zenpawn

Starting today, I am taking my vegan day experiments to the next level: full-time veganism!

As a dairy culture aficionado, it was a decision with which I have long struggled. You see, I am a true believer in the health-promoting properties of the bacteria and yeast of kefir, yogurt, CSY, etc.. On the other hand, I wasn’t so sure about the medium in which they grow.

It has always seemed somewhat unnatural to me that we drink the milk of another animal, and one so far from our own species and its nutritional needs. And, the more I read about casein (The China Study) and the processing of dairy, the less appetizing it has become.

Indeed, until only a year ago, I had gone about nine years without drinking milk. I still ate cheese and eggs, though. It was only after discovering kefir and the joys of encouraging such microbial life to flourish that I reincorporated it into my diet. My solace then became, well, at least I’m not drinking straight milk; it had to be fermented in some way (homemade yogurts, kefir, and cheese). Around the same time, I also got into egg whites as a low-calorie, fat and cholesterol-free, source of complete protein.

Memorial Day weekend was fun, not just for the fight night and my beloved sister’s visit, but also for the cleaning out of my dairy cultures. I finished off my CSY and homemade yogurts by Saturday. On Sunday, I ate the rest of the store-bought yogurt, consuming a full two cups. Delicious. I also ate my kefir grains, so I would no longer be tempted. As for the egg whites, I dumped what remained. And today, I sold a half-gallon of organic milk at cost to a fellow vegetarian at work.

I noticed tonight that a couple of my cold cereals have whey in them. I’m not as concerned about that right now as the overt consumption of dairy (milk, cheese) and eggs. But, I still intend to phase them out. There are, after all, plenty of cereals without whey.

As for my probiotic friends, I still have homemade kimchi and tempeh. I’ve also been practicing making soy yogurt in preparation for the switch. And, of course, there’s natto (which I must admit I was only semi-successful at making on my first attempt). Finally, I may again have time to nurture a sourdough starter back to life. I’m psyched.

Fight night was a smorgasbord of vegetarian yumminess. The guys brought the crudites (baby carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower), and of course, a large selection of beers, while I provided the hummus, salsa, freshly baked corn chips, and chocolate tofu cream pie.

Everything was a hit and we were all snacking throughout the night. The hummus’ garlicky lemon flavors and the smokiness of the salsa were much appreciated, and we had fun trying different spices for each new baking sheet of corn tortilla chips. The Jamaican Jerk Blend provided a few laughs as accidental inhalations of the spices set off coughing fits.

This time, I didn’t let on to the secret ingredient of the chocolate cream pie until after everyone had scoffed down their pieces. When I told them they had just consumed tofu with no-dairy involved, they were shocked that it tasted so good and rich. My friend Scott immediately pounced on seconds.

Another dessert went well with non-vegetarians at work last week. I brought in a plate of “Gold Chip” Cookie Bars made by tweaking the recipe from The Healthiest Diet in the World by The GoldBecks. It is basically just oatmeal, pumpkin puree, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips. I set them out with a note that they were semi-healthy and may not suite everyone’s tastes. CYA, right? Well, they were gone in a matter of minutes and I received several emails of praise and thanks!

I’m having the guys over tomorrow night to watch the return of the undefeated Royce Gracie to the UFC where he’ll face off against defending champ Matt Hughes. It promises to be a good PPV show and a late night (starts at 10 PM)!

Over the last couple of days, I made up a HUGE batch of hummus, using 2 lbs of dried garbanzo beans, and a hefty amount (28+ oz) of salsa. I’ll be serving them with corn tortillas, baked into chips for the salsa, left soft for the hummus.

I also whipped up another no-bake cream pie. This time I reversed the crust and filling from the one I made for Mother’s Day. So, we have a peanut butter granola base

and a tofu chocolate cream filling

Get the recipe in Vegan Done Light.

As mentioned in a previous entry, my hand-me-down plates are showing signs of wear and tear and hardly make for a handsome presentation on the web. So, I have remedied this with a nice four-place stoneware dinner set ideal for a bachelor. Shipping included, it was only $25 from JCPenney.

You’ll be seeing more of these with food on them, but for now, here they are in all their just-arrived glory.

Over the weekend, I made another 1.5 lb batch of homemade tempeh. It’s definitely getting easier as I continue to hone my technique. But, no less messy! I find it so exciting to be the catalyst for the growth of this delicious mold.

Here it is divided into four slabs, three of which are in freezer bags for future consumption.

And that one left out? Well, some of it went into the fridge. The rest found its way to the griddle. Mmmm… tempeh.

Please ignore the well-worn, perpetually-stained (from before my water system was installed), knife-slashed plates in these photos. Now that the world gets to see my fine china (ha!), it’s time to go buy something more presentable.

Our Mother’s Day meal was a smashing success! Originally, Mom had planned on making a “side dish” of h*m for my stepdad, but to my surprise and delight, when I got there, I learned he wanted to eat what I had made. The dessert had been conceived with him in mind, seeing as he is a fellow peanut butter fiend, but the main meal? I had concerns. LOL.

Mom chopped veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions) for a side salad. We each wrapped some of the bean/mushroom/pepper/squash mixture into our warmed corn tortillas with a little of the salad fixings for texture and temperature contrast. Delicious! The rest we just scooped onto our plates beside more salad. Everyone enjoyed their meal and filled up.

Despite having seconds though, we left room for dessert! Mom had never had peanut butter pie, so she had nothing to which to compare it. However, my step-father has had it in diners across the country while trucking, made with either cream cheese, or eggs and whole cream. Even after knowing the secret to this pie was TOFU (shhhh…), he said it stacked up well to the typically fat-laden kind.

We split the remaining pie, which we all agreed we could have easily continued eating. Here is the last piece just before I devoured it today:

And for Mother’s Day dessert we have a peanut butter pie with a chocolate granola crust. Mmmm…

I made the “shell” (really more of a bottom as I didn’t come up the sides with it) by melting semisweet chocolate chips and stirring in granola then pressing into the bottom of a 9″ pie pan. I let this cool in the fridge for a couple hours before proceeding.

Get the recipe in Vegan Done Light.

Here is what I created for lunch with Mom tomorrow.

The main dish was intended to be a black bean, squash, and cornmeal casserole, an idea I conceived sans recipe. Unfortunately, when I went to make the polenta topping, I found my cornmeal to have gone rancid. (I bought the bag prior to realizing it is best to store it in the refrigerator.) So, I’ll just bring some corn tortillas instead.

This is a lightly-spiced dish as my Mom isn’t into hot stuff and I’ve tortured many a family member with my typical scorchers in the past. I sauteed some onions, garlic, green bell pepper and baby bella mushrooms. Once the mushrooms had a little color, I added the black beans (15 oz can), a tsp of dried oregano, a 1/2 tsp of cumin, an 1/8 tsp of chipotle powder, and a 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke (mesquite flavor). This mixture was transferred to a loaf pan. I then lightly steamed some butternut squash and mashed it with a fork, adding 1/8 tsp of cumin and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. This was spread over top the beans. Tomorrow, we’ll just heat it up a little and serve with the tortillas. I’m bringing some hot sauce!

I am a fermented food fanatic (alliterations are pretty cool too, lol). Making them yourself lets you choose the spices and drastically reduce or eliminate the sodium. And it is so fun to watch them bubbling away.

Here is my standard after-dinner treat, red delicious apple chopped up alongside a tangy kimchi of red cabbage, hot peppers, garlic, caraway seeds, and possibly other herbs and spices for variety. My favorites are, of course, curry and dill.