I got two new books from Amazon this weekend: Vegan Fire and Spice and Vegan Soul Kitchen. I plan on doing general reviews on each of these, but I'd rather make at least a few recipes from each before judging. I'm super excited to get going though--everything in these books look great. Tonight, I decided to make Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce from Fire and Spice. This is my first recipe review, so bear with me as a figure out a good way to assess the recipe.
Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce- Vegan Fire and Spice (by: Robin Robertson)
[Photo coming soon]
Notes/Method:
We already had some slabs of tofu freezing in our freezer so I used frozen tofu. I threw in a splach of rice vinegar to try to make up for some of the missing sherry. I made a ton of substitutions, mostly do to laziness, which are detailed below.
Simplicity of Ingredients: 5/5
The only ingredient that I think might be difficult to find is the bamboo shoots. However, we didn't use them (my roomie doesn't care for them and they didn't sound too appetizing to me either). The only ingredient that I could not get my hands on was the sherry--but only because I'm a mere twenty years old. Certainly not Robertson's fault.
Ease of Preperation: 4/5
This recipe was pretty simple. I made the sauce a couple hours ahead of time and left it in the fridge until I was ready for it. I only dirtied two pans (one for the tofu and sauce, one for the rice noodles) plus the food processor. I had some problems while cooking, but I think it was mostly me. One, I was baking bread at the same time, which decided it needed to come out of the oven at a crucial time for the tofu. Two, either I had the heat up a little too high or there just needs to be more liquid (having some sherry may have helped).
Versatility: 5/5
Usually, before I begin cooking I read the recipe over and over and do some prep work. Not this time. I decided to just start and found myself scrambling. The garlic got thrown in a little late. I realized halfway through frying the tofu that I had no ginger or scallions. I decided not to use the bamboo shoots but add in some broccoli instead. As previously mentioned I had no sherry. Instead of serving over rice I served with rice noodles. My peanut butter was crunchy not creamy and my peanuts were whole, not in peices. Regardless of all these substitutions and the fact that I was only half-paying attention to my frying tofu, the food turned out great.
Taste: 4/5
I wasn't happy with the way the sauce tasted when it was still hot in the pan. But when I sat down to eat dinner a couple hours later, the sauce was way better. The rice noodles I used soaked up the sauce and the tofu, though not quite as golden brown as I meant to get it, was perfect. This meal was super filling and really delicious. I would definately make it again, but I would probably make some adjustments (see below).
Notes for the future:
The sauce was a little thick in my opinion (just a little) and it took some work to really coat all the noodles and tofu. I think the sauce could benefit with a little coconut milk, just to thin it out a bit, and maybe some dessicated coconut on top. Also, the recipe calls for just a tablespoon of oil for frying the tofu, but I needed to keep adding oil to prevent mine from sticking.
Overall, I'm really pleased with the way this turned out, especially for all the changed I ended up having to make. I can't wait to try more from this great book!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Animals in Literature: Paradise Lost
I've been reading Paradise Lost, the poetical epic by John Milton, and today I came across a passage which interested me for obvious reasons. If you're not familiar with Paradise Lost, it's John Milton's foray into writing an epic for the English. It combines the traditions of Greek epics with English conventions. The plot deals with the Christian idea of "The Fall"--basically a much longer re-writing of Genesis in poetry, with a look at Satan and God's roles within it.
This passage comes from right after Adam and Eve have bitten into the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and have been judged by the Son and cast out of Eden. The world is beginning to change as Sin and Death penetrate the once-perfect world.
I am not a religious person, but I find Milton's view of paradise and the current world interesting. In Paradise (or Eden) Adam and Eve collected food from nature and ate only what grew from the earth, which was plentiful. Man communed with beast, and animals looked on Man's glory and found it comforting, enjoyable, a vision of God's love and ability to create beauty. Even the animals get along with one another, eating from nature's bounty instead of hunting weaker species. This is Paradise, this is God's vision, and it is beautiful.
