Living Without Meat

I made a delicious whole wheat vegan pizza last month that I was so excited about.

Now, I come to find out that it wasn’t vegan.

I paid extra care when choosing my faux cheese, knowing that that is a common place to find whey casein (derived from milk). I used only the best, fresh, local, organic produce. I sprinkled TVP crumbles flavored with nothing from an animal.

But I didn’t thoroughly examine my Boboli whole wheat, pre-made crust: it was apparently baked with cheese sprinkled all over it. I had been so excited about the great sale (2 for $6) that I only scanned the nutritional info.

Just like Silk soymilk, Boboli’s Web site provides only nutritional information, and not lists of ingredients, for each of their products. (The site does however have a suggestion form on their front page …)

I only found reference to the cheese in their FAQ section:

What is that brown stuff on top of my BOBOLI?

That “brown stuff” is something we’re very proud of. It’s our delicious, oven-baked mozzarella cheese, one of the ingredients that gives BOBOLI its hearty flavor. Now that you know, perhaps you’ll think of it as “great stuff.”

This I find quite stinky. I do not want to make dough and my own crust whenever I want a vegan pizza pie. And I don’t want to order a tomato pie.

Anyone know of any vegan pre-made pizza crusts?

Top Chef had me on an veg*n emotional roller coaster last night!

After praising the Bravo! TV cooking contest for having a winning vegan dish a few weeks back, and pointing out that there has never been even a mention of tofu, I stand to edit my statement.

The newest episode, which aired April 23, had a tofu challenge.

Contestants were given their assignments based upon an audience participation portion of an improv show at Second City. Each pair of chefs was given a color, an ingredient, and an emotion.

Dale (who made the aforementioned vegan dish) and Richard were given the challenge of making a dish that represented “green,” “perplexed,” and … “TOFU!”

I was ecstatic; I sang: “They’re gonna cook me some tofu, they’re gonna cook me some tofu …”

First step of this - which would become the winner - dish? Render cow fat on a grill so that when the tofu is grilled it picks up the cow fat’s flavor.

Stunned. Frozen, then, as Gossip Girl would say: “OMFG!”

The judges praised their ingenuity. They worshiped the tofu for it’s beef-like flavor. They awarded this dish the winner, because they “would have been so angry” if they had had to cook tofu in a challenge like this.

I wanted to barf. I wanted to swear at the TV: “No sh*t it tastes like a steak, you freakin’ all but sewed it to a strip of animal fat!”

But, alas, Top Chef did finally have tofu on it. They gave me what I asked for … unfortunately, it came with a side of rendered cow fat.

I would now like to direct Dale, Richard, and all Top Chef people to Tofu Today, an entire site dedicated to loving tofu with recipes, history, how to make your own, tofu references in the news (including this episode of Top Chef), and so much more …. because (are you listening Tom Colicchio?) there are infinite numbers of people who do not cry when they are “forced” to cook with tofu.

Any hummus is delightful, really, but the satisfaction that comes when you make a truly delectable hummus from scratch is above and beyond anything else.

Here’s what went into the blender last night:

* 1/2 a can of chickpeas, rinsed
* 1/2 a can of kidney beans, rinsed
* 2-inch thick slice of soft tofu
* 2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup of water
* Sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and garlic powder

Here’s how lunch was served today:

* Two big spoon plops worth of deliciousness (a.k.a. the homemade hummus)
* 1 carrot, slicified
* 1 toasted, whole wheat pita pocket, sliced like pizza pie
* 1 celery stalk, cut length-wise only for maximum scooping
* 1/2 a green pepper, sliced but with a natural scooper created from the top curve of the pepper

It was heaven!

I fear that, in order to tell you about what had me jumping with glee on the couch this evening, I must first admit that I love watching the least vegetarian-friendly show ever: Top Chef.

I understand that the cooking business calls meat protein, but everytime a Top Chef challenge lays out tables of animal meat and refers to it as “the protein” - never a bean, soy product, or other such protein in sight - the myth that vegetarians cannot get sufficient protein is perpetuated. But still, I watch the cooks battle it out in the kitchen each week.

