Infinite Curiosity
As I mentioned in my post for the Main Street Vegan blog over the summer, one of the virtues that the shift to veganism seems to cultivate is curiosity. I've been thinking about Leonardo recently, what with my rekindled artistic ambitions and all, so I thought I'd share this excerpt from Colin Spencer's The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism about the most curious man who ever lived:
...Before Montaigne and roughly contemporary with both Erasmus and More one giant among men passionately denounced the slaughter of animals and loathed meat-eating: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Renaissance man himself, possibly the greatest draughtsman ever to have lived, possessed of an infinite curiosity which drove him on in an unstinting examination of life's myriad phenomena. Yet in the sixty or so biographies in the London Library on his life and work, only one book bothers to discuss his vegetarianism...
Leonardo's inventions or near-discoveries would have made him remarkable enough without the paintings or drawings. He designed the first armoured vehicles, several types of aircraft and helicopters, anticipated the submarine and almost discovered the circulation of the blood. He dissected corpses and made anatomical drawings hundreds of years ahead of his time. Around and among all these drawings and sketches he wrote copiously. His views on vegetarianism and his pity for animals were no secret—a letter from India, written by Andrea Corsali in 1515, to Giuliano de Medici (Leonardo's patron) tells us: 'Certain infidels galled Guzzerati do not feed upon anything that contains blood, nor do they permit among them that any injury be done to any living thing, like our Leonardo da Vinci.'
There is throughout Leonardo's scattered notes a rising disgust with man himself, as here: 'King of animals—as thou hast described him—I should rather say King of the beasts, though being the greatest—because thou doest only help them, in order that they may give thee their children for the benefit of the gullet, of which thou hast attempted to make a sepulchre for all animals'...
Leonardo writes: 'Now does not nature produce enough simple vegetarian food for thee to satisfy thyself? And if thou art not content with such, canst thou not by the mixture of them make infinite compounds, as Platina describes and other writers on food?' Leonardo was clearly aware of vegetarian cuisine.
Was there any such thing as a meat-free cookbook back then? I must keep reading!
Vegan by the Seat of Your Pants!
Teaching people doesn't subtract value from what you do, it actually adds to it. When you teach someone how to do your work, you are, in effect, generating more interest in your work. People feel closer to your work because you're letting them in on what you know.
Best of all, when you share your knowledge and your work with others, you receive an education in return.
—Austin Kleon, Show Your Work
It's very nearly a year now since this new site went up, and while things may not seem to have changed much on the surface, a lot of the bits on the site feel ripe for an update. You may have noticed the vegan creativity coaching pitch on the "learn with me" page, which I composed thinking that at some point I would feel ready for that sort of thing, but it hasn't happened yet. Thanks to Austin Kleon's Show Your Work, I'm thinking even more lately about how to share what I've learned, and private coaching has never felt like the right path for me. I'm a writer, not a motivational speaker (which is not to say I don't want to work on developing those skills at some point, because I definitely, definitely do.) And while I'd also love to host workshops and other educational events (in person and online), those things take a ton of energy to organize and publicize, and even then you might get only a few signups.I'm not meaning to be an Eeyore here, and you know I'm definitely not a "realist"—I'm only trying to be careful about where I'm putting my energy at any given time. Someday I will put my heart and verve into those endeavors—just not yet.So what DO I feel ready for?More of what I already do best. 
Anne and I were recently talking over the vegan meal planning suggestions I'd given her, and she said, "Why don't you expand on this information and make it available as an ebook?"The thing took shape in my head almost right away. A cookbook that takes the mystery out of vegan cooking, especially for people who say "I'm not a good cook." A cookbook for people who buy cookbooks and never use them. A blueprint for kitchen confidence. An UNcookbook.I do not have a culinary degree, and I have taken exactly one cooking lesson in my entire life. Paradoxically, my lack of training is precisely why I am qualified to write this sort of book—if I can do it without any specialized education, then so can you!The basic idea is this: I'll offer variations on a given dish, depending on your needs and preferences and what's already in your cupboard and produce drawer (or, if the fridge is looking bare, what's in season). So for instance, with a pesto, I'll say you need just three basic ingredients: a green (or not—olives and sundried tomatoes are other options), a nut (or seed), and an oil. You don't actually need to measure any of these ingredients; you add a couple handfuls of chopped greens and a couple handfuls of nuts and keep adding a bit of oil and blending in the food processor until smooth, adding salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and other seasonings to your taste. The more conversations I have about cooking at home with people who don't enjoy it, the more I realize other people find "winging it" like this downright intimidating. The goal here is to make the preparation of basic hearty nutritious meals feel totally doable—even joyful. 
Here's my basic meal category list so far:
- Salads
- Stirfries
- Soups and Stews
- Spreads and Sauces
- Cutlets
Each section will offer a basic framework, to which you add whatever ingredients suit you. For example, you can make roasted red pepper cutlets even if you are gluten free, because breadcrumbs are just one option. I'll also include basic nutritional values so you can easily compare those options.This project will be months in the making, of course, but I am already signing up "unrecipe" testers. (Thanks, Kath!) Let me know if you are interested, and also if you have any kitchen-related questions or quandaries you'd like to see me address in this ebook!
