Dec 24 2012
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Thoughts

Christmas Pasta

This holiday season hasn’t felt very holiday-ish. I definitely wasn’t feeling very festive until a couple of days ago. What happened? The weather got frigid, I walked into the State Street Marshall Field’s Macy’s and got overwhelmed by the decor and the crowds, was given a candy cane by a bartender, and then listened to some Christmas carolers over by Cloud Gate. Yay! Christmas! All that’s missing is snow!

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Now, whether or not you celebrate or care about Christmas, I’m willing to bet that you’re gathering with family or friends or, at the very least, getting inundated with baked goods by co-workers. It’s been a challenge for the past couple of weeks. I’ve given in to the cupcakes, the cheesecakes, the coffee cakes, the scrambled eggs. Today is Christmas Eve and it won’t get any easier — but I’ve planned ahead in order to avoid falling into traps. After all, there’s no excuse for me to break my vegan diet if I have perfectly delicious vegan food to eat instead.

I’m going to a gathering tonight and there will be plenty of food, none of which is vegan. So I made some pasta which I am calling Christmas Pasta! Next time, I’ll add spinach or some other green veggie so that it actually looks Christmas-y.

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It’s still in draft mode until I serve it tonight. I hope everyone at the party tries it and likes it! It’s penne in a marinara sauce with lots of garlic, sliced onion, and eggplant. I’m pretty excited about it. Everyone else can have their turkey or beef or whatever!

Happy celebrations, you guys! Stay safe and don’t eat cows. Santa said so. –Melissa

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway!

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Dec 23 2012
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Uncategorized

Sunday Bunday!

Our bunnies are moderately awesome. I know most people feel that way about friends – human animals or otherwise. It may be a tired notion that we’ve got the best friends ever but it’s a feeling we can all relate to, I hope.

Love comes in all shapes and sizes in our house.

This is Brent and Christie, signing off!

Dec 22 2012
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Cooking, Thoughts

Revisiting an Old Favorite: Soy Curl-dereta

For me, one of the joys of turning veganese is that I’ve become better in the kitchen. Cooking isn’t a chore or a crazy thing to do every once in awhile. It’s something that I wish I had time to do everyday. One of the most important lessons that has been learned out of cooking a lot more often is this: it’s okay to change things up, to experiment, to try new ingredients, and to get creative in the kitchen. Make cooking and eating work for you! Sure, it sounds simple, but I used to be one of those people who followed recipes faithfully and wondered if I was eating something the “right” way. For example, is it “right” to stick a whole piece of sushi in my mouth or is it OK to bite it? Sushi purists will tell you that there is definitely a right way to eat sushi, but I don’t quite feel good (or attractive) when trying to eat a whole piece of sushi. Drool and choking become potential side effects. But, I digress.

I recently made some soy curl-dereta (click for my original recipe):

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It’s only the 2nd time I’m making this, which is kind of crazy. I used to worry a lot about missing Filipino food! I can’t be missing it that much if it’s only the 2nd time I’ve made this. The main reason I wanted to talk about this is because I did things a little differently this time around.

  1. I didn’t follow a recipe.
  2. I didn’t have potatoes or bell pepper, so I was missing ingredients (and I forgot some ingredients). Therefore, one can make the argument that this dish is NOT caldereta, but they’re wrong.
  3. I didn’t use the store-bought Caldereta spice packet.
  4. The first time I made this, it was a HUGE production. It was also the first time I ever had soy curls. This time, it was second nature and I wasn’t terrified of the soy curls.

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You guys, I just have to say it: I’m so proud of myself! Look at me, being all casual chef let-me-get-this-stuff-cooked-so-I-can-eat-already! The one major difference is that I browned the soy curls with the garlic and onions and some Butler Chick Style Seasoning before adding the tomato sauce and veggies this time. Since I didn’t have a caldereta spice packet, I seasoned it with salt, pepper, and cumin. I debated whether or not to add nutritional yeast, but opted out. Thinking back, I totally should have done that: some people do add cheese to traditional caldereta.

You might notice that I was working with smaller soy curl bits from the bottom of the bag. It worked out really nicely. The carrots and peas ended up being the star with the soy curls being a nice accompaniment.