Two weeks ago, the “Zoo Food” episode brought what I thought would be an inspirational challenge, breaking the vegetarian barrier. Teams of the competing chefs were assigned an animal - bear, gorilla, penguin, vulture, or lion - and had to pay homage to their creature’s natural diet for a zookeepers’ cocktail party. But even though they had a veggie-loving beast, team gorilla added meat. Boo.

Tonight, however, a vegan dish won the quickfire challenge, earning the meal’s creator Dale immunity. It was a vegan take on sushi; it was beautiful. He used shaved cucumbers as a wrap and delicately cut veggies for a filling, and won me - and the judges - over.

So stay tuned for the recipe … and watch Top Chef to cheer on Dale!

To be fair, I just noticed that both Richard and Ryan made vegetarian tacos last week during the quickfire challenge. Richard’s won; Ryan’s were in the bottom. Richard’s are seen here in the first picture; Ryan’s in the second. Click on either picture to go to that taco’s recipes.

Giant food stores are really doing a fantastic job of providing consumers with organic, vegan, gluten-free, healthy … options.

Recently, I was tipped off by a friend to a good sale at Giant on frozen vegetarian meals. So I went. But I ended up finding an even better sale: all Boboli pizza crusts were two for $6. All of them. A pack of two minis, a regular crust, or even a whole wheat one which is usually $1.50 more than the plain version.

Here’s what I did with my find:

Vegan Whole Wheat Pizza

* Spread some canned tomato sauce on the crust. Add oregano, sea salt, pepper, and garlic to the sauce to make it taste more like pizza sauce.

* Sprinkle with vegan cheese. I used some soy, shredded mozzarella flavored, and slices of some local made cheddar-flavored, tofu-based cheese that comes in a cube.

* As the oven is pre-heating to about 400 degrees, I tossed the cheese-only pizza in to start warming up. On top of the stove, I sauted some onions, crumbled beef-style TVP, and small pieces of broccoli.

* Once the broccoli is cooked, spread the toppings on the pizza’s slightly warm cheese layer. Sprinkle with spices and herbs of choice, and cook for about 20 mins.

* Enjoy!

UPDATE: All Boboli crusts actually contain cheese already in them, making this pizza not vegan.

Starting up hormone pills tends to make you have some pregnancy-like symptoms. As I have recently taken up the birth-control pill to help with clearing up my acne, I have been having some weird flavor cravings lately.

Here are two of my recent fake-pregnancy craving meal creations that were quite delicious:

Soy Sweet Potato and Squash

* Microwave a sweet potato by poking several fork holes in it and using the preset cook time for a potato (about 4 mins.).

* Saute onions in oil, add slices or bite-size pieces of yellow squash and zucchini. While cooking, add salt, garlic, pepper, and soy sauce.

* Put cooked potato on plate: mash it, cut it, smash it to bite-able pieces, adding margarine and brown sugar.

* Scoop squash around sweet potato, pour all soy-onion juicy goodness over everything.

* Taste. I added a touch more soy sauce at this point.

Faux Breakfast

* Saute onions in oil. Add diced potatoes (I used frozen, pre-cooked ones; you could microwave the tater a bit to reduce cooking time if you use a fresh one), vegan sausage stuff (I used Amy’s brand), and diced yellow squash and zucchini.

* Add salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, margarine, and syrup. Yup, syrup.

* Taste it … what works here is the contrast of the salt with the sweetness of the syrup. When mine was all cooked and ready to go, I sprinkled on some more sea salt and syrup.

What do you think? I told you I was weird!

Today’s the day that middle school students actually enjoy going to math class (though my sister and I always loved it!). It’s Pi Day!

In mathematics, the Greek letter pi = 3.14…..and then like one trillion more numerals. Today = March (3) 14. Hence, today is Pi Day!

But why do middle school students like it? Well, my friends who missed out, cool math teachers order pizza pies or bring in dessert pies to celebrate!

So have it; bring a little math into your life! If you make and bake it all from scratch then you are using math, too!

Just remember, make it vegan!

Vegan pizza recipes:

* Watch a YouTube chef put together a pizza pie from complete scratch, crust and all!

* By a crust (check the ingredients), slap on some sauce, sprinkle with casein-free soy cheese, and add all of your favorite toppings.