Vegan Meal Planning Without Tears, part 2
Vegan meal planning, part 1 (breakfast.)
Now for lunch and dinner! I usually just make enough dinner for lunch the next day, but here are some light meal options:1. A big protein-packed salad. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are both a great source of protein, and add nice texture. Lately I've also been making big batches of beet and carrot salad and adding a big dollop to a green salad. Consider making your own dressing—I like whisking up some mustard, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Otherwise, Goddess dressing is my absolute fave.2. Another salad option, alone or on top of a green salad: chickpea and tomato salad.3. Sometimes I just like a sandwich. I'm a huge fan of the soy-free olive-oil-based vegan mayo from Earth Balance (Follow Your Heart brand is also good). I'll do some Tofurkey or Smartbacon slices with lettuce and tomato on sourdough bread from Trader Joe's. Vegan mayo is also great with textured vegetable protein (TVP) to make a salad that approximates tuna or chicken. (Not that I want to approximate those foods, but TVP is great for transitional purposes!)And for dinner:1. I often just do a stirfry, which you can jazz up by using different combinations each time. Stirfry essentials (in the order you put 'em in):—onion and garlic—other vegetables: carrots, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, potato/sweet potato, etc.—for protein: beans or tempeh—greens (I use kale, collards, spinach, or callaloo)I am using nutritional yeast on a daily basis now because it's a good source of protein and B vitamins and it gives a rich cheesy taste. LOVE it. (Also great on kale chips.) So I stir in a healthy shake of "nooch" every time I sauté vegetables.2. I do "unrecipe" versions of chili or lentil stew. Easy peasy. Don't worry about getting the proportions perfect—just throw it all in there and leave it to cook.Lentil stew: Begin by sauteeing onion, garlic, and herbs, add carrot/potatoes/etc., then veggie broth and rinsed lentils. If you buy beets for another recipe, you can chop up the greens and use them in this stew. (But you can use the beetroot here too. Yay for unrecipes!)Chili: same deal (onion, garlic, potato, etc.), then add crushed tomatoes, black/pinto beans, peppers, and chili powder or spice mix.Make sure you cook a lot because the older the leftovers the better they taste!3. As for a proper curry recipe, my go-to is chickpea and pumpkin curry (I usually sub butternut squash for the pumpkin and skip the lemongrass).4. "Alfredo" sauce using avocado + veggie broth (fresh herbs optional) = HEAVENLY. Put it on pasta or over a stirfry. Makes everything you put it on taste amazing.Great easy side dishes:Roasted root vegetables: beets, parsnips, carrots, potato/sweet potato with garlic cloves and fresh sage or rosemary. Bake at 400º for one hour.Best way (I've found) to cook Brussels sprouts—halved, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, and baked at 375º for 45 minutes.
When people tell me they feel overwhelmed by the notion of cooking (like, "proper cooking") for themselves, I try to present my meal planning tips like this, as simply as I can. Not everyone could have a confident grandmother to learn from in the kitchen—I do think that's a big part of why my sister and I cook so much, and are open to trying new recipes and improvisation—but EVERYONE can prepare flavorful, simple, nutritious meals for themselves and their loved ones as long as they're willing to go through a bit of trial and error. Heck, isn't that just life? Besides, figuring out what you like and how you like it is a way more satisfying process than you might expect!
Vegan Meal Planning Without Tears, part 1
Recently my dear friend Anne asked for some tips for vegan meal planning, so I thought I'd share what I came up with. While preparing healthy meals may not be as fast as the drive through, you don't have to spend hours chopping, stirring, and washing dishes either. We are busy people! You can do what's expedient without sacrificing the wholesomeness—I'm all about making big quantities, because leftovers are efficient as well as delicious.So, first things first: breakfast!
2. Good for summer (and also if you are trying to minimize gluten intake)—I posted a recipe for chia breakfast pudding on the blog awhile back.3. I haven't tried making my own granola yet, but my friend Jill has made batches for gifts and I really love it. Here's a recipe round-up at Oh She Glows (great blog!!)4. I sometimes do a smoothie for breakfast—I don't get too fancy, bare minimum is a ripe banana + cinnamon + almond/coconut milk. Additions: fresh or frozen fruit, avocado, hemp protein powder, flax oil. Spinach, spirulina, etc. too. You can also pick up a bottle of probiotic (use 1 tbsp per serving), which will make the smoothie taste more yogurt-y and give you the same gastrointestinal benefits.This Vegan Hipster Life
I have a bunch of big posts planned (on all themes), but I can't seem to get myself motivated to finish any of them. Ah well. In the meantime, here's some of what I've been up to.Firstly, more meals in Ball jars. I don't care if it's hipster, these jars are less expensive and way more durable than Gladware and you can banish that vague worry about chemicals leaching into your food. I also really enjoy eating and drinking out of them, in the same way I'd rather go without coffee than drink it out of styrofoam. It's the same drink and all, but it just tastes better out of a proper mug. 
I made a variation on this recipe for callaloo stew with my farmshare callaloo, carrots, and spring onions (using plantains and red beans), and it turned out AWESOMELY delicious. Made a big batch for quick lunches and snacking for the following week. 