Cooking this got me really excited because I couldn’t help but wonder how my 3rd iteration of soy curl-dereta will turn out. I’ll be sure to let you guys know. –Melissa

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Dec 21 2012
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Main Dishes

Tempeh ala King

It’s always nice when I can recreate a classic without the heart stopping cream and butter and even better when it tastes amazing. This is the story of my interpretation of chicken ala king. You’ll need the following:

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1 package of tempeh, I like LightLife (above)

1 small onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 carton of mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

1 carton of silken tofu or a cup of dry cashews soaked overnight, blended to a smooth creamy texture adding water as necessary

1 pinch nutmeg

1 pinch cayenne

1 pinch thyme

1 cube of veggie bouillon (chicken style works well here) dissolved in 1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup of sherry or red wine

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Add some olive oil to a fry pan, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and put the tempeh in it and rub it around to coat the tempeh on both sides. Now apply heat, turn the tempeh to lightly brown each side.

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Set the tempeh aside on a plate. Let the pan cool for 2-3 minutes and then add the wine or sherry and mushrooms.

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The mushrooms will start to turn purple. Reduce them and then add the onion and mix well until the onion starts to soften.

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Add the bouillon and creamy tofu or cashews and mix well. Stir in the spices and adjust them to your taste. Reduce over low heat, stirring frequently. When you’re getting ready to call in your hungry self, friends or family put the tempeh and bell pepper and let it heat thoroughly.

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Brent made some rice pasta while I was cooking up the tempeh and sauce so we served this dish over linguini. Rice or mashed potatoes would be good too.

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Some chopped parsley or green onion would make an awesome garnish but it’s pretty all by itself and packed with flavor and good nutrition. Let me know if you get to try it and hopefully you’ll like it as much as we did.

This is Christie and Brent, signing off.

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Dec 20 2012
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Reviews

Vegan Beer : New Planet’s Off Grid Pale Ale

Ahoy, gang! It’s been a hot minute since we did a video review, so here’s a quick and dirty of New Planet’s Off Grid Pale Ale.

Let us know if you have a vegan, gluten-free beverage of choice for us to review.

From Christie and Brent, peace out, my vegans.

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Dec 19 2012
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Lazy Vegan

The Lazy Vegan: Amy’s Strikes Again, Another Giveaway Winner!

Yes, this is my second Lazy Vegan post in a row, but I choose not to feel too guilty about it because I know my time is spent doing other worthwhile things like getting ready for the holidays. Ho ho ho! Amy’s is a trusted brand among all of us at Turning Veganese. I stepped away from the frozen section (where I usually shop for Amy’s Kitchen products) and meandered to the canned section, where I found this lovely item:

chiliNow I know that making chili is really easy but I’m glad to know that there’s a vegan option out there for when I don’t have time or simply don’t want to make a giant pot of chili. Amy’s Organic Chili is a great vegan chili that consists of red beans and tofu (textured to look like ground meat). I tried the Medium spice level which wasn’t terribly spicy at all — it’s more tart/salty than spicy. The directions are simple. Maybe a little too simple: heat and serve. Um… how about a little guidance, Amy? I definitely didn’t want to have to wash a pot to I poured half the can into a microwave-safe bowl, heated it for 60 sec, mixed it around and then heated it for another 45 seconds. This seemed like a perfect amount of time. Warning: it will explode so make sure you cover the bowl before heating it.

The chili tasted good, but there’s a weird sweetness to it and I found that it improved exponentially after I added some raw onion and crushed red pepper. Cheese, such as shredded Daiya cheddar, would probably be a good addition as well. I found the beans to be a little mushy. It doesn’t compare to homemade chili, but I would definitely buy it again to keep in the cupboard when I’m looking for something comforting and easy on a cold winter night. I also think that this would work great on nachos or maybe even on fries or a vegan hot dog. At any rate, I am a big fan of Amy’s and have been so long before I turned veganese. I’m really happy to see more Amy’s products, including gluten- and dairy-free products, in my grocer’s freezer and canned food aisle.

