IN THE KITCHEN
With Bob and Camille
NO KIDDING!
A VeganThanksgiving Dinner, 2003 - Bob prepares to carve the tofurky while Camille samples some mashed potatoes.
We love to cook almost as much as we love to eat.
We also love to share, so that is why we made this place
for photo essays, recipes, and the like.
PHOTO ESSAYS
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Click on the above photos to find out how we make some of our favorite staples.
WE STRIVE TO EAT MOSTLY PLANT-BASED, LOCAL FOOD
In 2003 we stopped eating meat and most other animal products in an effort to reduce our ecological footprint. It wasn't the "ick" factor or concern for our health that made us give up our weekly porterhouse steak on the grill. And it wasn't even concern for the animals, although over the years we have become aware of the cruelty and, at best imprisonment and subjugation required to bring animal products to the table. Meat and fish became off limits for us because of the sheer wastefulness. Why feed grain to animals when we can eat it ourselves. The meat industry is responsible for mountains of uncomposted manure and the fish have been all but fished out of the oceans. At the end of empire, eating flesh just feels wrong!
For clarification (because we do get asked) animal products include fish, chicken, milk, eggs, cheese and honey. We found it nearly impossible to be pure vegans without putting our hosts out when traveling so we simply say we are vegetarian and hope for the best. At potlucks, we often give into the temptation of home made desserts made with butter and eggs. And then there are those work parties or long meetings which conclude with pizza!
The choices can be tricky. Do we choose the soy cheese manufactured in Rhode Island, rice cheese from New Jersey or the mozzerella by a farmer in our county? We have friends who keep a few bee hives and others who raise free range chickens, so we still enjoy honey and the occasional egg.
We have not had to change our menu much. We simply eliminated the meat and replaced it with Tempeh, Tofu and Seitan. We already ate a fair amount of beans. In addition to the products shown above, we have made the following at home, using bulk ingredients: Tempeh Bacon, Seitan Pepperoni, Tempeh Hamburger, Okara Parmesan Cheese. Sour Cream, Mayonnaise, Soy Milk and Tofu. We have yet to encounter a recipe we cannot recreate from our pre-vegetarian menu using soy or rice dairy substitutes, vegan mayonnaise, silken tofu, coconut milk, and egg replacer. Please scroll down for some of our favorite recipes!
Om Shanti's 101 Reasons to go Vegetarian
WE STRIVE TO EAT LOCAL
A group of us take turns cooking lunch on Friday using local food
Friday Local Lunch Menus and Recipes
Every Friday at Piedmont Biofuels, a group of Locavores takes turns at cooking lunch using as many local ingredients as possible. It can be challenging, but we all learn from the experience as well as enjoy a tasty home cooked local food. You'll find a list of menus with links to recipes here.
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE RECIPES
TEMPEH BACON RECIPE
Thinly slice the Tempeh into strips and place in the following marinade for 1 hour to 5 days, then pan fry or deep fry until golden brown and crispy. You can store the fried "bacon" uncovered in the refrigerator and it will stay crispy. Cover it and it loses its crisp texture but still tastes delicious.
TEMPEH BACON MARINADE
Water - 1 pint
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder - 1 teaspoon
Liquid Smoke - 1 tablespoon
You may, of course, adjust these ingredients according to your taste
VEGAN RECIPES - BLOGS AND WEBSITES
http://veganwolf.com/ - Our good friend and mentor, Pamela Wolf
http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/
- Bryanna Clark Grogan
http://vegandad.blogspot.com/ -
Nathan Kozuskanich
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ -
Susan V
PROCESSED MEAT ALTERNATIVES
When we are having company and don't want to freak out our guests with home made meat (Tempeh, Tofu or Seitan) we turn to these Vegetarian Products. Note, they are often made with egg white or whey and are therefore not Vegan unless it says so on the package.
THE VEGAN DIET
Most of the time, we are Vegans. Vegans don't consume ANY animal products, which includes eggs, cheese, honey, yogurt and chicken broth, to name a few examples. For answers to all your questions about Veganism, check out the Vegan Wolf.
The Vegan Diet is extremely healthy when precautions are taken to add enough B vitamins to your diet. One easy way to do this is with Nutritional Yeast, which is a great substitute for parmesan cheese. Tempeh is also a good source of vitamin B-12.
According to Dr, Klaper, a physician who once treated Bob and author of "Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple" among other books; "the human body has absolutely no requirement for animal flesh." As stated in his Biography, "many of the diseases his patients brought to his office - clogged arteries (atherosclerosis) high blood pressure (hypertension), obesity, adult onset diabetes, and even some forms of arthritis, asthma, and other significant illnesses - were made worse, or actually caused, by the high-fat, overly processed Standard American Diet (S.A.D.)"
BEST UN-KEPT SECRETS
In Spaghetti Sauce - Cinnamon, mint and eggplant
In Curry - Coconut Milk and Peanut Butter
In Macaroni and "Cheese" - Ground Mustard & Worcestershire Sauce
In Shepherd's Pie - Barbeque Sauce, Mushroom Soup (as a layer beneath the mashed potatoes)