Collards, tempeh, onion, garlic, nooch. (I put nooch on nearly everything these days. Great source of B vitamins and protein!) As for crafting, I haven't been knitting as much as I've wanted to, although I did manage to finish an embroidery project I started in 2012 (more on that later). My most recent F.O. is an elephant for Paré's baby, Marlo. Her initials are M.M.M. so I think of her as "M3." (This was not an entirely vegan project, as I'm still using up my collection of tiny balls of Cascade Superwash.) 
@cometparty LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!! Thank you so much! pic.twitter.com/E8NcBhnmN9— Sarah P. Miller (@SarahPMiller) July 11, 2014
I've already got a bunch of knitting projects started, but for some reason I had to cast on for yet another one while I was in New Jersey this past weekend. I'm using laceweight bamboo weaving yarn from Webs, so it's going to take forever (as my grandfather gleefully reminds me whenever I bring my knitting over), but it'll be worth it. 
I'm also in the middle of expanding my humble herb garden. (A nesting/organizing post is one of the things I haven't gotten around to yet.) Finally, a couple of notes. If you were thinking about ordering a winter coat from Vaute Couture, today's the time—preorders are 50% off for 24 hours starting sometime this afternoon (keep refreshing the Facebook page, haha).Secondly: registration for Fall Squam ends this Friday, August 15th! There are still a couple spots left in my Friday Up & Writing! class. Insanely excited for this.
The Way the Cookie Crumbles
After the smashing success of the coconut cream pie (though the credit, of course, goes to Isa), I was feeling cocky. I am a VERY GOOD baker!, &c., &c.You know how they say cooking is an art, baking a science? Truer words were never spoken. You must measure carefully and make substitutions even MORE carefully...or you will end up like yours truly, who subbed gluten-free flour (it said "all purpose"!) for the "real thing" in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (out of The Joy of Vegan Baking), and wound up with this: 
(I couldn't bear to take a photograph of this mess on the actual baking pan.)So, lesson one: if you want to bake gluten-free cookies for a friend, for goodness' sake, use a special gluten-free cookie recipe like this one!Lesson two: when life (or, er, your own carelessness?) hands you cookie crumbles, turn them into another dessert and pretend it was your plan all along. 
(The last jar is pesto using a combo of farmshare basil and parsley and basil from my little windowsill herb garden, which I will show you soonish.)I'd recently picked up a dozen wide-mouth Ball pint jars, and while a pint is rather too generous for one helping of dessert, I did not see why that should stop me. I envisioned something like a "mud pie," with three strata—pudding, then cookie crumbles, then a different flavor of pudding on top. Then I got lazy and just did one layer of each. I made caramel pudding using this recipe (with almond milk), and at one point it looked like this dessert was going to fail almost as spectacularly: 
The sugar re-melted, fortunately, although I ought to have let it "toast" for a couple minutes longer than the recipe suggested. It was still quite edible though—I packed it for our Falcon Ridge trip (more on that next week) and it kept me full (and my sweet tooth satisfied) for the first couple days!
Vegan Footwear
Last summer I was staying at a friend's house, and when we decided to go out to dinner I wished aloud that I had brought a nicer pair of shoes to wear. She offered me a pair out of her closet, and when I asked if she had any non-leather shoes I could borrow, she exclaimed, "I don't wear plastic shoes!"*Well, neither do I. Twenty or thirty years ago vegans may have been limited to what they could find at Payless, but now there are many breathable (and stylish!) faux leather and suede options. I thought it would be fun to show you most of the shoes in my wardrobe so you can see how easy it is to avoid leather. People like to think leather is "natural," but 1, the tanning process is HORRIBLE for the environment, and 2, that whole "using all the parts of the animal" argument is complete baloney anyway. (Are you a 16th-century Native American? Well then.) When you put on a pair of leather shoes, you not only become a party to that environmental devastation, but you are also implicitly condoning needless cruelty. 
I recommend shopping at an all-vegan shoe store like Sudo Shoes (Cambridge, MA), Moo Shoes (NYC), or Vegetarian Shoes (Brighton, UK) as opposed to DSW, since most of the DSW inventory isn't cruelty free, and I've found the prices comparable at Sudo Shoes anyway. (Moo Shoes seems to be somewhat more expensive, but in fairness their rent must be through the roof.) I've never ordered from them, but Zappos has a vegan shoe section. 
You may be wearing vegan shoes without even thinking about it—like Tevas in the summer or Bogs in the winter. (I own and love both. My Bogs boots kept my feet warm and toasty last winter, although not every boot style is vegan.) I also picked up a comfortable and very sturdy pair of Montrail running shoes from Sudo last year. 
Let's talk a bit about the environmental sustainability of leather alternatives. Kate Sheppard lays out the basic concern in this Mother Jones article:
The best I can discern from the label stamped inside of them is that they were made in China with "All Manmade Materials." Most fake leathers are made of some kind of plastic product—which was almost certainly derived from petroleum. Some faux leathers are even made of polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC), a product that contains, among other not-so-nice chemicals, phthalates.
