Well,
this week’s blog may not impact those of you who live in a galaxy far, far away
but it may stimulate an idea or two. For
the past few weeks, we have been working with the Animal Rescue Fund of MS (ARF/MS)
on a fund-raising event. It has the rather cryptic working title of A.B.S.L.N.O. WTF? you ask yourself.
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| Almond cookies! |
Yep,
we are putting together an all vegan bake sale consisting of both savory
(breads and such) and sweet (cookies, cakes and such). We are doing this for a
couple of reasons…first and foremost, to raise a bit of ‘bread’ (ha!) for the
good works that this NO KILL-ALL KINDNESS shelter does AND to raise awareness
of just how GOOD vegan foods can be. Since EVERYBODY likes cookies and bread
stuffs, we thought that a bake sale (like no other) would be a good place to
start. Most people have the notion that being vegan means giving up all the
great food in the world and living an ascetic lifestyle of denial and ‘food
poverty’. Nothing could be further from the truth, although I will say that
there are challenges and an occasional mental lapse into “I could eat a prime
rib the size of Texas”.
And
vegans range from wannabe to militant with all of the degrees in between. There are
folks who do not get terribly upset
if a molecule of casein (an ingredient found in animal milks) goes down their
unsuspecting throat or they find out too late that an ingredient (such as an
egg wash) was omitted from a label and some egg was ingested. AND THEN…there
are folks who are aghast if a person wears leather or eats honey (bees are
indeed animals). We hope to have items at A.B.S.L.N.O.
that will appeal to everyone!! Vegans and non-vegans alike. We are not there to
proselytize but to offer quality baked goods that are plant-based.
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| Whoopee pies! |
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| Biscuits! |
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| Pumpernickel! |
We
will have a Celebrity Chefs Table with baked goods donated by some of the area
restaurants chefs. We are excited at
their support and hope that they will challenge themselves to create some
really cool vegan items.
Now,
if this goes over well and we are pretty excited about it, we will certainly
have another one and possibly expand the items to more than just baked. There
are as many opportunities to share the wealth of vegan goodness than just baked
stuffs, so stay tuned. We will take pictures on the day of the sale and most
definitely blog it. The kind folks at
Renaissance on Colony Parkway have donated a terrific space for us to ply our
wares and have been most helpful with suggestions, support and participation.
We also want to thank the merchants of Renaissance on Colony Parkway for their
participation in the form of donations, items to sell and assisting with
publicity. For those of you who are not familiar, Renaissance on Colony Parkway
is a beautiful, upscale outdoor mall in Ridgeland MS and hosts many premier
events throughout the year.
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| Hot Mexican Chocolate! |
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| Vegan Milanos and more!! |
I
turned 68 (HOLY CRAP!!) this week and therefore got to eat out a couple of
times. Had a lovely dinner at City
Grille in Madison on Saturday with a fabulous creation by Chef Zack—so fabulous,
I inhaled it before taking a picture. Just think several types of mushrooms,
heirloom tomatoes and his fabulous knack for a delicious sauce. http://www.thecitygrille.com/
And
Anjou in Ridgeland where they have a standard item on their menu that is easily
veganized. http://www.anjourestaurant.net/
I
am also recovering from a pretty nasty fall (I now know why old people don’t
want to fall) so didn’t do much in the way of cooking/baking until earlier this
week. We’d make a pretty significant dent in our plant based sausages, so
Monday, I made 12 Andouille sausages and Tuesday (yesterday) 12 brats! They
freeze great and should last us a month or so.
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| Sausages fresh from the steamer! |
The
recipes for these sausages can be found via The Gentle Chef http://thegentlechef.com/
in his fabulous cookbook called, oddly enough, The Gentle Chef Cookbook. I use
Chef Skye-Michael’s recipes SO MUCH.
