VegWeb

There are a few things that I really relied on to remain sane as a vegan. I never grew up with a good background of cooking and food. So the sudden need to prepare vegan foods was a huge wake up call for me. Unfortunately the first vegan cookbook I bought was "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" because of its rave reviews, but its not the easiest guide for the newly turned vegan. I couldn't cook to begin with, so using "chickpea flour" and "kelp powder" were too advanced for me, and I imagine a lot of other people too. I don't think I would have survived if I didn't have all the help from online. Not only are there tons of amazing blogs out there that gave me hope, but tons of great easy vegan recipes. There are countless websites I could list but one that I really love is VegWeb.com. Like everything on my blog I am not paid to say anything, I just appreciate the large database of recipes from beginner to pro. And although I've found some fantastic vegan cookbooks out there (Vegan Table is amazing) I still fall back on VegWeb because it offers something cookbooks can't; feedback. The comments on VegWeb have saved me from not adding enough of a certain spice, or to clarify what the heck some ingredients even are. Lately I've been in a bind because I don't have extra money to spare on anything, not even food. So I've been able to find recipes online that can accommodate my short supply. It always much harder to do anything alone, and thankfully because of the countless other people out there who have shared their stories online I don't have to.

Much Love and Thanks

Super Morbidly Obese

I know its been awhile since my last post, but with finals just ending and the wedding right around the corner, I've been going a tad crazy. I'm not going to lie, no matter what I'm busy with, my vice has always been television. Flipping through the channels I started watching "Half-Ton Dad." At first I wanted to find another show, because honestly I was really disgusted. The man in the show is classified as "Super Morbidly Obese," and at the start of his medical treatments weighs in over 1030 lbs. I know that America is full of obese people, but shouldn't stories like this be a real wake up call to people? I've talked about the show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution before, and love the fact that is shows that change is possible. But the change needs to happen, on more levels than just switching out sugar filled strawberry flavor milk for regular milk. The REAL problem is how we view food as a whole. If you look at a bowl of salad and groan, either you don't know how to make a good salad or there is a real problem with how we view food.

One of the doctors on the show "Half-Ton Dad" says, in my opinion naively, that "children will always pick fast food over healthy food." Growing up and "working" in a home that doubled as a day care, I would like to think I'm not a total dummy when it comes to children. The real reason kids want fast food over healthy food is the way we represent fast food or unhealthy food to them. If we rewarded kids with a slice of frozen watermelon (watermelon popsicle yum) or other healthy treats instead of chocolate or candy, they are going to crave healthier foods. Kids rely on their parents and elders to develop their tastes. Of course we do crave fats and salts on a primal level as well but if we are "primed" to get these fats, salt and sugars from healthier sources we are more likely to eat greasy fast food more sparingly. So we need to man up and realize our youth is not doomed just because there is McDonald's. But if we don't cultivate healthy eating habits at home we are setting our youth up to be over weight and unhealthy.

Earth Day!

If anyone watched Oprah today, you would be reminded of the fact that today was indeed Earth Day. Now I actually really enjoy watching Oprah, despite the fact that she has a spotted history with vegans. Her free KFC extravaganza and mockery of the vegan diet on her 30 day cleanse episodes has made me much more critical of her. But Oprah does have a huge appeal and thus audience. Today, in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day she discussed environmentalism and the brilliant award winning movie "The Cove." For those of you who haven't seen this film, it really speaks for itself and I implore you to watch this life changing documentary. If you want to learn more visit their website here. But please remember that there are still other animals suffering who are searching for a voice of their own, such as this movie presents for dolphins.

The first half of the show highlighted an "environmentalist's nightmare" family pinned against an uber "green" family in a switch-a-roo kind of scheme. Taking the "Wife Swap" television show ideals, the mother from each family goes to the polar opposite family's home and goes a little nutzo. The problem with this is that both families are made to look like total extremes on the environmental spectrum, but in actuality the first family is a totally average home. The "environmentalist's nightmare" family is really just the "average joe" family, with the "what can one person really do to make a change?" mentality. The problem is, everyone seems to have this mentality. As a vegan it's one of the most frequent arguments I get, "So what? Your not doing anything your just one person." It's so depressing when people don't realize that this thought process is the real problem. Because of course as a human race, one person has never made a difference. I mean who has heard of Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., or Gandhi? *note sarcasm* I mean these people started out as nobodies but somehow they made a difference. I'm in no way relating myself to these men, but I am stressing the point that change is of course possible. Here is a youtube video I found that really illustrates my point:

The Double Down

I really didn't want to further publicize this new product from KFC, but I just couldn't hold back when I learned that a lot of people on the interwebs are actually touting this as a healthy sandwich. These people have the audacity to refer to it as the "the dieters dream." I'm almost at a loss for words. Lets forget the fact that the sandwich discards the lettuce, tomatoes and onion, the only components that might be considered healthy. This sandwich is jam packed with saturated fats, cholesterol and a whopping 1,380 grams of sodium. But all we Americans can think about is that its got 53 grams of muscle pumping protein. I'm sure KFC's key demographic is weight lifters and dieters (note sarcasm) but the fact that KFC wants its customers to be stupid enough to believe this is a healthy meal isn't remotely disguised. KFC has an "unthink" ad campaign, that urges customers to rethink what KFC means, because under no circumstances do they want you to actually "think" about what your putting into your body.

