Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Another favorite discontinued

I’m still cranky over Boca discontinuing their vegetarian sausages (and apparently some of you are, too, since I’m still getting comments from that old entry). Now I’ve discovered that Morningstar Farms has discontinued their steak-style Meal Starters strips. Bah!

They still make their frozen chicken-style strips, but I always preferred the steak-style strips. And they were the basis for my vegetarian Irish stew, so I don’t know what I’ll do this St. Patrick’s Day! Trader Joe’s does have refrigerated steak-style strips, but I don’t like them as much, and they require an hour-and-a-half drive to buy.

I called Morningstar Farms, and, again, the explanation is “low sales.” If you would like to complain about the discontinuation, you can call Morningstar Farms at 1-800-962-0120, or fill out an online form at the Morningstar Farms Web site.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Mooney’s Wine Dinner

One of the most vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the city, Mooney’s Mediterranean Cafe, will have a wine-paired dinner at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15 – and the dinner will include a completely vegetarian option. According to an email from Mooney’s, courses will include an assortment of appetizers, soup, pumpkin kibbe, stuffed zucchini over couscous, and dessert – with each course paired with wines from the Middle East. At other restaurants, such special dinners as this often don’t often a vegetarian option. I’m thrilled that Mooney’s does. The cost is $35; for information or reservations, call Mooney’s at 722-4222

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

The Frozen Vegan

As I was admiring the gelato and sorbet selection in the prepared foods section at Whole Foods on Miller Street today, a pan of Vegan Chocolate Mint sorbet caught my eye. Of course, I couldn’t turn that down. In between bites of the very rich chocolate confection, I asked whether they always had a vegan flavor. As it turns out, all the sorbets—at least a half-dozen or so—are vegan. How lovely to have that much choice!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

PETA Thanksgiving ad

According to this article, four local NBC affiliates are refusing to air an ad that PETA had wanted to run during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. One of the affiliates is WNCN in Raleigh; the station’s general manager said he banned the ad because it wasn’t in the spirit of the parade. (The article is unclear about whether the ad will run on other affiliates or whether PETA tried to place the ad only on those four affiliates that rejected it.)

In the commercial, a young girl gives thanks for the turkey—and all the unsavory turkey-farming processes that brought it to the table—as surprised and uncomfortable relatives look on. Frankly, I found the commercial rather amusing, as well as effective in getting the point across. Certainly it is less outrageous than some of PETA’s past ads (for instance, women cavorting provocatively with vegetables). And I know that I find ads for, say, erectile-dysfunction medicine, not in the spirit of many of the shows I watch!

To see the ad for yourself, go here.

Now That’s Living

Thanksgiving is coming, and vegetarians looking for ideas can turn to the source of all domestic wisdom—Martha Stewart.

Yes, last week Stewart did an entire episode of her TV program on vegetarian Thanksgiving, and the episode is now available online.

The site offers two menus, complete with recipes. One is for a hearty menu built around a main course of celery root, persimmon and swiss chard stuffing; the other for a “Fresh and Festive” menu, with the main course of quinoa pie with butternut squash. Many of the recipes look interesting and tasty, for Thanksgiving or any other meal.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Buying Spree

  Sometimes I look at the bookcase full of vegetarian cookbooks in my kitchen, and declare that I do NOT need another cookbook…. But these days, appealing vegan cookbooks are being published at a lively clip—and it’s a market I want to support! Here are three recent ones with so much personality and originality that I could not resist taking them home:

  The Urban Vegan, by blogger Dynise Balcavage is fun because it is arranged around themes—such as “Cafe Culture,” “Lunch Cart,” and “Happy Hour”—so that you can imagine you’re on vacation in some sophisticated urban vegan paradise. The recipes are intriguing, but “do-able”—such as Quince-Cranberry Sauce and Parsnips St. Jacques—and Balcavage’s commentary is lively and charming. The recipes I’ve tried, such as a rich Spaghetti Carbonara and Winter Pesto (based on spinach rather than basil) have turned out well.

  The Kind Diet by actress Alicia Silverstone first lays out the reasons for going vegan – for the animals, for your health, for the planet. Then Alicia—after reading her friendly writing, you’ll feel like you’re on a first-name basis with her—offers three plans, to help readers ease into veganism at their own pace, from “flirts” who are interested but not yet committed to veganism; vegans ready to cut out meat, eggs and dairy; and “superheroes” who add a macrobiotic slant to the vegan diet. The recipes I’ve tried have been very clearly written, straightforward and delicious. I’ve made the tasty Ginger-Baked Tofu twice already, and eaten my way through an entire pan of the Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips. Next on my agenda: the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Alicia has a blog, too, The Kind Life.