On to the fun stuff!!! This week’s winner of a Bubble & Bee Lotion Stick is… Lle Schreiber! Woohoooo! Check out her blog, Living, Learning, Eating. There’s still one more chance to win a lotion stick as well as a chance to enter our TofuXpress giveaway. Get all the details here! –Melissa

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Dec 18 2012
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Thoughts

Calcium for Plant Eaters

One of our bunnies recently taught us that plants are full of calcium. Our Flemish Giant is  sensitive to the calcium content of certain plants so I had to do some research on which green leafy vegetables would be gentler on his urinary tract. It turns out that leafy dark green vegetables contain significant amounts of calcium.

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100 grams of kale or parsley contains 14% of your recommended daily intake of calcium.

100 grams of dandelion greens contains 19%.

100 grams of spinach contains 10%

One hundred grams of skim milk contains only 12% of your recommended daily intake. That’s less calcium than an equal weight of dandelion greens, kale or parsley per 100 grams. Those plants also are free of fat and cholesterol, have way fewer calories and just as much protein as skim milk. Weird, right? Conventional wisdom says that milk is the best source of calcium. Period. End of story.

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This is where marketing has cheated us out of healthier alternatives. What I’m getting at (particularly with the holiday buzz) is that a big part of being vegan is fact checking, educating yourself and challenging conventional wisdom. I’m a little biased as a scientist and I hope you’d feel the same way: the plural of anecdote isn’t data. If someone says they knew someone who ate only vegetables and their teeth fell out of their head (or insert other horror story here), keep in mind that few vegans or vegetarians meet this fate. I’m not sure if you’ll be surprised or not but there’s actually a dearth of scientific literature regarding food choices and health. This literature is peer reviewed. That means other experts, usually friendly competition, have challenged every detail of the study before it was permitted to become part of the body of work scientists present to society as justification for the money we give them every year to continue doing research. In other words, scientists are incentivized to produce accurate thoughtful studies that are relevant to society that charitably portray data and thoughts of competitors in their field.

On the other hand there are books. Anyone can write a book. Just about anyone can self publish a book. If the contents of a book aren’t quite factual (or are in fact fictional) the author’s speech is protected. Critics who point this out have “a difference of opinion” and unless the book makes a claim about your health (without a disclaimer in the fine print or a hokey reference that affirms the point) it’s impossible to tell what’s good for you and what isn’t. I’m not saying all books are bad, I’m just saying that appeals to common sense or conventional wisdom are the easiest way to bamboozle people with advice that might be bad about their health.

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On some level I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted. If that’s the case, just know I’m waxing on about people who have read one bad book, perused the crummy references and treated it all like gospel while dismissing the critiques. This is something we all do from time to time, just know there’s always someone smarter than you out there and when you’re humbled (like me, every day at the lab… talking to my boss) treat it as an opportunity to learn something instead of retreating inward with your wounded hubris.

Thanks for letting me shout into the void of the internet and know someone might see it.

This is Christie, signing off!

Dec 17 2012
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Reviews

The Lazy Vegan: Veggie Bratwurst

Happy Monday, Vegans! Let me take a minute to remind everyone about our December giveaways! There are still two more chances to win a Bubble & Bee Lotion Stick as well as enter to win a TofuXpress. Be sure to read the rules and enter to win some awesome prizes!

Awhile back, I reviewed Viana’s veggie gyros. It was a decent product so I thought I would try out another Viana product:

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The bratwurst is made up mostly of wheat protein and tofu, so it is neither gluten-free nor soy-free. Preparation is easy — it does say “HEAT AND SERVE!” right on the package — but I have to wonder what one has to do in order for the brats to look the way they do on the package. Viana is vague on how they season their products. The texture of the bratwurst is slightly more rigid than that of your standard vegan hot dog and is definitely a bit more spicy. In terms of taste or texture, there’s no mistaking that this is a meatless product.

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I heated up a brat in the microwave for a minute (hello, I am lazy and didn’t want to have to wash a pan) and ate it with garlicky fried rice. It went really well with some mustard. I won’t say I don’t like the product, but I thought it tasted a lot better with the strong garlic and mustard flavors than it did on its own. I think my general complaint about vegan sausages is that the texture is just not that appealing (read: rubbery).

I don’t think I’ll buy this product again. I would definitely try another Viana product again, though. It was good and if you have any interest in trying it, you definitely should! –Melissa

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Dec 16 2012
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Thoughts

Sunday Bunday!

Okay… so we’re exploiting our bunnies for their cuteness but it’s a victimless crime… right?