But Man disobeys God and the world is suddenly imperfect. This passage is disturbing to me. Man's sin does not only affect mankind, but it causes the animals to lose sight of Paradise as well. This eerily reflects Man's impact on nature today. Eating fast food cheeseburgers, clogging our own arteries, wasting airable land with mat production--it's one thing to do these things, to commit these sins, and ruin our own perfection, but it is infinitely worse that we do these things and the animals suffer for it as well. In Paradise, man befriended animals of all kinds (the Serpent was not avoided by Eve, but greeted as if it was a neighbor). Today, we capture them, we breed them, we torture them, we kill them, and then we eat them. We do not do this out of survival. We do it out of the lust of our own bellies. We do it because it makes us money and feeds our greed. We teach ourselves to become distant from the compassion and mercy and sympathy that are innate within an individual and tell ourselves that animals are not worthy of those emotions. No wonder the animals of this new world glare when they see man, or run away in fear.
At the end of this passage, Adam sees the animals' reactions to him and he breaks down. Adam sees the scorn of the animals and the violence within them and launches into a 124-lined lament about the loss of Paradise. It's heart-wrenching to put yourself into Adam's place: to have such peace and companionship with the animal world, to have the earth supply you with a wealth of food without planting or farming the land yourself, and then to know that your single action is the reason that animals hate to look upon you and your food must be wrenched from the earth with your own hands--what could be more heartbreaking?
I'm not religious and there is no religion to which I currently prescribe myself. However, I love Milton's view of Paradise. The companionship with animals and plentiful food available from nature in Eden is also touched upon in the Bible. We've all heard someone use the bible to defend meat-eating. Whatever rules the Bible lays out as to what one can and cannot eat come after The Fall, when manking is already sinful. This seems backwards to me, though. If we want to be closer to God, shouldn't we strive to acheive a life similiar to the one enjoyed the the Garden of Eden, the place and time in which Man and God were closest? If Paradise is perfection and everyone was an herbivore, can we not then conclude (based on religious texts) that not eating animals would bring us closer to perection, closer to paradise, and therefore closer to God?
It's certainly sompething to think about in my opinion. Let me know what you think.
This passage comes from right after Adam and Eve have bitten into the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and have been judged by the Son and cast out of Eden. The world is beginning to change as Sin and Death penetrate the once-perfect world.
Beast now with beast gan war, and fowl with fowl,
And fish with fish; to graze the herb all leaving,
Devour'd each other; nor stood much in awe
Of man, but fled him, or with count'nance grim
Glared on him passing: these were from without
The glowing miseries, which Adam saw
Already in part, though hid in gloomiest shade,
To sorrow abandoned, but worse felt within,
And in a troubled ssea of passion tossed...
- Paradise Lost Book 10, lines 710-719
I am not a religious person, but I find Milton's view of paradise and the current world interesting. In Paradise (or Eden) Adam and Eve collected food from nature and ate only what grew from the earth, which was plentiful. Man communed with beast, and animals looked on Man's glory and found it comforting, enjoyable, a vision of God's love and ability to create beauty. Even the animals get along with one another, eating from nature's bounty instead of hunting weaker species. This is Paradise, this is God's vision, and it is beautiful.
But Man disobeys God and the world is suddenly imperfect. This passage is disturbing to me. Man's sin does not only affect mankind, but it causes the animals to lose sight of Paradise as well. This eerily reflects Man's impact on nature today. Eating fast food cheeseburgers, clogging our own arteries, wasting airable land with mat production--it's one thing to do these things, to commit these sins, and ruin our own perfection, but it is infinitely worse that we do these things and the animals suffer for it as well. In Paradise, man befriended animals of all kinds (the Serpent was not avoided by Eve, but greeted as if it was a neighbor). Today, we capture them, we breed them, we torture them, we kill them, and then we eat them. We do not do this out of survival. We do it out of the lust of our own bellies. We do it because it makes us money and feeds our greed. We teach ourselves to become distant from the compassion and mercy and sympathy that are innate within an individual and tell ourselves that animals are not worthy of those emotions. No wonder the animals of this new world glare when they see man, or run away in fear.
