a time.

Hot on the heels of my post about Peaceful Prairie comes another sanctuary-related snippet. I have just discovered a wonderful place out in Wyoming which cares for and rehabilitates animals rescued from research facilities. The Kindness Ranch is a new and developing resource - the website is pretty basic but it's heart-warming to see the images of the residents. I would have liked to know more about their individual backgrounds, their stories and how they made their way to the ranch.

Intriguingly, the site does allude to the difficulty of getting research establishments to give up their animals alive: 'Obtaining the release of any animal is never easy, and in many cases, it's not free!' and scientists 'for reasons of economics or policy, have traditionally euthanized animals when they are no longer useful'. But this is vital work and the ranch needs and deserves our support. If you can help financially, their basic adult membership is just $25 and they accept donations by all the usual means.

And if you are ever out in Wyoming, it certainly looks like an awesome place to stay!

Rhubarb Rhubarb.....

I have enjoyed the best weekend! Yesterday morning, My Beloved and I managed to rouse ourselves from bed early enough to get to the local farmers' market from which we succeeded in purchasing a whole host of lovelies. Among them was a bunch of fresh rhubarb. OK, so those who know me probably know that I am not exactly gifted in the 'what to do with rhubarb' department but, on this one occasion, I had the perfect recipe.

I recently came into possession of a copy of Sarah Kramer's 'How It All Vegan' and on page 127 I stumbed across a recipe for rhubarb bread which goes like this.

You will need:

2.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt
1 tsp powdered ginger
egg replacer equal to one egg (I used 0.25 cup of silken tofu)
0.5 cup of sugar
0.5 cup canola oil
0.5 cup orange juice
1.5 cups fresh rhubarb, finely chopped

And here is how it all goes together:

~ Preheat oven to 350 (more on this later!) and lightly oil a loaf pan.
~ Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger.
~ Stir in the egg replacer (in this case tofu, but I think applesauce would work really well too), sugar, oil and rhubarb. Mix until combined - note that the mix will be really thick and heavy and you'll be tempted to add more liquid, but you must resist! :)
~ Plop the mix into the oiled loaf pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes. I needed to leave mine in for an extra 10 mins, but that is due to the fact that my oven door doesn't close properly (again, more on that later!)
~ Cool at least 10 minutes before setting onto a wire rack for full cooling.

And this is what it looked like.....


The inspiration:



The raw materials:



....which became....



And yes, the mix does look thick and stodgy in the pan:



....but look what it turns into.....



The 'bread' itself is very moist and cakey with a dense crumb. It pairs very nicely with a cup of tea and I think it's one of the finest things I have yet done with rhubarb. I encourage you all to try it! Oh, and if you *do* try it and love it, buy the book!

Now, back to the issue of the oven. Here in Taxachusetts - er, sorry Massachusetts - we are gearing up for a once-per-year-mega-event: the 'sales tax holiday'. For just one short weekend, sales tax on items less than $2500 (I believe) is suspended, in order to bolster wilting mid-August sales. And so, My Beloved and I - having endured 6 years frustration with the 30-year old stove which came with the house - have decided to spring for a new oven. Hurrah! One that has more than one shelf inside and a door that closes properly will be a real blessing! Given that we don't exactly live on takeout but actually cook and/or bake every evening, it seems like we have done our time with the old Kenmore. Oh, the luxury of a door that closes - I can scarcely believe it!

Now, if we were planning on staying in this house, we would buy the 'range' that we so badly want....something with 2 ovens and 6 burners, from Viking perhaps? But as it is, we are hoping to trade up at some stage, so buying that sort of 'dream range' is out of range really. So we made a quick circuit of the big box stores and have decided - somewhat tentatively - upon this one:



I can barely wait!

Other news from this weekend related to jam thumbprint cookies. Yes, I can almost *hear* you wondering what could possibly be newsworthy about this, but here's the deal. My Beloved and I - having shopped til we dropped at the farmers' market - decided to indulge ourselves in a large cafe au lait (soy, in my case) in the sunshine in Pulaski Park. It was a wondererful sunny day and we stretched out on the grass and watched the world go by, as we sipped our coffees. My Beloved was feeling nibbly so bought a jam thumbprint cookie from the coffee shop but, since they had no vegan ones, I refrained. And oddly (I am known as a bit of a greedy guts, it has to be admitted) I felt no compunction whatsoever to even *try* this thing: it just was no longer food to me.

Fast forward to when it was time to bestir ourselves and get moving....My Beloved crumpled up the bag and declared that the cookie was overall 'a bit dry' and not as good as I make at home.
Now, given that my decision to go vegan was initially met with naked fear and desperate whimpering 'But, what am I going to eat????' on the part of My Beloved, this was validation in itself. In less than a year (my vegan-versary is Sept. 9th) my cooking has changed so much that he prefers my vegan baked goods to those of the non-vegan pros!

Nice.

So to celebrate I made him a batch of chocolate-rapsberry thumbprint cookies, as pictured here:



No chicken's eggs, no cow's milk...just delicious!

And now I'm off to nibble one so Stay Vegan, Friends!