(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2009/01/05/kyootsploshu/)

Those of you who follow me on Twitter are probable already aware of the fact that Greg and I have a couple of new additions to the family. For those of you who aren't aware, I thought I'd tell you about them and share some photos.

It's kind of off-topic, I suppose, but as a vegan and a former euthanasia technician at a local shelter, I feel very strongly about pet overpopulation and companion animal adoption. Only one of our pets is a non-rescue (one of our cats was a gift to me from an ex). I volunteer at Spay Neuter Kansas City, and Greg's family works closely with the local greyhound rescue group. So, while this post isn't *technically* about veganism (or on-the-cheapness), I think it fits in.

Now that I've over-justified my deviation from vegan stuff, meet Zatara and Zatanna!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Snugglz... we haz dem!"][/caption]

Zatara is the kitten on the left, and Zatanna is on the right. They're male and female, respectively, and named after comic book characters from the DC Universe. (Yes, we are nerds. We're aware, and we're damn proud of it.)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Zatanna and Zatara snuggled up in the bathroom sink with Clark."][/caption]

We adopted them from Spay Neuer Kansas City right after Thanksgiving, and they are fitting in beautifully with the other animals. Their mom was brought in through the organization's Pet Outreach program to be spayed, and they were relinquished to the group. I saw them on the website and fell in love with them.

Zatara is usually the quieter of the two, while Zatanna tends to be more inquisitive and not quite such a snuggler, but they both get into their share of mischeif. I made spaghetti with veatballs a few nights ago and came into the kitchen to find them gnawing on both the faux-meat AND the leftover pasta. Fortunately, they make up for the headaches by doing adorable things and being irresistably cuddly.

If you're thinking about getting a new pet, I strongly urge you to check out your local shelters and rescue organizations. The pets there are usually much cheaper than buying from a pet store or breeder, and they're often already spayed or neutered and current on vaccinations, so I guess that's where today's money saving tip comes in. :)

The best part about adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue, though, is knowing that you're saving a life. You definitely cannot put a price on that.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/12/29/food-porn-christmas-cookies/)

You know, it's amazing what you can do when you have the proper equipment. Remember my recent lament about how I couldn't get any of my cookies to turn out? Well, I foolishly offered to make cookies for my friend Jennifer's Christmas party, so I figured I'd better invest in some decent cookie sheets and cooling racks to save myself the embarassment of showing up with burnt baked goods. I ended up picking up a couple of AirBake sheets at Target for under $10 each, and they seemed to work much better. Which is good, because I was about to give up on cookies forever after the last time.

For the gingerbread cookies, I used a recipe from PPK. I didn't want to scare everyone with too muh molasses, so I did 1/8 C molasses and 1/8 cup maple syrup instead of a full quarter cup of molasses, which turned out very, very well. My only complaint is that they were a little on the soft side and stuck together pretty badly during packing, so I may need to leave them in longer next time. Unfortunately, I didn't snap any photos of the finished and decorated cookies, but you can see the unbaked cookies here. (And Bill giving the cookie sheet some bunny ears. Oh yeah, we're mature.) For decorations, I just used a simple powdered sugar and soymilk mixture, and then added cinnamon candies, sprinkles, and dark chocolate chunks.

[rating:4.5]

You'll notice that the cookies are the same shape as my sugar cookies. I looked all over town for a gingerbread man and woman, and nobody had them this year! You disappoint me, Kansas City retail locations.

For these beauties, I used the Perfect Vegan Sugar Cookie recipe from JohnAndKristie.com. I've no idea where they got the recipe from, but it was delicious. About half the cookies, including the ones in the photo, got just a weeeee bit too crispy, so I got smart and started pulling them a couple of minutes early, which made a world of difference. (See, I can be taught!) They came out crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a nice texture and flavor. And the frosting was just plain awesome!

I'm not a big fan of having to actually put *work* into frosting things, and this is really just a glaze-type icing. So we just dipped the cookies in, let the excess drip off, and laid them out to dry. It couldn't have been easier! Once the cookies dry, the icing is bright, shiny, and hard enough to stack the cookies without damaging the finished look, but the frosting is still soft when you bite into them, and it has a lovely almond-y flavor that goes really well with the mildly sweet cookies.

[rating:5]



Overall, my holiday baking extravaganza was really successful!

Maybe I don't suck as badly as I think I do.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/12/23/i-suck-i-know/)

I feel like I've realy been neglecting the blog lately, and I apologize for that.

Unfortunately, I haven't really got time to do a real post today, so I'm going to appease you with promises of later posts: Christmas cookies, yummy vegan hot chocolate, a recipe for some seriously delicious roasted root vegetables and vegan meatballs, and photos of the kittens we recently adopted.