At the end of this passage, Adam sees the animals' reactions to him and he breaks down. Adam sees the scorn of the animals and the violence within them and launches into a 124-lined lament about the loss of Paradise. It's heart-wrenching to put yourself into Adam's place: to have such peace and companionship with the animal world, to have the earth supply you with a wealth of food without planting or farming the land yourself, and then to know that your single action is the reason that animals hate to look upon you and your food must be wrenched from the earth with your own hands--what could be more heartbreaking?
I'm not religious and there is no religion to which I currently prescribe myself. However, I love Milton's view of Paradise. The companionship with animals and plentiful food available from nature in Eden is also touched upon in the Bible. We've all heard someone use the bible to defend meat-eating. Whatever rules the Bible lays out as to what one can and cannot eat come after The Fall, when manking is already sinful. This seems backwards to me, though. If we want to be closer to God, shouldn't we strive to acheive a life similiar to the one enjoyed the the Garden of Eden, the place and time in which Man and God were closest? If Paradise is perfection and everyone was an herbivore, can we not then conclude (based on religious texts) that not eating animals would bring us closer to perection, closer to paradise, and therefore closer to God?
It's certainly sompething to think about in my opinion. Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Recipe: Coy Loaf (Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread)
My roommate had a copy of a bread recipe from an old Martha Stewart magazine that was almost vegan. Last week I made it using whole wheat flour, but this affected the baking time in a way I wasn't ready for and I ended up with a dense loaf with a thick crust and a condensed crumb. It was edible and I was happy to have it, but it was't quite what I wanted. So today I went back and tried again, this time stripping the recipe down and re-building it into the bread I wanted.
The name comes from the picture my roommate took--I thought it looked like an over-the-shoulder shot, if, you know, bread had shoulders. And could pose.
Coy Loaf (or Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread) Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ TBSP and ¾ TSP yeast
- ¼ Cup and then 1 Cup Warm Water later
- 1 ½ TBSP and 1 TSP Brown Rice Syrup
- 2 TBSP melted Buttery Spread (like Earth Balance)
- 3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 TBSP coarse salt
- 1/3 Cup Wheat Germ
1/3 Cup Flaxseed Meal
- 2 TBSP Vital Wheat Gluten
METHOD:
1. Sprinkle yeast over mixture of ¼ cup water and the brown rice syrup. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a small mixing bowl, sift in whole wheat flour (when measuring flour, make sure to use a spoon, not scooping—this allows air to get mixed in with the flour right away, which is important when making bread with whole wheat flour as whole wheat flour needs a little more care to form air holes in the bread). Mix in salt, wheat germ, flaxseed, and vital wheat gluten.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, pour yeast mixture. Add the rest of the water and the buttery spread.
4. Pour in about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix with hands. Keep adding flour until bread forms a slightly sticky ball.
5. Knead dough on a floured surface (or in floured bowl if there is enough space), until smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball.
5. “Butter” sides of a bowl large enough for the dough to grow to twice its size. Transfer dough ball into bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let dough stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume (it should not spring back when pressed), about 1 hour.
6. “Butter” a 4 ½-8 ½-inch loaf pan. Punch down dough.
7. Shape into an 8 ½-inch-long rectangle (about ½ inch thick/deep). Fold long sides of dough in to middle, overlapping slightly. Press seam to seal. Place dough, seam side down, to pan. Brush with buttery spread or dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until dough rises about 1 inch above top of pan (45 minutes to an hour).
8. Preheat oven to 450°F.
9. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F (having the oven a higher temperature when bread initially enters the oven allows for one last, quick rise). Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is golden brown.
