Wednesday, December 26, 2007

New Products

One of the most enjoyable parts of vegetarian living is trying new products. I recently ordered Soy Curls from Food Fight!, a vegan grocery store that also does mail order. Soy Curls are a wonderful product – easy to use and delicious. They resemble TVP (texturized vegetable protein) chunks but iare made from “delicately textured” whole soybeans rather than being a refined product like TVP. They can be used anywhere you would use TVP chunks - in stews, soups, barbecue, pot pies, etc., to replace chunks of beef, pork or chicken.

That same order from Food Fight! brought a jar of Cavi*Art - vegan “caviar” made from seaweed. This also turned out to be very enjoyable. People who have had caviar say it tastes very much like “the real thing.” Even as a carnivore, I never had fish eggs - but I love the Cavi*Art! It’s tasty - nice and salty, a bit twangy - and has a fun texture.  It would be good at a New Year’s Eve party, with tiny potato cakes, topped with tofu “sour cream,” topped with vegan caviar, and served with a glass of champagne….

I’ll be placing another order soon to stock up on both these products.

Speaking of the coming New Year, vegetarians with an interest in animal rights will enjoy the year-end roundup from Dawnwatch, a Web site that tracks animal-related coverage in mainstream media worldwide. Among other things, the essay makes a case that “2007 was the year of Vegan Chic.” Here’s hoping that 2008 will continue that trend!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Agave nectar

One of my new favorite things is agave nectar. This liquid sweetener is made from the agave plant and has a low glycemic index, which means that it’s great for diabetics or anyone who is concerned about their blood-sugar levels. It isn’t processed with chemicals, and since it’s sweeter than sugar, you don’t need to use as much.

I’ve found that it tastes very similar to honey, although with a milder, more neutral flavor. I drink a lot of tea, and I usually use honey to sweeten it. However, with delicate green teas, I often find that the flavor of the honey overpowers the flavor of the tea. When I use light agave nectar instead, the flavor of the tea comes through more. Plus, it blends in easier, and since it’s made from a plant, it’s suitable for vegans who don’t use honey.

I haven’t used agave nectar in baking or cooking, but it’s supposed to be a fine substitute for sugar in that, too. You can read more about agave at AllAboutAgave.com.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Dining with HPL

When I found out that a new cookbook named Veganomicon was coming out, I wondered whether the name was a reference to the page about the new book: “Veganomicon will swallow your soul.” As any good “Evil Dead” fan knows, Deadites are prone to threaten to “swallow your soul.”

Readers can decide for themselves exactly what the Necronomicon has to do with vegan cooking, since, alas, Lovecraft was no vegetarian. You can read about some of his favorite foods here.  I can agree with him on many points, though, such as the goodness of chocolate, exceedingly sweet coffee and ice cream, and the wisdom of shunning Brussels sprouts.

And happily, through the magic of modern faux “meat” and “dairy” products, most of Lovecraft’s favorite foods can be enjoyed even by vegans. For example, a version of his “really favorite meal” – a turkey dinner – can be enjoyed by following the Big M’s recipe for Tofurky and Stuffing with Gravy. The recipe makes six servings. You’ll need:

Two packages Tofurky deli slices.
1 package Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix, prepared according to package directions. (Include onion and celery in the stuffing, if you like)

Although you can simply serve the Tofurky slices over the dressing, the Big M wraps the Tofurky slices around the dressing to make individual servings.  To do this, spray a baking sheet with vegetable-oil spray. Arrange two stacks of two slices each so that they slightly overlap. Form an elongated “ball” of dressing, and place on the slices. Carefully pull each end of the Tofurky around the dressing so that they overlap, and secure with a toothpick. Then spray the whole with a bit more oil. Repeat until all the Tofurky and dressing is used. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until hot.