I'll be back after Christmas with the posts I mentioned above, as well as an ETA on the VotC Podcast. For now, I leave you with this adorable and rather touching photo from KCzarzasty on Flickr:

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/12/16/adventures-in-cooking-5-homemade-bread/)

For someone like me (and by that, I mean people who suck at baking), bread is a very scary thing. Thankfully, I have friends who actually like to cook, and who are good at it, to help me with frightening stuff like this.

My grandmother has a fantastic bread recipe which I had been wanting to try for some time, so Bill and Josh and I went to visit with our friend Jennifer, who is a baker extraordinaire. She's so into baking, as a matter of fact, that she has her own grain mill! I was pretty much fascinated by this thing, which we used to mill some whole wheat grain into flour for our bread. I'd love to be able to do something like this myself, but I don't bake enough to justify purchasing a mill. I'll just mooch off hers.

Grandma's bread is really easy to veganize, since the only non-vegan ingredient is a single egg. We just swapped it out for Ener-G egg replacer, which turned out fine. Here's the recipe, for those of you who are interested in trying it yourself:

Ingredients:

• Warm water


• Lukewarm water


• 1 1/2 t instant potatoes


• 3 packages of yeast


• 1/2 C sugar


• 3 t salt


• 1 egg's worth of Ener-G egg replacer (follow directions on box)


• 1/3 cup vegan shortening (we used non-hydrolized)


• 8-10 C flour

Instructions:

1. Dissolve instant potatoes in 1/2 C warm water. Then, add an additional 1 1/2 C warm water, making a total of 2 cups.


2. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 C lukewarm water, adding the packages one at a time. Make sure the water is just warm to the touch- you don't want it too hot, or it will kill the yeast. After it's dissolved, add 3/4 C more lukewarm water, for a total of 1 cup.


3. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, salt, egg replacer, and shortening. Add in the potato and yeast water mixtures, and mix together.


4. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing gently, until you can no longer stir the dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and turn onto a floured surface to knead. Continue adding flour as you knead until the dough no longer sticks to your hands.


5. Place the flour into a large, greased mixing bowl. Turn the dough over so that it gets lightly coated with oil on all sides. Cover with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size.


6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the dough into loaf pans (this recipe makes enough for 3 loaves), and allow the bread to rise a little above the top of the pan.


7. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool on a rack.

The bread turned out very tasty, although not at all the way my grandma's tasted. I think this has a lot to do with the flour we used. My grandma always just uses the plain old all-purpose stuff, whereas the stuff we used at Jenn's was whole-grain and freshly ground. I'm not complaining, though! I think the whole wheat gave the bread a lot more flavor, and I know it was definitely a lot healthier.

Could have been better: The bread didn't rise as much as it should have the second time, which is my fault. Bill and Josh and I had to leave Jenn's place before we could bake it, so we tossed it in the car and headed to my house for dinner. I think the cold car ride might have killed the yeast, or at the very least made them hibernate. As a result, the bread wasn't quite as fluffy and light as it should have been. I also think I may have left it in a smidge too long, because the crust seemed a little too dark.

Could have been worse: The flavor was great, in my opinion. I love whole grain breads, so the taste difference was a plus, as far as I'm concerned.

[rating:3.5]

Not a bad recipe over all, although I think I'll probably reserve this for special occasions. I don't know if I could handle doing this regularly enough to make all my own bread. In fact, I know I couldn't. I don't like baking nearly enough.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/12/12/product-review-silk-soy-nog/)

For the most part, I'm not a huge fan of the holidays. Call me a Scrooge if you will, but I get sick of the commercialization of Christmas and all the stress associated with this time of year. Our local radio stations started playing Christmas music the day after Halloween this year. Seriously, if I hear Madonna singing "Santa Baby" one more time, I'm going to go on a homicidal spree.

One thing I do like about the hoiday season, though, is the food. Some of the best food comes out around the holidays, and egg nog was always a particular favorite of mine, back when I still ate egg and dairy products. I tried soy nog several years ago, and I actually liked it better than the real stuff, but I had my doubts that I'd be able to find it anywhere but Whole Foods in Kansas City.

Imagine my joy, then, when our local grocery store started to stock Silk brand Soy Nog! I literally clapped and skipped over to the dairy case, and then held the carton like a baby, stroking it and cooing as we walked to the checkout. (True story. Just ask Greg. I think he sometimes regrets going out in public with me, but these are the sacrifices we make for love.)

This is easily my favorite Silk product. It tastes almost exactly like real egg nog, but it has a fraction of the fat and nearly three times the nutritional value! It's definitely not as thick as the real thing, but I consider that a plus, since I'm not a fan of super-thick liquids. As an added bonus, it makes an AWESOME nog latte, if you pour some into your favorite coffee. The only knock against it is the price, which is usually around $3 per quart here. Definitely waaaay more than I would normally spend on soymilk.