Chef Skye-Michael had an interesting post on his site today about plant
based foods that replicate or are alternatives to meats and other non-vegan
items. It sorta goes along with our discussion earlier in this blog about the
variation in vegans from lax to militant. He gave me permission to post it, so
here you go:
~~~~~~
I
occasionally receive criticisms for promoting meat and egg
"imitations", so again I feel it's time to address this issue.
Yes,
my recipes focus heavily upon meat and egg imitations (or as I prefer to call
them, "alternatives"), and of course there's a percentage of the
vegan population who, for their own reasons, shun any foods that resemble meat
and eggs (oddly enough, I seldom find that these same people object to milk and
cheese alternatives, which I find a bit hypocritical since the dairy industry
is just as cruel and exploitative, if not more so than the meat industry).
Maintaining
a vegan diet is easy for individuals who have an aversion to animal-based
foods. It’s not going to be easy, however, for individuals who enjoy those
flavors and textures. The reality is we live in a meat-centric society and many
of us grew up on a diet of meat, eggs and dairy. This addiction to animal-based
foods is woven into every fiber of our culture. It takes time to rewire our
brains into accepting change, especially for those who perhaps never cared for
vegetables and “health food” in the first place. More than likely, if you offer
bean curd and pea shoots to die-hard carnivores at a football tailgate party,
you’re not going to elicit a positive response.
My
goal then, is to create foods which will sway the greatest number of people
over to compassionate cooking and dining. People thrive on familiarity and if
that familiarity can be satisfied, then there is a greater chance of success
with this transition.
Both
of my current cookbooks and my upcoming cookbook are geared towards replicating
dishes that many of us grew up with: foods that are familiar and represent
tradition - foods that evoke a feeling of nostalgia. Chikun seitan, for
example, is seasoned appropriately to replace chicken in traditional dishes
that call for chicken, and the same applies to beaf seitan. These plant-based
meats not only provide a psychological trigger, but they're necessary from a
culinary perspective in combining the right flavor and texture combinations.
Wine would be a very similar comparison - some wines pair better with certain
types of food. Even if animal foods had never been consumed by anyone, we would
still be shaping and naming our plant proteins for the sake of variety, so we
simply shape and name them according to what we're familiar with.
And
for the record, I really despise the term "fake meat". There is
nothing fake about plant-based proteins; seitan and textured soy protein are
foods in their own right. Although plant proteins can imitate some meat-like
textures, they do not imitate skin, bones, tendons, blood nor the fear and pain
that accompanies the slaughter of an animal.
And
so where should we draw the line? Should we abstain from tofu because it
resembles egg whites? Do we reject mushrooms because they have an earthy flavor
and a chewy texture that can be described as "meaty"? Do we shun a
lentil and rice patty because it vaguely resembles a beef hamburger; or avoid
soy milk because it resembles dairy milk? To what extreme do we need to go to
prove how "evolved" and how vegan we are? I have no desire to ever
eat real meat again - it's the combinations of seasonings and sauces that I
crave. It's the satisfaction of eating something I can sink my teeth into;
hearty foods that fill me up and stick to my ribs; foods that remind of holiday
traditions or cookouts or camping trips with friends and family in the
Summertime.
As
vegans we're very passionate about our ethical beliefs in regards to animals.
But meat, egg and dairy replacements are not harming animals; and although
there may be some uncanny similarities in names, flavors and textures, there is
no cruelty involved. Enjoying these foods does not imply that we actually crave
the real thing.
So
in closing, if these foods still do not appeal to you, that's fine. Every
individual is unique. But it's important to understand that many other vegans
can tell the difference in their own minds between a seasoned cutlet of gluten
and an actual breast of chicken. The bottom line is, not every form of vegan
cuisine is going to please everyone and if you don't care for it, you don't
have to eat it. But please, don't criticize it. Thank you.
~~~~~~
And
that’s a wrap for this week…make that a vegan wrap. Til next week, y’all,
breathe deep, eat plants and love life.
The
Elf
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