* Order up a tomato pie for delivery.

* Check out Recipezaar - there are 51 recipes that have both “vegan” and “pizza” as keywords.

Vegan Pie Recipes:

* The Almost Vegan drooled over a pie crust and filling recipe back in 2006.

* Whoa, forget the pies … VeganYumYum’s dessert section is way better. Just call it a pie, or bake it in a pie-shaped tin or something.

P.S. While I’m talking about pies … I highly recommend the movie Waitress with Keri Russell.

As I mentioned yesterday, I love asking vegetarians and vegans what they like to eat and cook on a regular basis. I suppose it is my way of gathering ideas for my own menu.

On Friday, I asked my vegetarian coworker Megan if she had a favorite recipe. Here’s what she said:

“I don’t know any fancy recipes off the top of my head, and maybe this is just me, but I never get tired of cannellini beans, frozen mixed vegetables, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese (or not cheese) over pasta with a little bit of olive oil.

“If you need more stuff, and were feeling like making a side dish, I’ve been eating a lot of mixed green salads with walnuts and dried fruit (craisins, etc.).”

Thanks, Megan! The salad sounds like it came from my mom’s kitchen.

Try Galaxy Foods’ Vegan brand Parmesan-flavor Grated Topping (shown here; note: only purple-label Galaxy Foods are vegan) to make this recipe vegan.

I enjoy asking other vegetarians what they like to eat. It’s just one of my things. After asking a vegetarian coworker this question Friday (read her response on Monday), I got to thinking about sharing more of my tasty concoctions. Just so happens, this same day I came home and cooked a delicious dinner. So here is what I ate Friday night.


SALLY’S T.G.I.F. MEAL

* Prepare Jasmine brown rice

* Slice/chop/smallify and saute asparagus, mushrooms, vegan ground sausage, and some form of tomatoes. I used a can of chopped tomatoes mixed with sauce. And the sausage was Gimme Lean (shown here), and although I never liked the real deal I love the spicy flavor that this adds to a dish.

* Serve the saucy goodness over the rice. Enjoy it; love it; tell me that you made it!

I made something this week for the arts and crafts class that I lead at my local community center that I think you will love!

I call it “Miss Green Clean,” but you are welcome to just refer to it as an all-natural spray cleanser.

My inspiration came from Craftbits’ Antibacterial Yoga Mat Spray; although, I, of course, did not really follow the recipe.

Whip yourself up a batch and spray down doorknobs, light switches, and toddler toys to ward off germs. Then make a few extra to give as gifts: to the hostess, along with a “get well soon” card, or for a housewarming.

MISS GREEN CLEAN

You will need:

* Rubbing alcohol
* Clear vinegar
* Water
* Tea tree oil (a natural antiseptic)
* Essential oil (take allergies into consideration!)

* Spray bottle
* Sharpie permanent markers

1. Decorate and label the spray bottle. Be sure to list the ingredients on it if you are going to give it away. Consider making fill lines so that the recipient can make more when they use it up (i.e. draw a line 1 inch from bottom and label it vinegar; 1 cm above that, label a line alcohol; etc.).

2. Funnel in about: 1/4 cup vinegar, 3 Tbs. alcohol, 1 tsp. or 12 drops of tea tree oil, and 1 tsp. or 12 drops of a scented oil (I found a tea tree-lavender blend at GNC).

3. Fill the bottle almost to the top with water. Tightly screw the top on, give a little shake, and go spray crazy!

If you don’t believe me that smoothies and blenders are the quintessential kitchen staple fo every veg*n (and you meat consumers, too!), then perhaps you will listen to Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez. The 247-pound athlete has been vegan about one year now, and spoke with the Wall Street Journal this week about his diet, debacles with the team’s nutritionist (a former vegetarian who tried to convince him to eat meat), and his strength on his new diet.

Watch the video to learn some of Mr. Gonzalez’s favorite blended recipes.

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Over the holiday weekend I made up a ravely reviewed vegan casserole that, although it pains my currently queasy stomach to do so, simply must be shared.

My inspiration came from normal lasagna and baked ziti, and vegan ricotta made from tofu.