  The Conscious Cook by chef Tal Ronnen presents gourmet recipes, the kind whose descriptive names go on almost forever: “oven-roasted Banana Rum Cheesecake with spiced pecan crust and maple rum sauce.” Some of the recipes may challenge my kitchen skills –- but should be fun and rewarding to make. The book has nice layout and photography, and includes profiles of vegan chefs and restaurants, as well as interviews with vegan pioneers, such as the man who introduced quinoa to the U.S. I just got it Monday, and think the paella (full name “Paella with ‘sausage,’ nori-dusted oyster mushroms, and wine-braised artichoke hearts”) may be the first recipe I’ll try. Ronnen’s Website is also rewarding because it includes a few recipes and videos of Ronnen cooking them.

Monday, November 09, 2009

No “Bones” about it

Last Thursday’s episode of Fox’s “Bones” featured a storyline involving animal rights. The murder victim of the week ran a poultry-processing plant, and the investigation brought up issues about how the chickens are treated. There were images of thousands of chickens crowded into one large room, as well as brief video footage of baby chicks being de-beaked. The episode also included a storyline of one character trying to raise money from her co-workers to save a piglet from being turned into bacon, resulting in some interesting discussions.

I’m fairly certain that star and producer Emily Deschanel had something to do with the conception of the episode, since she is a staunch vegan. And I was thrilled to see a popular, mainstream TV show tackle the issue of animal rights.

By the way, veganism runs in the Deschanel family: Her sister, Zooey, was a guest on an episode of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters,” in which the chefs had to create a vegan (and also gluten-free) meal for her and her friends. I’m always amused by the horror with which many chefs greet the prospect of meat-free meals and how other chefs fully embrace the concept and relish the challenge (this was also evident in an episode of this season’s “Top Chef”). Generally, the latter tend to be more successful with their dishes, not surprisingly. (Though not always.)

A Feast to be Thankful For

The Triangle Vegetarian Society is now taking reservations for its 2009 Thanksgiving feast, with seatings from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cafe Parizade in Durham. Also, for the first time this year, there will be a 6 p.m. seating at Spice Street restaurant in Chapel Hill.

The society believes that this is the largest vegatarian Thanksgiving celebration in the country. After attending last year, I can certainly believe that! It was crowded—but a friendly, enjoyable crowd. And the food was delicious—and all vegan. It is certainly worth the cost ($26.50 for adults who aren’t members of the Triangle Vegetarian Society) and the drive. In fact, people from as far away as Illinois have already made their reservations for this year. If you go, be sure to try the lime-marinated seared seitan!

Monday, October 05, 2009

Vegan at the fair

Yes, it’s actually possible to get something vegan and relatively healthy at the Dixie Classic Fair! (Besides the spiral-cut apples near Yesterday Village, that is.)

I was thrilled to find out that there is a new booth this year, Island Noodles, which serves soba noodles (no egg) stir-fried with 21 different kinds of vegetables. It’s $6, and they dish it up in a large paper cup, which makes it possible to eat as you’re walking. They offer the choice of a fork or chopsticks, as well as hot sauce and soy sauce to add if you wish (IMO, they needed neither). Vegetables I identified: carrots, sugar snap peas, snow peas, edamame, cabbage, celery, red pepper, baby corn, onion, bok choy and spinach. Not only was it very filling, it tasted great—I would be happy to have it at a sit-down restaurant, let alone the fair.

The small booth is at the intersection of two rows of food nearest Yesterday Village, across from the decidedly nonvegan Mr. K’s Chuckwagon and the story tent. If you’re at the fair, I heartily encourage you to get some of the noodles, to support a vegan option at the fair!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Autumn bounty

Tuesday marked the offical start of autumn, which fills me with ambivalence. I hate that the days are shorter and that it’s now dark when I leave work. The shivering specter of winter lurks on the horizon, a scourge to my cold-natured constitution.

And yet I love the vibrant colors of fall leaves, and I’m excited at the prospect of the holidays (Halloween is my favorite). I love so many of the foods of autumn. Pumpkins, winter squash, apples, pears and cranberries are some of my favorite foods and ingredients to cook with. They’re tasty, warming and comforting. I recently bought a collection of autumn recipes, and I’m looking forward to trying out a lot of them.

To get you ready for the flavors of fall, here are a few vegetarian autumn-foods collections online:

The Vegetarian Society, heavy on potatoes and mushrooms.
The Veggie Table, with a wide variety of dishes and ingredients.
About.com, lots of strictly pumpkin-related recipes.