Back to the plastic shoe conundrum! So yeah, if you buy a cheap pair of shoes from DSW, they'll probably fail the sustainability test. That said, high-end vegan brands like Novacas (Spanish and Portuguese for "no cow") claim to use eco-friendly vegetable leather:
What are the shoes made of?We use the highest quality synthetic microfibers on the market for our footwear. Our synthetics stretch, breathe, and wear like leather and are completely PVC-free.
Are your shoes eco-friendly?Our shoes never contain any PVC, which is often very toxic to the environment. Our materials do not contain any toxic products and, in case of fire, do not emit any toxic fumes. The materials we use are highly biodegradable. The uppers, whenever possible, are 100% biodegradable. The materials are produced in European factories known for using the highest environmental standards available in all of their manufacturing.
Even if you can't afford a $100 pair of Novacas (and they are worth it!!), you might take comfort in the argument Jamey made during one of our vegan pow-wows at Sadhana Forest: while pleather shoes have one strike against them, he said, real leather footwear has two—environmental fail AND cruel to animals.I suppose I should say that, for the record, I paid between $60-110 for most of the shoes I'm showing you in this post (though thanks to Sudo's sales, I did get sweet discounts on some of them). As for durability, there is certainly a great deal of truth in the assertion that leather shoes last longer than their made-in-China-of-manmade-materials counterparts, but as with all things, you get what you pay for. A well made pair of vegan shoes can last a long time! (I still have a pair of one-inch heels I purchased at Moo Shoes in 2004, and the only reason I haven't posted a picture is that I can't find them in the infernal mess that is my closet.) 
*It must be noted that my friend has since gone vegan! Woot woot!
Temper Passion with Compassion
Just a quick vegan-themed post today as a sort of response to this NPR blog piece and my subsequent Twitter exchange with the lovely A. N. Devers.
The class act featured in this piece called me a Nazi for winning Edward Gorey's fur coat at an auction. http://t.co/rgE2SCsGZ3— A. N. Devers (@andevers) July 22, 2014
I read Sharon Gannon's Yoga and Vegetarianism several months ago, and I will blog about it eventually, but for now here's a passage that speaks to the attitude vegans must adopt if they actually hope to convince anyone. (Boldface mine.)
When people learn of the horrible animal abuse that goes on day after day, they typically react in one of two ways. Either they feel despairing, overwhelmed, or helpless, or they get angry and want to attack the perpetrators.
Neither one of these reactions will bring about a positive transformation that will benefit the animals. It will take intense passion of the best type: compassion. Only through active, conscious compassion can you affect people's minds and hearts, with the result that they find it in themselves to be compassionate and to extend that compassion to all beings, including animals. In other words, change must start with you; you must become the embodiment of compassion. You must treat the people you are speaking with in a compassionate manner no matter how outraged you may feel. Even though you now know the facts about how animals are abused and how this is causing mass destruction of the planet as well as our spirits and our health, you must use yogic self-control and temper your passion with compassion. If you come across as preachy, angry, or judgmental, you most likely will not be able to hold an audience long enough for them to begin to hear the truth of what you are saying.
As you begin to speak of the truth you have experienced about how animals are treated, you will likely be ridiculed by others at first, even by friends and family members. Accept this as a natural phase in the process for people whose lifelong conditioned assumptions are being challenged. Hang in there, and stick with your principles. Patanjali suggests that when you find yourself in a difficult situation, turn it upside down. See it as an opportunity, not as an obstacle, and, most importantly, don't get angry.
There's a great deal I could write on the subject of nonjudgment—an aspirational practice for me, as you know!—but I'll leave it here for now, and link back later.Next week: how to assemble a shoe-wardrobe that's every bit as cute and breathable as leather.
Farmshare love, part 3
I haven't really felt like blogging lately, so this post is going to be on the short side. Just some pretty produce pics and fun recipe links.
Here is an unrecipe for pesto. You need: 1, a big bunch of fresh basil, washed and chopped; 2, sunflower seeds; 3, olive oil; 4, a bit of salt. Put everything in the food processor and you're done. (I also used nutritional yeast. Can't remember if I used any garlic, but that would've been tasty too.) 
While we are on the topic of pesto, have I mentioned that parmesan isn't actually vegetarian? I'm still annoyed that I ate it all those years without knowing!I haven't managed to take any pictures yet, but I have made gazpacho (not with tomato, just cucumber) using these two recipes for inspiration:Allyson Kramer's Cucumber Basil Avocado Gazpacho and Robin Asbell's version using silken tofu instead of avocado. Gazpacho is the perfect meal for hot weather—light and refreshing. I'm making some more this week, so I'll finally have to take a photo.I also made a coconut cream pie last night—Isa's notes and the comments are the most helpful I've ever found in a baking recipe. Will take a pic and let you know if it's as delicious as it looks! 
A simple breakfast hash with spring onions, yellow squash, and callaloo from my CSA box, along with a turnip-radish hybrid (which I picked up for free at a farmstand near Brooklyn Boulders on Vegan Meetup night) and some black beans, garlic, and white button mushrooms. Oh, and more nooch.