Here’s my creation (just keep in mind that I already don’t tend towards measurements, and with an upset stomach, I really don’t want to focus on the food):

Sally’s People Pleasing Vegan Pasta

* Make half of this vegan ricotta recipe. It calls for a mix of tofu textures, but I used all soft which created a smoother, more alfredo-like sauce.

* Cook about half of a box of tubular pasta

* Defrost 1/3 package frozen spinach, or saute some fresh leaves

* In a large casserole dish, combine: tofu ricotta sauce, cooked pasta, and spinach with one package any flavor shredded soy cheese (I used cheddar), 1 can diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Stir, stir, stir!

* Top with more soy cheese, spices, and perhaps some bread crumbs. Cook low - around 300 F - for 45 mins to an hour.

Yum! This is the one time that you will be truly happy with soy cheese’s performance. It gets super creamy in the middle and makes a perfect crispiness for the top layer. We served it with sourdough bread toasted with oil. Mom said it was “so filling and good,” and Dad proclaimed that had I not “told him ahead of time what was in it, he totally would have thought it was real food!” Two thumbs up all around.

Let me know if you try it, or if you tried a veg*n recipe out on your family this holiday season! E-mail your story to livingwithoutmeat at gmail dot com.

Eggs just don’t seem like something that you should ever drink. Thus, I have never tried egg nog, not even in my lacto-ovo meat-atarian days; and thus, I have no clue what it is supposed to taste like and how one would go about making a vegan version.

So if you so desire to knock-off this interesting holiday beverage, creating a salmonella-free version, then please direct your attention to Compassion Over Killing’s recipe:

COK’S EGG-FREE EGG NOG

for 5 servings:

* 1 qt soymilk
* 6 oz tofu, extra firm
* 6 tbs maple syrup
* 1/4 cup Amaretto, Southern Comfort, brandy, alcohol of choice …
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp cardamom
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg
* 1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth. Chill before serving.

This photo shows a drink of the noggy inspiration sprinkled with nutmeg and stirred with a cinnamon stick. Check out this and COK’s other holiday vegan tasties.

Don’t forget about checking out their Veg Starter Kit - it comes with a recipe book replete with their yummy ideas!

Compassion Over Killing has several good soup recipes available on their Web site for your tasting pleasure. Here’s the one that they featured in their newest eNewsletter, sent out yesterday:

COK’s Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Serves 8

* 2 cups cashew pieces
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon dill weed
* 1/2 cup pimentos
* 7 cups water
* 8 cups chopped broccoli

In a blender, add the first seven ingredients (cashew pieces through pimentos) and half of the water. Blend on high until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and add the rest of water and the chopped broccoli. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened and broccoli is tender.

A new quick and easy recipe has been added to my repertoire - and I invented it! (Well, sort of, it’s not really original, but I made it without following a recipe.) In fact, as I type I am alternating bites of leftovers of this very dish that I speak of … so please pardon any drool stains (or typos, loss of train of thought, etc.).

Sally’s Soy Creamy Pasta

I’ve never even made a milk-product cream sauce, so I find it especially impressive that I made this from scratch out of my head (not literally, not like sweetbread).

* Start some pasta water boiling in a pot, and start heating equal parts oil and vegan butter in a pan.

* Once the butter is melted and blended with the oil, add your favorite spices. I suggest some fresh garlic, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and a little oregano. If you want veggie with the pasta, add them now, too. I’ve tried it three different ways and loved it every time: mushrooms and green pepper; canned green beans, dehydrated sun-dried tomato flakes, and TVP (texturized vegetable protein); and no veggies at all. Clearly I am a broke 25-year-old using whatever is in my pantry.

* Add the pasta when the water’s ready - I used elbow macaroni because, again, it’s what was in the cupboard. Also at this point add soy milk to the oil/butter/spices/vegetable pan. Add just enough to cover the veggies, or, if you are making without any, add enough to double the contents of the pan.

* Sift (important!) some flour or cornstarch into the milk-ified pan. Add it slowly, a little at a time, stirring, until it is almost the consistency that you want. If you add too much flour, add more soy milk.

* Taste it (equally important!) and decide if you need any more spices.

* Now your pasta should be ready. Drain it, and mix into the sauce. Turn off the burners (the most important!) and enjoy!

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