displaced.vegan

I haven’t been cooking much in the past several days. I’ve been eating pretty much what is on hand. I think this might have something to do with the subconscious knowledge of what a hassle the upcoming food “holiday” was going to be.
I often bow out of large family gatherings, preferring my own company to the complex drama of multi-family get-togethers. But I’ve been trying to force myself to be more social in the past couple years. Not because I have a desire to change my personality, but because success in life hinges on the ability to at least feign social tolerance. And like with most things in life, family is the proving ground.
As a result of attempting to hide less from my extended family I have silently agreed to attend Angstgiving at my cousins’ house. Silently because I voiced no objection. Implied acquiescents through omission is my slacker way of hefting the blame off my shoulders. I never agreed to it, so I’m not at fault for any travesty that results. I know. I’m a slacker.
What has all this to do with cooking? Well, obviously Thanksgiving is a huge food holiday. But I could count the vegans in attendance this year on one finger. My finger. My middle finger. I’m flipping myself off. Which is awkward unless you happen to have a mirror, which I do. So, it seems, the work that is usually avoided in the kitchen by going to someone else’s house for Angstgiving is not something I have escaped.
I bought a small Tofurky Roast a few days back and it has been silently mocking me from the cold recesses of my darkened freezer. Well, tonight I took it out to place in my fridge and read the cooking instructions. It certainly isn’t as difficult as cooking a Turkey, but it’s not something I actually want to do. I don’t have a problem with Tofurky. I don’t think it’s horrible. The last time I had it though was a handful of years ago, and I did not find the citrus-y baste very appealing. SO this year I’ve been looking around for other basting suggestions. But aside from the “main” dish I also need to make sides for myself. It’s far too late in the game to call up my cousin (as I should have long ago) and told him and his wife that I am vegan. The hassle of them veganizing what sides they can is just too much to ask. So instead, I’ll be making my own sides. There won’t be much. I have never been a Thanksgiving overeater. So I’ll probably just make a couple simple sides. And that will be the end of it.
Yule (Christmas) will be tofurky free. I think I’ll try my own tofu roast, which may sound gross the my meat-eating friends, but is far less bland than they think. Or I’ll justdo what I should have done for Angstgiving and make a pizza. It’s not too late, you know…

VeganMoFo’s ending was perfectly timed. Because once Peter got here for his visit I did not feel like writing a bunch of blogs. But that doesn’t mean I quit cooking vegan stuff. In fact, I have been in cooking over drive. I’ve managed to bang out a couple veg blogs covering a few meals, but pretty much every day I have been cooking. I’ve made bread, a fresh batch of seitan, lots of breakfast foods (Breakfast Burritos, Tofu Scrambles, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, etc), brownies, Pizza, and I’m sure a lot more than I can recall off hand. And in the process of cooking all vegan for my houseguest, I may have planted the Veganism seed in Peter. He has loved everything that I have cooked.

I don’t have any of the pictures from most of these meals readily available, so I’ll just do a picture blog later. But don’t expect a lot. I had a difficult time remembering to take pictures and by the time I did, most of the food was already crammed in my mouth.

I used all of my Daiya cheddar during Peter’s visit. And I have to say that it is fabulous. And if I had a retailer nearby I would be buying Daiya’s Cheddar exclusively. I used Follow Your Heart Cheddar in a homemade cheez-it’s recipe and they turned out okay. Verdict is still out on wheter I will be buying it again. I think I’m just gonna have to try it in more things. But I think the key to using Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheeses is to press out the excess moisture before use because it is a very wet cheese. Also, their cheddar flavor is not something I would just munch on. I didn’t use my Italian Blend Daiya on the pizza I made, although I imagine it would be perfect. Instead I used the Mozzarella flavored Follow Your Heart cheese. I could probably much on the Moz. The taste wasn’t bad alone and it was GREAT on my pizza. Although I liked the other toppings on my pizza, I could happily chow down on an all vegan cheese pizza. So even if the Daiya ends up being better, my cheese of choice will still be Follow Your Heart. It’s local (Food-For-Less in Medford, OR) and a great product.

The moistness of the Mozzarella cheese was not a problem, since it was gonna be melted, and also since fresh mozzarella cheese is a moist cheese anyway. If your only experience eating real mozzarella cheese was in the form of those dry shreds, then you missed out. I effin’ love Follow Your Heart’s Moz Cheese. And I am so incredibly grateful that I have a vegan cheese for pizza that I can find locally.