I was pretty shocked when this bread came out looking beautiful, more shocked when it came out soft (since the hardness of my last loaf was pretty much its defining character).
When I make this bread again, I'm definately using less salt. But I'm notorious for prefering the lower-sodium side of flavor. This is the first recipe that I feel I can call "mine", so let me know what you think. Also, if the recipe needs to be clarified, let me know so I can learn how to do this better!
The name comes from the picture my roommate took--I thought it looked like an over-the-shoulder shot, if, you know, bread had shoulders. And could pose.
Coy Loaf (or Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread) Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ TBSP and ¾ TSP yeast
- ¼ Cup and then 1 Cup Warm Water later
- 1 ½ TBSP and 1 TSP Brown Rice Syrup
- 2 TBSP melted Buttery Spread (like Earth Balance)
- 3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 TBSP coarse salt
- 1/3 Cup Wheat Germ
1/3 Cup Flaxseed Meal
- 2 TBSP Vital Wheat Gluten
METHOD:
1. Sprinkle yeast over mixture of ¼ cup water and the brown rice syrup. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a small mixing bowl, sift in whole wheat flour (when measuring flour, make sure to use a spoon, not scooping—this allows air to get mixed in with the flour right away, which is important when making bread with whole wheat flour as whole wheat flour needs a little more care to form air holes in the bread). Mix in salt, wheat germ, flaxseed, and vital wheat gluten.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, pour yeast mixture. Add the rest of the water and the buttery spread.
4. Pour in about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix with hands. Keep adding flour until bread forms a slightly sticky ball.
5. Knead dough on a floured surface (or in floured bowl if there is enough space), until smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball.
5. “Butter” sides of a bowl large enough for the dough to grow to twice its size. Transfer dough ball into bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let dough stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume (it should not spring back when pressed), about 1 hour.
6. “Butter” a 4 ½-8 ½-inch loaf pan. Punch down dough.
7. Shape into an 8 ½-inch-long rectangle (about ½ inch thick/deep). Fold long sides of dough in to middle, overlapping slightly. Press seam to seal. Place dough, seam side down, to pan. Brush with buttery spread or dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until dough rises about 1 inch above top of pan (45 minutes to an hour).
8. Preheat oven to 450°F.
9. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F (having the oven a higher temperature when bread initially enters the oven allows for one last, quick rise). Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is golden brown.
I was pretty shocked when this bread came out looking beautiful, more shocked when it came out soft (since the hardness of my last loaf was pretty much its defining character).
When I make this bread again, I'm definately using less salt. But I'm notorious for prefering the lower-sodium side of flavor. This is the first recipe that I feel I can call "mine", so let me know what you think. Also, if the recipe needs to be clarified, let me know so I can learn how to do this better!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Review: Edward & Sons Organic Instant Mashed Potatoes
My roommate and I were doing our weekly gorcery shopping at Woodman's friday. I did quite a bit of poking around the health and organic aisles and came across a box of these mashed potatoes--the "chreesly" variety, to be exact. It caugh my eye, despite being "instant", and I threw it in the cart.
The directions on the back of the box include directions for two servings (half the box) or fr servings (the whole thing). This is nice if you're the only vegan in the household. Since my roommate was at work, I only made half the box.
I didn't realize when I bought the product that you also need a milk and a butter replacer. I had them, of course, but it was weird having a box tell me to add soymilk--usually you have to make those substitutions yourself. It made me happy. The whole process, in fact, brought a smile to my face. It reminded of all the instant things I used to make in my vegetarian days (don't get me wrong--I much prefer the way I eat now, but nostalgia is a powerful thing).
The potatoes cook up ridiculously quick. My plan was to microwave some leftover while they were cooking, but I had to microwave the rest of my food after. The box says five minutes, but if you only make half the box the water boils up so quick it's like two minutes, tops.