But hey, it's the holidays. It's my Christmas present to me.

[rating:4.5]

As an aside, Silk also makes a Pumpkin Spice soymilk, which I decided to try, as well. It's pretty good, but after Thanksgiving, I'm kind of out of pumpkin-mode. If you like pumpkin pie, though, you'd probably love it!

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/12/09/polenta-is-my-boyfriend/)

Okay, not really. But if I was going to leave Greg for a grain product, I'd definitely pick this. It's my new obsession. I've eaten it three times now in four days.

Polenta is essentially a coarsely-ground cornmeal. It's typically boiled and either made into mush or a thick loaf-like molded dish. It's been around for centuries as a peasant food, particularly popular in Northern Italy, but recently it's gained a lot of attention in the culinary community and has become pretty common on menus in even the nicest restaurants around the US.

Prepared polenta is pretty pricey, but the uncooked stuff can be had for much less. I bought a fairly large bag of it at Wild Oats for around $4, and it's lasted me about two months so far. Of course, if I keep going the way I have been this week, I'll need to buy it more often.

It's very similar to corn grits, which is a popular breakfast dish in the southern states, and it makes for a great hot cereal. My favorite way to prepare it, however, is called polenta fritatta, or crostini di polenta. It's super easy to make, although it's time consuming.

You just boil 3 cups of vegetable broth, then slowly add in a cup of polenta. Stir this constantly as it simmers for about 25-30 minutes, until the mixture becomes very thick. Stir in spices at this point, if you want. I like to add garlic and Italian seasoning to mine, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Next, spoon this into a greased loaf pan or bowl and let it cool. (I usually pop mine into the fridge for about 20 minutes.) Once cooled, the polenta should hold it's shape when inverted. Cut it into slices and pan-fry in olive oil until the outside is golden brown and crispy. Top with your favorite marinara sauce.

This makes plenty for two people, and I usually have leftovers. It would be a great dish to serve with some salad and steamed veggies on the side, so it's not just all carbs.

Anyone else have any stellar polenta recipes?

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/12/01/adventures-in-cooking-4-vegan-meatloaf/)

One of the things I've been wanting to try since going vegan is a meatless meatloaf. Even though I was never a big fan of meat before going veg, meatloaf was one of the exceptions to the rule. My mom makes a killer meatloaf (no pun intended), and I'd been kind of craving it for awhile. So I fired up the ol' Google and found a really easy-looking recipe at Fatfree Vegan.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to find a store that carried TVP granules, so we decided to improvise. Here's the recipe we used instead:

Ingredients:

• 1 tube Smart Ground (ground beef style)


• ½ C ketchup


• 2 T tamari (or soy sauce)


• 1 C bread crumbs


• 1/4 C ground flaxseed


• 1 T of nutritional yeast


• 1 t each garlic granules, onion powder, oregano and basil


• Splash of veggie broth, as needed

The instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


2. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.


3. Pack mixture into a 9 x 5 loaf pan or a glass casserole. You can also form it into a loaf by hand and bake it on a baking sheet, if you don't have a pan. Bake 40-45 minutes.

If you want, you can brush on a glaze or a topping about 10-15 minutes before pulling it out of the oven. Greg mixed some ketchup and brown sugar together and brushed that on, which was okay but a little too sweet. Barbecue sauce or a steak sauce would probably be really tasty!

Here's a photo of the finished product, which we devoured with baked potatoes, corn, and green beans:



Could have been better: I would definitely make the topping less sweet and more savory.

Could have been worse: My only complaint is the topping, really. The flavor and texture were great, and we had enough for leftovers the next day!

[rating:4]

Cost-wise, this meal was really cheap. The flax seed was around $1.50 per pound, and the Smart Ground was less than $4. We had the rest of it lying around, and we didn't use much of anything else, so we got away with this for less than ten dollars.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/27/this-is-why-i-love-npr/)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Cinnamon, a turkey housed at Farm Sanctuary in New York"][/caption]

I was checking my RSS feeds today, like I do every morning, when I came across a great article on National Public Radio's blog about vegans and Thanksgiving.They interviewed Wayne Pacelle, the president of HSUS, about why "Turkey Day" hits a nerve for vegans more than other holidays. Here's what he had to say:

"I don't think there's any other American holiday that is quite so associated with killing an animal for the table. It's usually a whole turkey. If you're eating beef, you're not kind of eating the whole cow. So there is something about this holiday that puts us maybe a little bit more in touch with this being an actual animal."