I'm having one of my very favorite authors over for lunch. Amazed and grateful that I get to be able to say that like it's no big deal.— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) July 16, 2014
Vegan Ireland: the Everywhere Else Edition
Here's my last post on dining out in Ireland, which makes me a bit sad—it was SUCH a lovely trip. (There are plenty more sightseeing photos though.)
My first dinner—a quality little Indian place in Boyle, County Roscommon. (According to the owner of my B&B, Chris O'Dowd and company ate there during filming of Moone Boy and said it was as good as any Indian they'd had in London. I concur.) 
Light lunch in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim: orange-carrot soup and tea sans milk. 
Roasted red pepper soup with almonds at a quaint little tearoom near Drumcliffe, County Sligo. (Paddy said, "If you take that picture, you are officially a hipster." To which I replied, "Then I have been a hipster for quite some time now." Also: the extreme cuteness of that espresso cup!!) 
Had a lovely light dinner with Kate M. in Galway (she was in town on scholarly business) and her colleague Sarah. We ended up at a Spanish tapas place—I had to pretend I didn't see the cured pig-legs suspended above the bar—but they did have great veg options. (When the greens came I said, "What is this stuff on top??" The waitress assured me it was shaved hazelnuts.)* * *After nearly a week in London and Edinburgh, I circled back to Dublin for my last couple days.
At the Hugh Lane Gallery I treated myself to not one but TWO soy lattes. (When you find good coffee over there you gotta take advantage!) Simple yummy avocado-and-salad bagel for breakfast. That salad dressing looked fairly sketchy, but the chef assured me it was vegan. And needless to say, I did not eat the chips. 
Diarmuid told me to go to Govinda's just before closing time for a one-euro dinner. VERY GOOD IDEA. Lastly but bestly—a gorgeous dinner at Cornucopia with Deirdre:
(Butternut squash yumminess with a refreshing beet salad on the side.)And I couldn't skip dessert on my last night in Ireland!: 
Next week: more farmshare love!
How going vegan can make you more creative
I'm very excited to report that I have a guest post on my friend and mentor Victoria Moran's blog today!
When I went vegan in April 2011, I began the most joyfully creative phase of my life so far. I’m a novelist, and I used to have frustrating “trough periods” in between books—but since that spring I’ve written three novels in three years and the ideas (great ideas!) keep on coming. So if a fellow artist talks about feeling blocked, I share my “vegan conversion” story and ask if they’ve ever considered a connection between diet and creative output.
There is significant scientific research to indicate that a diet heavy in animal protein contributes to plaque buildup in the brain—read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, if you haven’t already—but the psychological changes that occur after switching to a plant-based diet are much more immediate and recognizable. Here are some thoughts on how and why going vegan can make you more creative... (read more)
Scrapes with Scapes, and a recipe for Beet and Carrot Salad
"I shouldn't say there was a great deal" was Marilla's encouraging answer. "I'm sure Mrs. Allan was never such a silly, forgetful little girl as you are."
"No; but she wasn't always so good as she is now either," said Anne seriously. "She told me so herself—that is, she said she was a dreadful mischief when she was a girl and was always getting into scrapes. I felt so encouraged when I heard that. Is it very wicked of me, Marilla, to feel encouraged when I hear that other people have been bad and mischievous?"
—L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Week two of my Enterprise farmshare included beets, tomatoes, various greens, and a dozen scapes. I'd heard of scapes before, but for me (like most people) they fell into the "what the heck do I DO with them?" category. Sure, you can always just chop ’em up and saute, but that's boring. I decided on a pesto recipe from Oh She Glows, which incorporates an extremely tasty recipe for vegan "parmesan." 
The pesto did not turn out according to plan, however. That's because the recipe calls for three scapes, and I used all twelve. (What was I thinking, you ask? I suppose I wasn't.) So it came out more like a pâté. 
No big deal though, I incorporated half of this pesto-pâté into a perfectly tasty pasta primavera sauce later (didn't take a photo, was at a friend's and forgot my camera) and used the rest of it as a spread or for some added texture on top of a romaine and avocado salad.As for the beets—I was much more sure of myself there: 
Here's a quick recipe for this yummy salad, heavily inspired by the culinary genius of Aussie Kate at Sadhana Forest:
3 beets (setting aside the greens for stew, juicing, or what have you)4 large carrots1 cup peanutsjuice of one lemon (or more, to taste)fistful of mint, finely choppedsalt and pepper to taste
Peel and grate the beets and carrots, process the peanuts (or crush by hand with a mortar and pestle), and mix everything in. Ta da—a light refreshing salad for a day when it's much too hot to cook! Using this many beets and carrots will yield a nice big bowl, ten good side servings at least. 
I tried another new recipe this week for the kale (not dehydrated—baked at 300 degrees for 25 minutes per Oh She Glows), and it turned out great: 
I baked these for a party we were throwing Saturday night, but I ought to have made them later in the day, because they were fairly wilty by the time 8 o'clock rolled around. I just didn't want to be racing around the kitchen as guests were arriving! So I've decided that while kale chips (especially deluxe kale chips) are amazingly delicious, they are probably better suited to movie night on the couch. Next week: another Vegan Ireland round up!
