Chicago Green Festival

By Monica on May 21st, 2008

Last weekend was the Chicago Green Festival, and since Ray and I were in the area anyway, we headed to Navy Pier to see what vegan yummies and green innovations the show had to offer.

The first ‘innovation’ we came across was this blueberry cheezecake from Totally Vegan. I’ve never heard of “Totally Vegan” before and possibly for good reason, this was the worst cheesecake I’ve ever had in my life. Each bite was different, one chalky, the next runny, like it may not have been mixed well? After 2 bites each, it went into the compost bin.

Thankfully there was no shortage of other vegan vendors with other goodies to get that taste out of my mouth, like this delicious bread pudding from Karyn’s Cooked:

After sampling for a couple hours, we made it to the food court where the Chicago Diner, Soul Veg, and Temptation were set up. After harassing the Temptation staff about not bringing Teese for me to buy, Ray and I got two massive cookie dough ice cream cones, not knowing they would weigh about 2 pounds each! So good!

VegNews was giving out these handy totes for renewing your subscription. Mine needed renewing anyway, and then I had a new tote to carry home all of our free loot!

My favorite part of the Green Festival, however, was all the elephant poop. That’s right - there was a ton of elephant poop at the fest!

We learned that many organizations are now making paper products with recycled elephant dung in an attempt to foster a healthier relationship between elephants and the people of Sri Lanka. Apparently Sri Lanka is home to 1/10 of the world’s Asian elephants and they are being killed because they interfere with agriculture. Given that an elephant leaves behind 500 pounds of dung each day, and that their veggie-based dung is almost entirely cellulose (perfect for paper making), many organizations feel that utilizing dung for income is one way humans and elephants can coexist in Sri Lanka. If the elephant is seen as an economic contributor to the region, people may be more tolerant, and may even learn to value the elephants as a part of their world.

The paper is gorgeous, acid free, environmentally and animal friendly. How cool would it be to send out wedding invitations on elephant poop?! Check out MrElliePooh for more info.

And lastly, I am including a recipe for Aunt Yvonne’s Rhubarb Bread, a recipe from Animal Times. (You should get used to seeing a lot of rhubarb posts for a while!) I don’t know who Aunt Yvonne is, but she makes one wicked loaf of rhubarb bread!

Aunt Yvonne’s Rhubarb Bread

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup silken tofu
1 cup soy milk mixed with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (let stand 10 minutes)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)
1/3 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. margarine, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, vegetable oil and tofu and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. In another bowl, combine the soy milk, baking soda, salt and vanilla.
Alternate adding the soy milk mixture and the flour to the sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in the rhubarb and pecans.
Turn the batter into a lightly greased and floured loaf pan (8″x 4″x 3″).
Stir together the white sugar and melted margarine, then sprinkle over the top of the loaf. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Something fishy

By Monica on January 30th, 2008

I may open the floodgates with this one, but today I’m going to poke fun at fish eaters. Everyone knows a pescatarian or two, everyone knows one who calls him or herself a vegetarian (much to our horror). I have a friend who calls pescatarians “fishocrites”. Perhaps you were a pescatarian at some point? I was, for about a week when I first began my journey to veganism.

In any case, here are some good reasons why eating fish stinks, and tasty ways for you to get your fish craving on, sans cruelty, PCB’s, or mercury poisoning.

Reason #1, Meal #1 - If current rates of overfishing continue, our seas will be barren by 2048. “100% of [fished] species will collapse by the year 2048. (…) In addition, ocean ecosystems will be unable to recover from shrinking populations of so many species of fish and other sea creatures…”

And for the tasty meal to eat instead of adding to the global overfishing crisis? Cornmeal Battered Tofu Phish Phillets. I was pleasantly surprised at what a great fish replacer this turned out to be. The texture was amazingly fish-like, they’re simple to make, and really inexpensive. Serve it up with some uber-simple vegan tarter sauce.

Reason #2, Meal #2 - Factoid: Some fish tend well-kept gardens, encouraging the growth of tasty algae and weeding out the types they don’t like. Cool, eh? In 2008 it seems silly to have to say this, but fish do feel pain. They have social structures, talk to one another, build nests, and have cognitive learning abilities matching or exceeding mammals. In short, they deserve our respect and compassion too, fishocrites.

Ok, the meal is kind of a cheat, I admit. I’ve personally never had a “Fillet-o-Fish” from McSucks, but I have to wager that this version tastes better. It’s certainly healthier for you, and absolutely healthier for the fish. Look, you can even throw it on a cheap white bun for authenticity!

Reason #3, Meal #3 - “Salmon raised in ocean feedlots, the main source of supply for American consumers, contains such high levels of PCBs, dioxins and other toxic chemicals that people should not eat it more than once a month, according to an extensive study reported in the journal Science.” And it’s not just salmon, do some research into PCBs, pesticides, and methylmercury before chowing down on Nemo.

