Veganacious

A young chimpanzee

Lucy’s Story – Dr. Maurice Temerlin and his wife Jane adopt a newborn chimpanzee and raise her as their own.  The results are documented in Dr. Temerlin’s memoir, Lucy: Growing Up Human.

Lucy’s story highlights the tragedy that occurs when humans use nonhuman animals for their own purpose rather than allowing them to be their natural selves.  This occurs daily to millions of animals; they are misunderstood and exploited.  The tragedy that was Lucy happened not because she was so close to humans, but because the humans who exploited her missed knowing who she was meant to be — a chimpanzee, not a human child. Please see below for more information about Lucy, to see the photograph of Lucy with Janis Carter, or to hear the full Radio Lab program on other primates in the world of humans.

• Slideshow of Lucy, including parting hug with Janis
• WNYC RadioLab – audio about Lucy and two other primate stories
• Recent post by Janis Carter on Friends of Animals website
• Smithsonian article on Janis Carter
• Animal People Online – go to the November 2006 edition for Stella Brewer’s article about the Lucy incident

Last month was the fourth birthday for Hannah Kaminsky’s beautiful blog, Bittersweet.  Hannah is the accomplished author of My Sweet Vegan, an excellent vegan cookbook. Her blog is a food and crafts blog with gorgeous photos.  Not only does she offer wonderful recipes, but she also creates delightful crocheted creations, including a recent hug monster that is cuddly and beguiling. Congratulations on four years, Hannah, and thank you for all of your delicious contributions to the vegan community.

A  recent Veganacious post was the recipe for Orange Chocolate Chip Scones.  One morning, my four -year old grandson was busy playing on the computer when hunger struck. I had to develop something quickly and luckily, it was a big hit. After refining the recipe and getting a thumbs up from my principal taster, I published it. I hope you will enjoy it, too.  The most recent food post was for Vegan Fortune Cookies.  After receiving a personal gift of a homemade fortune cookie with a fortune just for me, I wanted to create a vegan version so others could enjoy the cookie part, too!

An important vegan I would like to mention is Jordan Wyatt of the Coexisting with Nonhuman Animals podcast.  Jordan is an innovative podcaster whose series is always informative and filled with animal rights issues from the New Zealand area, as well as other areas of the globe.  Jordan has been a terrific teacher and encourager to me and is the principal reason I was finally able to get this podcast on the air.

• BitterSweet - a beautiful blog by Hannah Kaminski of My Sweet Vegan fame
• Coexisting with Nonhuman Animals by Jordan Wyatt
• Lucy: Growing Up Human by Dr. Maurice Temerlin -  on Amazon
• Wauchula Woods Accord by Charles Siebert - on Amazon
• Podcast available on iTunes

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Like many vegans, I was dependent on my various vegan cookbooks when I first converted and transformed my diet. I could not seem to acquire enough to expand my culinary horizons as broadly as I desired. Everything was so new and so delicious!  Over the past year or so, I have returned again and again to a few favorites. Here they are.

Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson is one of the best How To cookbooks for a new vegan.  Robin provides many innovative recipes from around the globe; her Asian recipes passed muster in this household, too. Mine is a paperbook and offers no photos, but the recipes are still worth the price.  Lots of variety and lots of ethnic cuisine from an American perspective.

Veganomicon by Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero is a hardbound book with unremarkable paper within – but the quality of the recipes make up for it.  For a good basic cookbook with delicious results, this one is a sure thing. Lots of good takes on old favorites like spaghetti marinara, pot pie, and macaroni and cheese keep this one in constant use.

Alternative Vegan by Dino Sarma is all plant food without the need for any of those packaged goods. Look for no seitan, no tofu, no boxed items here.  This one is great for those living on a budget, on primarily produce and a few grains or legumes.  From soup to salads, from daal to curry, Dino will have you salivating at the mere mention of some of these recipes. Venn Pongal alone is worth the price of this little paperback book.

The Best of Vegan Cooking by Priscilla Feral is one of my favorites for elegant recipes that have you feeling like a true gourmet cook. Recipes have been offered from several famous chefs and combined with several from Ms. Feral herself.  This one is paperback but loaded with gorgeous photos that keep you trying to match the artistry.  With everything from humble vegetable dishes to delicious Italian recipes, this is the one to reach for on special occasions.

The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick Goudreau is also a beautiful, colorful collections of recipes and photos. For a good, basic cookbook of baked goods, this is the one to have. She also has a new book, the Vegan Table that looks wonderful, but it is still on my “must have” list. Lots of photos and lovely glossy paper, too.

My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky is a real favorite in this household. The little one loves to find a photo and asks me to make that particular treat. Best of all, they are not that difficult and the results are consistent. Hannah uses unusual ingredients, so check her recipes before shopping so you have what you need on hand.  The recipes are absolutely wonderful, but very unique.  Her Crumb-Topped Brownies are to die for – they last about two seconds so you may want to make a double batch.  Also a beautiful, colorful paperback with lots of glossy photos, My Sweet Vegan is a treasure at a very reasonable price.