Meanwhile, make the gravy. You’ll need:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
Plenty of black pepper
3 cups water
3 Tbsp Vogue Vege Base
3 TBSP nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt

Whisk Vege Base, nutritional yeast and salt into the water to make a broth.
Melt margarine in a medium saucepan; then add lots of black pepper, stir in the flour and whisk for three minutes.
Slowly whisk in the broth; simmer over medium heat until thickened. This makes a lot, but it freezes well for future meals.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Veganomicon review

Isa Chandra Moskowitz burst onto my cookbook shelf in 2005 with Vegan With a Vengeance, a book filled with wildly tasty recipes and a refreshing Brooklyn attitude that quickly became a favorite both for idle browsing and serious cooking. In 2006 Moslowitz and co-author Terry Hope Romero followed up with Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Now, Moskowitz and Romero have have published the ambitious Veganomicon - which may just deserve its subtitle, The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook.

The Big M, a.k.a. my personal chef, and I have cooked and sampled our way through several of the recipes, and not a one has been a dud.

My favorite so far is the Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip, which the authors describe as a “whimsical marriage of the traditional Vietnamese sandwich, banh mi, and the American classic ‘French Dip’ sandwich.” The lively dipping broth - a riot of garlic, ginger, pepper and lime flavors - is a great complement to the savory yet fresh flavors of seitan, red onion, cucumber and cilantro in the sandwich.

A section of color photographs of several recipes offers inspiration, and as usual the author’s comments make the book as much fun to read as to cook from. For example, I’m eager to try the broccoli polenta, because the authors promise, “Broccoli gives polenta a great texture. It just makes it, like, ‘RAR!’ That’s the only way we can describe it.”

You can get a taste of the book by sampling some of the recipes available at the Post Punk Kitchen here.

There’s another reason I like the book - its title. Are any Bruce Campbell or H.P. Lovecraft fans reading this? I’ll explain why I ask in my next post….

Friday, December 07, 2007

The spirit of giving without the “stuff”

If you’re looking for a way to make your holidays a little more environmentally friendly and a little less commercial, why not try giving some gifts this year that won’t create any clutter? Here are a few suggestions:

*Cooking lessons: Branches Holistic Health and Wellness Center offers lessons tailored for individuals and families, including vegetarian cooking. This would be great if you’re just getting started as a vegetarian and not sure about what to cook—or you’re a longtime vegetarian stuck in a rut. They also offer classes in which a nutritionist helps you learn to shop more healthily or stock a healthy pantry.

*Give a gift of charity: There are quite a few places where you can “buy” an item in honor of someone for charity, such as a cow or goat for a needy third-world family. A few of these are Oxfam America (a gift of $30 represents planting 50 trees), MercyCorps ($20 for a “Children’s Food Kit” to help poor children eat better) and Heifer International ($20 for a flock of chicks to provide eggs for a family).

It’s always wise to check out a charity’s reputation on a neutral site, such as CharityNavigator, which shows how much of the donations are actually used for the intended purpose, how much goes toward fundraising and salaries, the charity’s overall rating, etc.

*The gift of your time: Give your friend or family member a coupon booklet with coupons they can redeem for things like a night of babysitting, your uncomplaining company at a movie or concert of their choice (even if you know you’ll hate it!), a foot massage or fixing dinner for them. (It should be things you might not normally do!)

*Memberships: Buy them a membership in a group or organization they’re intererested in, such as The N.C. Zoological Society (you can adopt an animal, too!), Friends of Old Salem, SciWorks or a professional association they can’t afford to join. These usually come with such benefits as free admission, special offers or members-only times.

Do you have any other ideas for a clutter-free gift?

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Unbeatable Breakfast

For some months now I’ve been thinking that a vegan fried egg was available in the UK; and I eagerly awaited the day it might be available in the U.S. But it turns out it was an April Fools joke that some folks took seriously. (The report I saw wasn’t dated, and didn’t include the tell-tale “spokesmen” quoted in the faux press release, Joe King and Fritz D’Embrio.)

But that’s OK. Vegans have plenty of options for re-creating favorite eggy recipes anyway. Vegan quiche, anyone? Tofu scramble? How about a quick vegan omelet?