Meal #3 was an experiment trying to replicate the salmon patties I would make as an omnivore. Back then the salmon was the canned variety. The patties were just firm enough to hold together, and it was always, always served with mac n’ cheese. On my first attempt, I came close enough to the original to call it good. This was also my first time sending tempeh into the food processor, but why not? Complete with a side of Mac N’ Cheez!

And finally, because I know it’s coming: “But, I need to eat fish to get Omega 3 fatty acids!” No, you don’t. Fish do not produce these essential fatty acids, they get them from plant life in their diet. So can you. You can also get them from canola oil, flax, walnuts, soybeans, tofu, etc etc etc ad nauseum. So there.

PCB-Free Salmon Patties
8 oz. tempeh, cubed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3T vegan tarter sauce
3T cocktail sauce
1T tamari
4T fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
3/4c cornmeal, divided
salt & pepper, to taste
vegetable oil

Place tempeh, onion, green pepper, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, tamari, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1/4c of the cornmeal into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is a course meal, adding a tad more cornmeal to help it stick together if needed. You’re looking for a loose burger patty consistency.

Divide mixture into 4 portions and shape into patties.

Place remaining 1/2c cornmeal into a bowl, season with salt & pepper, and coat each patty.

Coat the bottom of a nonstick pan with vegetable oil and brown patties on both sides over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.

Cornmeal Battered Tofu Phish Phillets
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, cut into 6 slabs
vegetable oil for frying
Marinade:
4T vegetable oil
1 1/2C water
2T Nutritional Yeast
1t sea salt
1/2t pepper
1T parsley
2t garlic powder
2t onion powder
Dry Mix:
1C cornmeal
1/2C flour
1t parsley
1/2t sea salt
1/2t onion powder
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the tofu and let marinate for one hour.

Mix dry ingredients in a shallow bowl. Remove the tofu from the marinade, shake off most of the liquid, and coat both sides with the dry mix. In a large skillet, heat enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pan fry fillets until golden and crispy on both sides.

Yippee, an ice storm!

By Monica on December 11th, 2007

Yippee, another ice storm! Here are a couple of shots I took on my way down the driveway this morning:

Birch tree in the front yard:

One of my poor little apple trees:

Now for something a little sunnier! A couple of weeks ago I spotted the “V word” on the front page of our local paper. There it was, staring at me like a beacon: “VEGAN”, on the front page. I think my heart skipped a beat. Inside, I was amazed to find an article about accepting the month long vegan challenge in November. Even further, Isa was pictured WITH A RECIPE. (Granted, it was next to a Turducken recipe, but this was a victory!)

I sent the author an email almost immediately, hardly able to contain my excitement about veganism in the local newspaper. And a few weeks later, here is the follow up article with mention to my little food blog. The best part is that a few local veg*ns have contacted me, terribly excited that they’re not alone out here in the sticks. Woo!

Ok, I’ll put my superstar status (har) aside and move onto the food. I wanted to give my vet a little gift of some sort for taking such amazing care of Sampson. (I’m so lucky to have the most amazing holistic vet on the planet, I drive 2 hours to get to her office and would drive 2 more!) Fruit baskets and the like seemed cliche, so I opted for Lindy Loo’s snowman testicles and a selection of home canned goods from my cold cellar.

Below, starting on the bottom left, we have: Apple Cranberry Relish, Brandied Pears, Blueberry Jam, Pear Sauce, Organic Apple Sauce. From the top left: Cinnamon Red Hot Apple Wedges, and Blackberry Rhubarb Jam. This is typically what I give everyone in my family for Christmas and it always goes over well, so I hope she and her staff enjoy it. Does anyone else can stuff? I love it!

Lastly, I am going to throw in a recipe that is perfect for days when you shivering and holed up inside because everything is covered in 1/4″ of ice. It relies heavily on vegan convenience foods, but frankly it’s so good that I don’t care. I made this as an omni and dare I say, it’s even better vegan.

Cheezy Tofurkey Stew
1T vegetable oil
1 package Tofurkey sausages (I think the kielbasa style work best here)
1 package vegan cheddar cheeze, cubed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 can green beans, or even better - an equivalent amount of frozen
2 cups non-dairy milk
1t pepper
1t salt
1-2T flour

In a large pot, brown the sliced sausages in the vegetable oil. Add the diced onion and cook just until translucent. Add all of the other ingredients except flour. Bring to a boil until cheeze is melted, then reduce and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 1 hour. When potatoes are soft, add the flour as necessary to thicken.

You can also make this in a crockpot if you’d like, just reduce the amount of liquid used.

My Sampson

By Monica on November 29th, 2007

With his insurmountable pride and dignity intact, Sampson left us yesterday after an ultrasound revealed diseases that even his indomitable courage and fighting spirit could not overcome. His quirk and snark were surpassed only by his sense of humor and enormous heart. His constant voice and warm snuggles will be missed terribly.