Being a culturally-mixed family, we have appreciated The Asian Vegan Kitchen, too.  This paperback book, by Hema Parekh, is organized by Asian country and includes India, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea.  While there may be a few ingredients that are not commonly available, most can be ordered on Amazon or found at the local Asian market.  Others are fine without the more exotic ingredients.  Don’t miss the Sesame Potatoes and try to sample all the various countries represented. This one is for the cook wanting to explore outside their comfort zone. Easy to read and follow, with a center section complete with color photos, this is another cookbook I reach for time after time.

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Jennifer Clary and Kevin Haberer are smart, young, and creative.  They have developed an idea that is catching fire worldwide – healthy vegan fare delivered right to your door.  Packaged in weekly shipments, their program provides three meals a day, with some plans even including snacks.  Working in an industrial kitchen, a chef prepares the food fresh. It is then packaged and shipped out to various points around the world.  If you have a college student that is not eating right, they  have the Student Plan to make certain that hard-working academics will be on the right green path, food-wise.  If you just want to sample their fare, they have weekend packages starting from only $40.

How did such an industrious undertaking begin?  According to a recent conversation with Kevin, it started out as a “passion project.” While watching the Mavericks basketball team on TV, their stomachs were growling because the family member they were visiting was providing cheese poppers, chicken wings, buttered popcorn and other non-vegan snacks.  They thought it would be terrific if they had prepared meals, desserts, snacks they could take with them everywhere so they always had something to eat, hassle-free. Thanks to Gobble Green, that dream is a reality. Their food is 100% vegan and 90% organic — not too shabby for the health conscious consumer with a conscience who is a bit strapped for time.

Gobble Green now ships everywhere in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. They also cater events onsite in California.  With business booming even during the recession, they are sure to be expanding into other areas soon.  In fact, institutions such as universities and hospitals have already approached Gobble Green.  Wholesalers, supermarkets and specialty food stores may soon be carrying some of their fine cuisine, too.  For a business that just started in August 2009, the growth has been on a steady incline, with 95% of customers coming back and ordering weekly.  Customers tend to be vegan, those trying to transition to veganism, and individuals concerned about weight loss, longevity, cruelty-free living and eco-friendly lifestyles.  Institutions which advocate for a healthy, sustainable, ethical lifestyle may also receive a bulk discount.  All clients are greatly appreciated by Gobble Green and their entire staff stand ready to offer encouragement and support.

Gobble Green targets vegans and people interested in trying veganism to improve overall health, achieve weight loss, to increase longevity, or to support eco-friendly and cruelty-free living. If a business is interested in carrying our product line, we offer discounted bulk prices and commend that institution for advocating a diet and lifestyle which is healthy, sustainable, and ethical. Individuals who already embrace veganism or who wish to transition to a vegan diet will also find our staff to be a source of support and encouragement. All of our customers are important to us, whether they are an institution or an individual.

To order your first week of Gobble Green, phone 800-684-7618.

Watch the video and peruse the Gobble Green website  (www.gobblegreen.com) to learn more about this terrific, innovative vegan business.

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There is an art to forming fortune cookies, but once you catch onto it, the process is very easy.  The cookies must be formed while warm, so you may need to just cook two or three cookies at a time. Luckily, they are simple to make and don’t take long to form, either.  I would heartily recommend that, once formed, they are put into a muffin tin  or tiny tea cup to keep their shape until they are fully cooled.

History of Fortune Cookies

Fortune cookies are actually an American invention, created by either a Cantonese or Japanese man in the early 1920s, probably in California, but they have become a standard post-meal offering in Chinese restaurants in the U.S.

Have strips of fortunes prepared before you begin making the cookie dough.  Type them on the computer or write them by hand, but be sure they are ready before the cookies are begun.  Once the fortune cookies come out of the oven, you will need to move quickly, so the fortunes must be handy and ready to insert. Have gloves ready if possible, too, because the fortune cookie shape needs to be formed while the cookies are hot.

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The above photo is one trip to the local Kroger’s market.  As you can see, there is plenty of food there for the vegan cook. There were only two prepared items that were included: soymilk and tempeh.  I admittedly purchase bargains; I bought a huge amount of broccoli for $3 on special. Here is what was purchased for under $45:

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There he was – a hungry little varmint with a gleam in his eye. I needed something special and quick for breakfast before his patience ran out and his attention was diverted from that video game. There was the orange juice, there were the chocolate chips…..and before you know it, we had some delicious orange chocolate chip scones.  Not a scrap lived to see the next day.  In fact, on day two, he requested another batch, only this time “make about nineteen forty dozen!”  Which in his parlance is about the same as a hundred kazillion — and taken as high praise.

Recipe for Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Mix together:

• 1 C. unbleached flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 heaping tsp. orange zest

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