Farmshare Love
Now that I have a proper home and kitchen, I've signed up for a small farmshare box from Enterprise Farm. Last Wednesday I picked up my first box from a local bakery, and while I suppose I'm generally jazzed about vegetables, this time I was extra-SPECIALLY excited. 
This summer I'm going to post photos of my CSA boxes along with pictures of what I made with the produce. A CSA box can feel like a big commitment—this small share costs $400 for a 35-week growing season (though I got a coupon because my roommate has signed up in past years). If you break that down by week, however, it turns out I'm spending only $17 for vegetables. Sure, I'll buy a few more things from the grocery store, but $17 for the bulk of my weekly produce feels like a good deal. Best of all, when you sign up for a farmshare you're supporting local business and sustainable agriculture! 
I also like that Enterprise Farm sends you an email the day before with a list of what's in the box so you can start the meal planning. Given the radishes, field greens, tomatoes, and red leaf lettuce in the first box (not to mention that I hadn't had a proper big salad since the dining hall at Squam), keeping it simple with those items seemed like a no brainer. Elizabeth clued me in that radishes are also great to dip in hummus—she washes and cuts them and keeps them bobbing in a bowl of water in the fridge to keep them fresh. Not that they last long!I'd intended to be really diligent about documenting my meals this week (ha), but I only managed to take two pictures: 
When I'm hungry (and lazy), I whip up a lettuce and tomato sandwich with vegan mayo. 
A simple stirfry using both heads of bok choy, tomato, and TVP (textured vegetable protein). I also made a really yummy kale, tomato and mushroom dish with yellow split peas, and juiced most of the other green stuff (including the radish greens). I do still have some cilantro and red leaf lettuce left over, and it's week #2 pick-up today already. If I hadn't gone away this weekend, it would have been the perfect amount of produce. I'm particularly excited for the garlic scapes, beets, and rainbow chard in this week's box—YAY!
What the Heart Knows To-day
What the heart knows to-day the head will understand to-morrow.
—James Stephens, The Crock of Gold
I've been on a James Stephens kick lately, because my favorite panel in Harry Clarke's Geneva Window illustrates the opening scene from his novel The Demi-Gods. (You will find a description of the panel in Immaculate Heart, my new-new novel; I recently read The Demi-Gods, and honestly, the panel is so glorious that the text inspiring it actually comes up short in comparison. See above!)Anyway, I wanted to share this passage from The Crock of Gold with you.
...The lower animals, as they are foolishly called, have abilities at which we can only wonder. The mind of an ant is one to which I would readily go to school. Birds have atmospheric and levitational information which millions of years will not render accessible to us; who that has seen a spider weaving his labyrinth, or a bee voyaging safely in the trackless air, can refuse to credit that a vivid, trained intelligence animates these small enigmas? and the commonest earthworm is the heir to a culture before which I bow with the profoundest veneration...
Not to take it out of context: the author is satirizing men who spend all their lives reading and pondering what they've read, never exercising their common sense (his protagonist is only known as The Philosopher). That said, it's still a beautiful reminder that there are many types of intelligence, most of which aren't human.
The Art of Forbearance
Here is a short dialogue between me and my niece and nephew. Olivia is 7 and Quinn is 4. We were on our way home from the amusement park on Long Beach Island, talking about dinner plans. I was sitting between them in the backseat.
"Aunt Mealey doesn't eat that," Olivia said. "She doesn't eat anything that came from animals."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to hurt them."
"A hamburger isn't an animal!"
"Yes, they are, Quinn," Olivia replied earnestly. "They used to be animals."
These kids are smart. They are well aware of how their actions affect the feelings and well being of the people around them, and I have every confidence that they will someday include animals in that circle of compassion too.
But talking to kids about veganism is tricky, because you don't want to criticize the choices their parents have made. (Diet aside, my stepsis and bro-in-law are amazing parents—they exercise affection and discipline in ideal proportions, which frankly isn't something I see too often when I observe other people interacting with their kids.) I definitely felt that I was treading carefully in the car that day, though, because I love my family and I don't want to offend or alienate them. I'm not helping "the cause" any by playing the vegan evangelist under those circumstances.
I'm able to have an extended conversation about animal foods with my Little Sister, since she's older—she'll be 14 this fall—and we aren't in the company of her guardian (who, again, is a wonderful person who has raised my LS to be kind and considerate.) When we go out to lunch, she invariably orders a grilled cheese. Sometimes she asks me a few tentative questions about veganism, and her curiosity has given me opportunities to practice articulating the facts as clearly as possible—not to mention the art of forbearance.
Recently she asked why I didn't want to eat cheese. "Cows aren't killed to make milk or cheese, right?"
I decided to begin at the beginning. "You know why we have boobs?"
She nodded.
"Well, cows are like us, or any other mammal—they only produce milk when they've just had a baby. So we have to keep making them pregnant so they'll make the milk, and in the meantime their babies are taken away from them."
"But they aren't killed, right?"
"They are," I replied. (I don't think I clarified that male calves are killed pretty much right away for veal or kid leather; but I'm sure this will come up again at some point.) "Once they stop producing enough milk, the cows are killed for meat."
She looked down at the sandwich in her hands with a queasy look on her face.
"But we can talk about this some other time," I added. "Just enjoy the rest of your grilled cheese."