So, how did it taste? Just like instant mashed potatoes. Nothing beyond that, but I think the product acheives exactly what it sets out to do. The "chreesly" flavor was a nice surprise--it actually tasted like there was a little cheese in there. I normally don't care for fake cheeses--I'd rather just go without than have a mediocre substitute--but I would definately get the chreesly kind again. I put some freshly ground pepper on top of mine, too.
Overall, they really are only instant mashed potatoes, but the cheese flavor gives it an extra something. I think I'll buy it again, but only when the rest of my family plans on eating something similiar or instant mashed potatoes themselves. If I ate them again I might try adding some Earth Balance as a topping. A vegan gravy would probably go well with one of the other flavors, but it just didn't sound right on top of the "chreesly" kind.
Link
The directions on the back of the box include directions for two servings (half the box) or fr servings (the whole thing). This is nice if you're the only vegan in the household. Since my roommate was at work, I only made half the box.
I didn't realize when I bought the product that you also need a milk and a butter replacer. I had them, of course, but it was weird having a box tell me to add soymilk--usually you have to make those substitutions yourself. It made me happy. The whole process, in fact, brought a smile to my face. It reminded of all the instant things I used to make in my vegetarian days (don't get me wrong--I much prefer the way I eat now, but nostalgia is a powerful thing).
The potatoes cook up ridiculously quick. My plan was to microwave some leftover while they were cooking, but I had to microwave the rest of my food after. The box says five minutes, but if you only make half the box the water boils up so quick it's like two minutes, tops.
So, how did it taste? Just like instant mashed potatoes. Nothing beyond that, but I think the product acheives exactly what it sets out to do. The "chreesly" flavor was a nice surprise--it actually tasted like there was a little cheese in there. I normally don't care for fake cheeses--I'd rather just go without than have a mediocre substitute--but I would definately get the chreesly kind again. I put some freshly ground pepper on top of mine, too.
Overall, they really are only instant mashed potatoes, but the cheese flavor gives it an extra something. I think I'll buy it again, but only when the rest of my family plans on eating something similiar or instant mashed potatoes themselves. If I ate them again I might try adding some Earth Balance as a topping. A vegan gravy would probably go well with one of the other flavors, but it just didn't sound right on top of the "chreesly" kind.
Link
Seeing Vegan
It's only my second month being vegan, but already I'm seeing the world in a new perspective. It's the beginning of spring here and everything is this beautiful, bright green. Tulips are already up and a tree next door is already dropping its seeds. On the way to class I saw a few dandelions reaching out of the ground.
Normally, the sight of dandelions would lead me to think about what a pesky weed it was, or childhood days making wishes and blowing their seeds about. Today, I saw dandelions and thought, "I should gather their leaves and make a salad."
Normally, the sight of dandelions would lead me to think about what a pesky weed it was, or childhood days making wishes and blowing their seeds about. Today, I saw dandelions and thought, "I should gather their leaves and make a salad."
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Before You Read this Blog...
You should know a little about why I'm starting it in the first place. I've been vegan now for just a little over a month and have been doing heavy research longer than that. There's a lot of great information out there, but there simply isn't information on EVERYTHING. I want to provide a place that will give interesting insights and hopefully deal with quirkier problems that any vegan may find him or herself facing someday. Also, I plan on blogging about my vegan finds, recipes, and reflections and observations. I hope this will be informative and entertaining.
But more importantly, I want to provide the blog of a grounded vegan who doesn't live in a vegan bubble. I have no vegan friends and being a college student, I still live part-time with my omnivorous family. I hope this blog will remind others out there that we are not alone and we are all experiencing the same trials (as well as the joys!) of veganism.
But more importantly, I want to provide the blog of a grounded vegan who doesn't live in a vegan bubble. I have no vegan friends and being a college student, I still live part-time with my omnivorous family. I hope this blog will remind others out there that we are not alone and we are all experiencing the same trials (as well as the joys!) of veganism.
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