They love kale, spinach, Brussel’s sprouts and everything else green and leafy. Clearly they’re smarter than most of us were at the age of 4.

This is Christie and Brent, signing off!

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Dec 14 2012
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Reviews

The Cheese Post 5.0

We’ve got a lot of experience with vegan cheeses here at Turning Veganese. This is because I compulsively buy vegan cheese. What can I say; I’m vegan and I’m a hedonist.

As far as vegan cheeses go, some are good. Some are awesome. Some are not. Here’s a quick list of all our previous posts on cheeses we’ve tried.
The Cheese Post 1.1 covers some commonly available vegan cheeses.
The Cheese Post 2.0 includes the cream cheese challenge.
The Cheese Post 3.0 reviews some cheeses that are worth seeking out and some that aren’t.
The Cheese Post 4.0 looks at some sour cream and queso alternatives as well as ricotta and mozzarella substitutes.

So why all this emphasis on vegan cheese? It’s one of the hardest things to kick when you go vegan and probably the best source of saturated fat, cholesterol and bovine (goat or sheep) sex hormones that comes to my mind. I can’t have vegetables sauteed in butter without breaking out in acne. It makes me crazy… except that options are out there. We’re talking about some more options today so get your cheese loving muscles ready.

Screen shot 2012-12-06 at 9.56.13 AM Nutty Cow cheeses come in 3 flavors; garlic herb, maple walnut and ricotta. Before I was vegan I was not a big fan of ricotta and even now “maple walnut” and “cheese” together kind of weirded me out conceptually but the ingredients were unobjectionable (unless you’ve got a nut or soy allergy) and the price was right (free with our regular order from Vegan Essentials) Normally they cost $5.62 for 10 ounces. That’s a big container, for the record and a great price for a vegan cheese. Unfortunately it has a very short shelf life but it does freeze and thaw relatively well (I don’t think this is recommended). The maple pecan was very sweet. It wasn’t what I expected but it’s maple so when I moved on to the garlic herb and ricotta I was surprised to find it was also very sweet. The sweetener in this case is maple sugar which is a personal favorite, just that there was a little too much. It did make a great addition to sauces which was what happened to most of it. It was also somewhat grainy in texture which isn’t a problem for a spread but is a problem for sauces. I’m hoping they reformulate because they’re doing everything else right.

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Parmela is a nut based parmesan that I have to revisit. The first time I reviewed this product, I loved everything about this product except the price EXCEPT that they changed their packaging and reduced the price to about $1.75 per ounce. If you come across it in your search for good vegan cheeses, give this a try. It’s great on pizza, pasta or whatever you’d normally dust with parmesan cheese. There are definitely better values out there but Eat in the Raw parmesan might not convince ardent carnists.

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Pure Market Express has a line of nut cheeses that I got off Vegan Cuts and they were worth E-V-E-R-Y penny. Cheddar, tomato basil, gouda, creamy herb and jalapeño cilantro were all exactly what you’d expect: creamy, cheesy and lightly flavored to mimic (but not ersatz) their intended subject. The texture is prefect for spreading on crackers or toast though the tomato basil was full of welcome pieces of tomato. The ingredients are great (raw, whole foods) and it comes in a  recyclable package. Another bonus is that this product is meant to be stored frozen. I like frozen foods because I don’t feel pressured to eat them before they spoil. On their website you can buy these cheeses at $8 for 8 ounces which is a great value as far as I’m concerned. Ours arrived melted, we refroze it and it thawed creamy and delicious. I recommend this to anyone who doesn’t have a cashew allergy, vegan or not. It was awesome on a teff wrap with spinach, smoky maple tempeh, a touch of mustard and royal gala apple slices.

I’m sad to report that this is all we’ve got for you today. We’re still big on Punk Rawk Labs cheeses for cheese and crackers-type applications, Daiya of all shapes, sizes and flavors for casual cheesiness, Nacho Mom’s Voodoo queso for late night snacking, and a few others including Parmela for our pasta and pizza needs (I got some for cheap on Vegan Cuts; when it runs out I might go back to Eat in the Raw). Pure Market Express might very well replace Punk Rawk Labs (which replaced Dr. Cow’s) given the price and variety of flavors. That about wraps it up.

This is Brent and Christie, signing off!

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