Continuing the thought from my Veganversary post, I've realized that when I have conversations like this, I have to take into account where people are coming from. My niece and nephew and my Little Sister all eat the Standard American Diet at home, chicken and hamburgers and the rest, so the fact that they are even asking me these questions is cause for optimism.
Vegan Britain, part 3
(Vegan Britain, part 2.)It was lunchtime when I got off the train at Waverley, so my first stop in Edinburgh had to be the Baked Potato Shop on Cockburn Street. I got quinoa and beet salad on a small spud, and (as expected) it was HUGE. Still the best-value meal in town. 
This is the only vegan boxed sandwich I found in ALL OF GREAT BRITAIN. (Don't you like how I made it sound as if I've traipsed all over, looking high and low?) But I bet hummus sandwiches-to-go will become much more popular in the future. Good on the National Library of Scotland for offering them—and their soups are usually vegan-friendly too; they're always vegetarian at least. 
Kate M. and I had seen each other for dinner in Galway a couple weeks before, but we caught up again over a lovely lunch at Henderson's. I got the veggie haggis (superb!) with the most amazing side salad (arugula, butternut squash, marinated tofu, pumpkin seeds, and I forget what else). 
Apart from Henderson's, David Bann is probably the best known vegetarian restaurant in Edinburgh; I've only been there once (with Seanan when he came up for a few days after Hawthornden), and I don't remember either of us being very wowed. It was good, not great—though I do remember the big juicy green olives we ordered for an appetizer. Those were perfect. At any rate, I'll probably just keep returning to Henderson's on future trips to my favorite city. 
One rainy evening I walked down to the Forest Café and ordered a hummus plate, with a slab of rich and simple chocolate cake for dessert. 
Lunch at Meadowlark Number 39. The menu wasn't as extensive as I was hoping, but the tomato-rice soup was simple and hearty and the green (er, brown?) smoothie struck the perfect balance—healthy, definitely, but still sweet enough to taste good. 
Nice to see healthier snack options at the Edinburgh airport—I bought dried pineapple and a vegan energy bar with my leftover pound coins. Next time: all the meals in Ireland I haven't yet blogged about!
Vegan Britain, part 2
After lunch with Hana, I met Seanan at Kings Cross and we took the train to Brighton for a five o'clock dip in the ocean (brrrrrrrrrr!) 
Then we met up with Sam for coffee followed by dinner and drinks at the Prince George, which has an all-vegetarian pub menu. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Really good food, too. Sam says the standard is very high in Brighton; you won't find half-hearted pub grub anywhere, because a pub has to keep up with its competitors or it can't stay open. 
I'm looking forward to spending more time in Brighton on my next visit to the U.K.—it seems like a really fun and funky place (with, um, lots of pretty dress shops—which, again, were mercifully not open.) 
Let me tell you what an awesome friend Seanan is. While we were planning my visit, he said he had a few surprises and wanted to make a whole day out of them—“surprises" as in, I had absolutely no idea where we were going or what we were doing. Proper secrets!So we were walking in the Mayfair neighborhood, and when Seanan turned into the lobby of a posh hotel I thought he was joking. Turns out he'd made a reservation for high tea, with a vegan version for me! Apparently there is such a thing, though he'd had to ring several places before Flemings said they could accommodate us. Hooray for Flemings! 
Those of you who've had the experience of a proper English tea might be wondering if it measured up. Having had a "real" high tea at a cute country pub in Winchcombe during our Cotswolds trip, I can say that it did. I didn't miss the clotted cream one bit. The sandwiches had sunflower spread, the scones were of "I can't believe it's vegan" quality (you know how I champion vegan bakery, but it is hard to do things like scones well!), and the desserts were scrummy—a chocolate brownie, mocha cake, and a ginger cookie. Oh, and you should have seen the tea menu! It took me ages to make up my mind. (I settled on assam.) 
Next time: two days in Edinburgh!
Magic avocado sauce
My mom is looking to improve her diet, and since I'm home in Jersey right now I've appointed myself her personal chef. I'm coming up with fun new recipe ideas and we're eating like queens. All-around win! I even made a pasta sauce out of beets (the leftovers of a beet, kale, and pinto bean stew, actually—just thrown in the blender), and Mumsy kept saying she couldn't believe there weren't any tomatoes in it. (Power of suggestion, perhaps?)
On this occasion, wanting to come up with something unusual to put on a simple dish of sautéed vegetables, I had the ingeeeenious idea to cut up a pair of avocados and blend them with veggie broth and some fresh herbs.OH.MY.GOSH.Easiest, tastiest sauce EVER. Ever, ever, ever.Here is the "recipe": using a blender or food processor, blend two avocados per one cup of broth, adding fresh herbs (basil? cilantro?) if you feel like it, and salt/pepper to taste. That's it! 
In case you are wondering, the vegetable sauté consisted of sweet potatoes, kale, garlic, and chickpeas, with roasted Brussels sprouts on the side. 
(This pic reminds me just how much I have to learn re food photography!) I've also tried the sauce on pasta (this nifty new kind, brown-rice quinoa fusilli from Trader Joe's), and it tastes great with nooch on top. Creamy, flavorful, easy peasy. I know avocados aren't cheap, but trust me, this sauce is totally worth the price of ingredients, and it'll go farther than you think! It also keeps for several days in the fridge too (and if the brown layer on top squicks you out, just skim it off).