But lets face it, a lot of people who are duped into eating this aren't eating it to be health conscious. The shear greasy Everest that is the Double Down becomes an obstacle that needs to be overcome. I'm ashamed to say that even my fiance has fallen prey to this compulsion. Something about taking your life into your own hands and defeating death (albeit momentarily) is all too alluring for some. And its a (relatively) easy feat when all you have to do is choke down a heart clogging sandwich.

Alas even vegans have found this culinary abomination intriguing. If you really want to partake in the "Double Down" without the double bypass you can construct your own vegan double down.

The Revolution

I usually hate reality shows, especially when they revolve around sappy stories that make you feel like crying all for the sake of ratings. (Like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) Alas there is a new reality show out there that really tries to bring to light a huge problem that our country faces: total stupidity. Growing up in a relatively normal middle class family in America, I thought unless you were mentally disabled or dead most American's would be able to know what a potato looked like in its most basic form of spud. But apparently I was wrong. The new reality show "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" is a real eye opener as to how stupid millions of American's are. The problem in this country isn't obesity, its shear stupidity. People are too dumb to realize what a healthy meal consists of. No wonder people look at me all dowie eyed and ask me "but. . .but. . .what do you eat?" when I say I don't eat meat, dairy, or eggs because apparently they don't know what a vegetable is. I understand that the show is supposed to take place in the "most obese city in the country" but in all seriousness when a 6 year old can't distinguish between broccoli and peas, we should be scared for our future. Here is only a clip from the fiasco that is trying to get children to name vegetables:

But how can we blame these poor children when the school they are attending categorizes french fries as a vegetable? I really do love this show and I hope that it achieves the goal of making American's realize how completely unhealthy our relationship to food has become. From the 6 year olds that can't recognize a potato, to the government officials that readily categorize a reconstituted deep fried potato a healthy vegetable dish for a school lunch program, we should recognize these of signs of our coming apocalypse. Don't let yourself or God forbid your children be infected by this stupidity. So arm yourselves (with the what I thought was common) knowledge that eating chicken nuggets everyday is not healthy. Or that fresh fruits, vegetables and grains are the key to any healthy diet. Because if we don't recognize this as a huge problem and try to change, we are truly deserving of the doomed future that will surely ensue.

Cheeseless "Cheese"

Being a former cheese-aholic, it was initially extremely difficult to accept faux cheeses as a fair substitute. I would more readily omit them from a recipe than search for a better brand or alternative. Maybe its the fact that I can't remember the last time I ate dairy and the memory of how it tastes is becoming fuzzy, or maybe its the fact that I found a brand of "cheese" that I actually like, either way my relationship with faux cheese has dramatically improved. Because of a recent food tasting for my completely vegan wedding menu, I was somewhat upset that despite my request the chef had added some real cheese to one of the entrees. My family enjoyed the stuffed mushroom covered with a slab of asiago cheese and it ended up making the final cut. But not being able to taste the main dish did leave me a little P.O.ed. However, he did say he would be willing to use an alternative for the actual wedding dinner, but refused to take the cheese topping off all-together. I had to find a tasty substitute for such an important meal, after all most of my family (and soon-to-be family) is still under the wrong assumption that all I eat is rabbit food. This wedding dinner became my way to force good tasting vegan food down (some of) my ever objecting family members throats. And after hearing much about this elusive (at least in my area until recently) brand of vegan cheese I had to try it for myself. Diaya (the brand) was as their tag line suggests "delisiously dairy free." My first experiment was with their italian blend flavor and some tofurky slices, to make a grilled sandwich of sorts. And despite its initial unique refrigerated texture, it melts into a very recognizable gooey mess of deliciousness. Although I was truly floored and completely consumed by cheesy ecstasy, my hard to please omnivorous fiance was not. He did however, finally admit its adequacy, and that it was the best faux cheese he had tasted (which as a total dairy slave is really a feat for him.) The next lab subjects were my mother and sister. This time I melted the italian flavor shreds onto some steamed broccoli. Total success! They admitted to being completely duped by the faux cheese, and stated "if I hadn't have known already, I would never have guessed." Now to be perfectly clear and honest, I am in no way being persuaded to promote this company, my blog is far to meager for that. I have just developed an obsession for this truly delicious "cheese" substitute as it finally allows me to indulge in my pre-vegan flavors of dairy without the dairy itself. This product has become important to me not only because of my wedding dish dilemma, but it eliminates the excuse others often offer that they "can't give up cheese." Since my initial testing, I've tried both the flavors available at my local Whole Foods, italian blend and cheddar, which I've used to make an amazing grilled "cheese" sandwich and the best tasting pizza I have ever created.