I have so much more to write about. I got a fabulous soy milk maker from Peter for my birthday that I am über stoked to fire up. I’ve lost 10 lbs since going vegan (not exercising a lick). But I also have a main blog that I need to write a novel in. So this is where this post ends.

Today was really low key for Halloween. Peter my mum and I went into town to the dollar store to pick up some batteries and various miscellaneous items. Peter is horrible at shopping because he is from Hawaii where everything is expensive and he sees everything here priced far more affordably and without sales tax and goes spending crazy He has purchased several non-vegan things in his inability to pass up a “bargain”. And that is no way to shop, and certainly no way to shop around me.
When we got back home he took a nap and I decided to make good on my promise to make him gravy. I made some simple baking powder biscuits and while they were baking I fried up the remained of my gimme lean sausage and made him a sausage gravy. I know. Wholesome, right?
I don’t have pictures cause the food disappeared pretty damn quick.
Tomorrow he’s like to make seitan chili. We might. We might not. We will, however, make seitan. He’s never done so, so when he finishes I look forward to reading his blog about it.

I’ll admit it, when deciding to go vegan a short time ago, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stick to it.? I mean, I had slid in and out of vegetarianism for years.? And being vegan requires more work.? Or at least that’s what I thought.? Sure, I cook a lot more as a vegan.? But I honestly find it easier to be a vegan than a vegetarian.? That gray area of eggs and dairy always made for a slippery slope.? If I can rationalize eating eggs, why not eat the chicken?? Things like that.? But with the black and white lines of veganism I’d have to try much harder to validate going back to an omni lifestyle.

Being a part of the VeganMoFo has also helped emmensely.? I get feedback from other vegans so I get encouragement and know I’m not alone.? But I also read most of the blogs involved.? Okay, “read” is not accurate.? I skim most of them.? But by seeing a lively vegan blogging community and reading about their lives, passions and how they eat has helped to keep me excited about my lifestyle change.

I know that there are a lot of animal derived ingredients out there and that you can drive yourself crazy trying to insure that you arent accidentally consuming them.? But I still think being vegan is easier than being a vegetarian.? I know that sounds crazy to most people.

Now, less than a month into my new dietary lifestyle, I feel as though I can stay vegan for the rest of my life.

I got some bad news for all the hard core strict vegans out there.? Even if you aren’t consuming honey you are consuming food that wouldn’t be here without the apiarists.? And apiarist, for those who don’t know, is a fancy word for a beekeeper.

The commercial production of produce on the level that brings food to your grocery store is dependent on the rental of beehives for polination.? Bee populations do not exist naturally to polinate all the crops being produced.? So orchard owners and the like pay to have commercial beehives brought in to insure succesful yields every year.? In fact, there is more money being made in whoring out bees to the agriculture industry than there is to be made in harvesting the honey.? But I’m not saying that honey isn’t harvested.

The transportation of mobile hives all over the country has contributed to interbreeding of bees from all over and an increase in transmission of diseases from hive to hive.? This “necessary” trade increases the chances of? a single disease or pathogen dessimating large numbers of bees across the nation.? And if you are playing along at home, that would lead to famine.

We are all “benefitting” from commercial beekeeping.? We are all in danger because of it.? So what are we to do?

I propose that vegans take up beekeeping.? Go on with your aversion to honey.? No need to harvest it, I suppose.? I don’t care one way or another.? But if more people kept bees (especially if you live in regions that are heavily agricultural) then there would be less of a need for mobile hives.? I’m especially looking at you Californians.? Nearly every mobile hive in the US makes a stop in California for the Almond industry.? If those of us who lived near orchards and farms kept a healthy local population of bees then we could help to protect bees nationwide from falling to a single pathogen.? Maybe you don’t want to be a beekeeper.? Well then maybe you should think about reaching out to local beekeeping organizations and seeing how you can help encourage local beekeeping and inquire on how to insure that those bees stay local.

I’m always hearing other vegans say that they are the ultimate environmentalists.? We all know that eating local produce is better for the environment and the local economy.? How is it any different with bees?

Look, I don’t have the answers.? I have an answer.? But it may not be your answer. Obviously, unless we all grow absolutely everything we eat then we are passively accepting (and even encouraging) many non-vegan industries. If anything this is food for thought.? So feed your thoughts.