Vegan Britain 2014
From Cork I flew to London for four perfect days with Seanan. Deirdre happened to be passing through from Cambridge on her way to Belarus (random!), so the three of us had a lovely relaxed Easter Sunday bruncheon at Drink, Shop & Do. The vegetable curry hit the spot and the pineapple pumpkin coconut cake was just as amazing as it sounds. See what I mean about never "depriving" myself? 
I was really psyched to find a whole bay of vegan lifestyle and cookbooks at Foyles, including Vegan for Her, co-authored by fellow MSVA graduate J.L. Fields. 
I bet some of you guys suspect I go overboard praising vegan restaurants just because they're vegan, and if you do, I'm about to prove you wrong. 
I wanted to love Vantra, I really did—and you'd think it has the perfect set up, with a chill atmosphere, a HUGE and delightfully varied buffet, and a drool-worthy juice and smoothie menu. Unfortunately the buffet options I sampled (for all its eye-catching color) were on the bland side apart from one dish (the Moroccan chickpea stew between 12 and 1 o'clock), the smoothie guy forgot my order and I had to keep asking for it (when people who arrived after I did received their drinks rather quickly), and when it did finally arrive midway through the meal it was even more tasteless than the food. I thought of taking it back and asking for what were probably missing ingredients, and I guess I should have. I'm too embarrassed to admit how much I paid for this mediocre lunch.Ick—sometimes I really don't enjoy being honest. So now back to your regularly scheduled dose of AWESOME. 
And I'll tell you what is awesome: getting to know my lovely Penguin UK editor, Hana Osman, over a marvelous meal at The Gate, a vegetarian restaurant in Islington (with another location in Hammersmith). Seanan had spoiled me with a deluxe breakfast that morning (granola with almond milk, crumpets with sunflower spread, grapefruit, orange juice and tea), so I opted for two appetizers—potato and leek soup (above; I know it looks like sweet potato or butternut squash, I'm not sure which spice they used to turn the soup orange, but it was delicious) and a courgette flower stuffed with sweet potato (say it with me: courzhhhhette. So satisfying. I almost wish I were English just so I could get away with saying "aubergine" and "courgette.") 
Dainty and fun, and a happy combo of yummy and healthy. I hadn't had courgette (erm, zucchini) flowers since Harmony Homestead Farm! [And in case you recall the zucchini blossom fritter recipe I posted back in 2010, I've taken it down until I can veganize it.]And dessert? OHHHHHHHHHH: 
Fruit trifle with vegan sherry cream. O YES. It was gorgeous. Next time: Brighton for the evening and vegan high tea!
Vegan Ireland: Cork, part 2
After the night of that lovely Japanese-inspired meal with Emily at My Goodness, I headed out to West Cork (between Bantry and Glengarriff) for a weeklong DIY writing retreat (more on that later). I got off the bus in Bantry, picked up a load of groceries, and rang for a taxi.That week I made simple meals for myself—porridge with almond milk and flaxseed-goji berry meal, a vegetable and sprouted-bean stew (using tomato sauce as a lazy-girl's base, since I didn't have any broth or herbs/spices to hand), Linda McCartney veggie sausages with locally-made onion chutney, tomato and spinach sandwiches with hummus or vegan "mayo," and so on and suchlike.The mayonnaise alternative is downright sad compared to Vegenaise (or my new favorite, Earth Balance vegan mayo made from olive oil), but you gotta take what you can find and be grateful for it, right? (Particularly since I was in a small-town grocery store!) The next time I go back to Ireland I'm sure there'll be a wider variety of vegan products available. (And in fairness, I believe Bantry does have a health food store, but seeing as I had all my luggage with me it just seemed easier to plop my big red pack in a full-size shopping cart and get on with it.)
Vince happened to be taking an overnight hiking trip near Glengarriff, so at the end of that wonderfully tranquil and productive week he picked me up on the way back to Cork City. That afternoon I went to the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery (especially for the Harry Clarke room, more on that later too), and then to the Natural Foods Bakery for a date bar and a soya cappuccino to tide me over until dinnertime. (I ate a LOT of dessert on this trip. You'll see over the next several vegan-themed posts why I want to laugh every time somebody implies I'm depriving myself.)I'd said in my last Cork post that I didn't think I'd make it to the Quay Co-op this time around, but happily I was wrong! It's hearty good-value deli-style food (like Cornucopia in Dublin, which I'll also be blogging about). I like that you can go up to the counter and choose whatever main course and salads look the most delicious. (No dinner envy when the plates come out and your friend's dish looks nicer than yours!) There's also a grocery on the ground floor. 
The Quay Co-op also has a tempting selection of fancy juices and sodas. 
Emily and Vince and I had a great meal. I got the chickpea burger with gravy, and butternut and beet salads on the side. 
I convinced myself that Dandelion & Burdock soda is good for the digestion (hey! it very well might be!) 
See what I mean? Being vegan is SO, SO HAAAAAAAAARD.