Recipes for Fall And Other News

I came across this article for vegetarian soups for the fall. They are mostly vegan and some of them look really good. I want to master making seitan. Hopefully I can by the time winter comes. I've been making the same kale soup recipe since last month. I love the variations of my soup from scratch, but I made it too many times and I'm bored of the soup already.

I found a decent pita bread recipe. Pita bread is an interesting foreign bread because it is vegan, unlike naan bread. I like the density of Indian roti bread, but the way it can be used does not come close to the pita bread. While I do not have a cookie sheet to make baking recipes yet, I plan on getting some more kitchen items. I never made bread before this, so hopefully when I do it does not turn out like my seitan atrocity. Cooking, like art, allows room for mistake unless the kitchen is burned down or $500 worth of food is wasted.

Other than bread, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I did not get to bake a birthday cake last weekend for my birthday. I did not have the most essential items. I can always go to the grocery store and get them. It's not too late. The good news is that I found a vegan smoothie mix that is worth trying. I've been looking forever for a smoothie mix since August. I find smoothies to be easier to make every morning than say vegan pancakes or even oatmeal. I want to be a healthier vegan, but I have so many bad food habits. I'm not the most "put-together" woman that anyone has ever met. With research papers, art projects and the second half of the semester being here, I have to find ways to be organized. That includes finding recipes that are fast, cheap and easy to make.

I am thinking about going on a soy-free and gluten free diet for a few months just to how my body reacts to it. It is slightly more difficult to do this, but there are so many recipes out there that do not call for soy or wheat. I love potatoes (despite their bad reputation), rice, oats and I'm willing to try other flours such as spelt and besan. I think meanwhile it's best to try the whole "beans, rice and salad" diet. I might be eating more Mexican food, because it does not require wheat or soy. I like to try out different diets just to see what works and what does not.

I've been craving sweets like cakes, pancakes, pies, cookies, vegan ice creams, etc. lately. I don't know what my obsession with sweets is. I love the items I just named and I probably do not need to make a birthday cake for my belated birthday. Instead I can make scones, which are healthier and guilt free. I found a recipe here . According to the responses, this recipe seems very versatile. I was thinking of making these with dried pineapples and coconut. I like to experiment with different recipes and since I bought a bakeware set, I can pretty much bake any dessert except pies, because I need a pie pan to hold the crust. So, I'm debating between a cake and some scones. I find scones to be healthier than cake. They do not require much sugar, but they require baking powder. I usually like scones with the glaze over it. I hope to replicate the glaze with a decent recipe. I love making cake, because there are so many recipes that are vegan and I can use baking soda and vinegar instead of baking powder. For frosting I can just use silken tofu, powder sugar, vanilla and coconut. It will be like the last cake I made instead it will be modelled similar to the hummingbird cake without the cream cheese and pastachios(sp?). I will make an oat flour for both the scones and the cake by processing instant oatmeal. Since winter is around the corner and I don't have a job yet, I might as well add an extra hobbie to the list of things I like to do. It won't hurt. I miss dating because I don't have anyone to cook for and critque my food. Maybe my friends might be willing to try my recipes.

Thanksgiving and Veganism

Summer is clearly over. There is no use wearing micro shorts, tank tops or taking a dip in the neighborhood outdoor swimming pool. Instead, it's that time of the year again when kids are knocking door-to-door for candy during Holloween, sweaters are in style for the season and college students go home to eat their family's cooking for Thanksgiving. Eversince being vegan five years ago, I had a love-hate relationship with holidays dealing with food. It's pretty much one of the reasons why I do not celebrate Thanksgiving, Easter or Christmas. There is something about food that brings two or more people who hate eachother closer together. Maybe it's been that way since the beginning of mankind. In every culture, food is the other religion. It can bring people together or tear them apart. It's one of the things that I missed about being a meat eater. When I began to give up certain foods, it put a few family members on edge such as my grandmother. When I was a vegetarian that ate mostly fish, it made everyone in my family angry. I personally to this day believe that there are more things to worry about than what someone eats. There are many people in this world who cannot eat. As Americans, we do not think about them much, because we are a consumer-based society, where other people's troubles are hidden or ignored. I will admit that I did not choose a vegan lifestyle based on how many people in this world did n't have a meal with all the food groups. If that were the case, I'd also live an ascetic lifestyle that gives up all material goods. I became vegan, because I know that the human race is not the only species on this planet and that I choose not to support an industry or an ideology that believes in such. Those choices that I made pretty much bother everyone I know and meet to this day.

I know one person when I told him that I do not eat, or wear animal products, he had the nerve to tell me "well most people don't wear animal products". I don't speak to him anymore, not because he's not a vegan and he made such an ignorant statement, but because he does not take what I say seriously. I'll save this for another post, but he's like most other men who come from the Baby Boomer/Gen X generations. Men from those generations were raised to believe that a woman's opinion is not to be taken seriously. It's hard to be friends with someone who dismisses your opinion by using strawmen arguments or ad hominems. I know for a fact that most people use products that contain something that comes from an animal. I am guilty of this sometimes. I almost bought honey yesterday, because I wanted pancakes. I will also admit that I did consume honey. I stopped when I decided to be a real vegan.

Thanksgiving won't be as difficult as the last time when everyone ate something eachother made, and I cooked something that had beans in it for myself and my sister made a comment about it. She also made a comment about me baking a coconut cake and that I "chose a flavor that not everyone likes". Just because the meat-eating world does not accomodate vegans it does not mean that I have to accomodate everyone. People wonder why vegans are angry. It's because the meat eaters in this country have "mob-rule" mentality, so it gives them a right to be condenscending toward those who are different. They also have the childish mentality that "Oh, if he doesn't eat meat then I'm doing something wrong". Whatever happend to adults making choices they feel is right for themselves? If my pool of friends were perfect, they would all be vegan out of convenience. I have e neighbor who is from another country(Russia) and he's always puzzled about my food choices. I made a vegan "chicken" patty and he wondered why when I lost my taste for meat. First of all, it tastes different, but it still has somewhat a meat quality that I miss. Second, like Russia, America is a meat eating society. We are like Japan that eats everything but starches and vegetables as condiments. Our meat dishes are main meals. The only way to be vegan and still eat the homemade regional dishes is to use a meat substitute such as soy, tempeh or seitan. Eating these cannot be any worse than eating dishes made with poultry, meat or fish. I just know that I have to be more creative when I cook, sometimes taking longer than usual. I'm thinking about going home for Thanksgiving break, just to see my mom and my close friend. I also want to stay here for Thanksgiving with friends who stay here also. I don't know, there is not a day that I do not think about moving to another apartment. I just hope that I can find something cheaper than here. When I get a job, I am definately moving.

Pumpkin vs Sweet Potato

I love sweet potatoes, especially during the holidays. I also like pumpkin. During the holidays, most people eat pumpkin, while my family eats sweet potato, either in a pie or cut into pieces and candied with its own starches. I think it's cultural, but I could be wrong. I want to try something different and eat candied pumpkin instead of candied yams. Maybe I'll try a combination of both in a pie.