The article goes on to talk about how more and more Americans are moving away from eating as much meat, and many who still choose to eat meat are seeking out better sources that treat the animals humanely and refrain from using chemicals and hormones.

It's not a worldwide vegan revolution, but it's a step in the right direction.

It also mentions Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY, and their Adopt a Turkey Program, which allows you to sponsor a turkey at their sanctuary or put your money toward their program to educate consumers about their options for a cruelty-free Thanksgiving.

For the full article and the audio version of the story, click here.

Greg and I are finishing cooking up our meatless feast as we speak, which includes a Tofurkey, roasted veggies, garlic and sour cream mashed potatoes made with Tofutti's Better Than Sour Cream, apple-cranberry-potato pierogies, and a vegan pumpkin pie. (Photos to come later!)

I hope all of you have a great holiday, if you're celebrating, and enjoy good food and time with your families.

Just as an FYI to everyone who's following me here on LJ:

I'm SUPER sorry that I fail so badly at replying to comments on here. I try to keep up on it as best as I can, but between running the actual Vegan on the Cheap site, plus work and my other blogs and life in general, sometimes I'm sloooow.

Please know that I greatly appreciate all of your comments and love to hear feedback!

Also, if you all don't mind, I'd like to cross-post comments from here to the actual blog, so that other people can read what you have to say. If you'd rather I not post them there, or if you want me to use an anonymous name or whatever, please let me know! I won't link back to your journal or LJ profile unless you want me to.

Thanks to everyone for reading!

Also, if any of you would like to read my personal LJ, it's at 2012ad . It's locked, but if you comment to the intro post and introduce yourself, I'll be glad to add you. :)

-Christina

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/23/cant-we-all-just-get-alon/)

You know, it never ceases to amaze me how much hostility there is between vegans/vegetarians and the meat-eating sector of the world. I've seen it at demonstrations, at the dinner table, on forums and blogs on the internet, and even in weird places like the grocery store. And I'm not trying to pin all the blame on the omnis, either. It seems like it's equally strong on both sides of the aisle.

I just don't understand why.

First of all, I have to wonder what it is about the fact that I don't eat or wear animal products that omnis find so offensive. In my opinion, there's no call for hating on vegans and vegetarians because of their lifestyle choice, whatever your feelings on the matter may be. It's not like I'm doing anything that directly inhibits your ability to have a cheeseburger, you know?

To me, veganism is just another lifestyle choice, no different than Kosher, or only eating locally farmed and organic foods. Of course, it covers more than just what we eat, but it's the same principal. We have strong feelings about a cause and have changed our habits to match those convictions.

Some of the weirdest and most hateful comments have been thrown at me because of my feelings about animals and the veg lifestyle. I've had my intelligence questioned on more than one occasion. I've been accused of caring more about animals than I do about humans. I've been called the b-word and the c-word, in conjunction with some other unsavory words. All just because I choose not to use animals in any way.

Someone in my own family actually even told me that it's "not Christian" of me to be a vegetarian, because the Bible tells us to eat meat. I'm not a horribly religious person, so it didn't hurt my feelings all that much, but still. (By the way, if someone can find me the verse where God says that Christians absolutely have to eat meat, I'll give you a dollar.)

One of the worst holiday experiences I've ever had came on Thanksgiving a few years ago, when I had dinner with the family of an ex-boyfriend, who was an omni. I brought my Tofurkey and all my yummy vegan sides, and was digging into my food when my ex's uncle started to lay in on me about the food, insulting my views and insinuating I was some kind of unwashed hippie loser. I was flabbergasted at his disrespectful comments, and everyone seemed too shocked to say anything. My ex's youngest brother, who was a good friend of mine, finally told his uncle to shut up, but I never liked the guy much after that, and dinner was totally awkward from that point on.

Another thing that always ticks me off to no end is the constant little "friendly" digs I get from my friends and family. People think it's hilarious to tell me how delicious they think steak is, how much they love to wear fur/leather/whatever, and make other snide remarks about animal issues that they know upset me, however much I try not to show it. It's not funny the first time, and it's certainly not funny the eighty-seventh time. And following it up with "Just kidding!" doesn't make it any less aggravating.

Like I said, though, things are just as bad coming from the veg faction. I've seen vegans attack omnis for their views, too, and it's no less unacceptable to me.

I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't talk to people about your choices and why you're vegan, but there's a respectful way to approach it.

For one, I never, ever, ever talk about the horrors of meat and dairy while people are eating. Ruining someone's dinner will generally do little more than make them angry and upset, and a lot less likely to listen to what you have to say. Even if someone point-blank asks me about animal slaughter, I tell them I'll talk to them about it after the meal, if they're really interested. Remember, you don't want your omni friends chowing down on veal in front of you and telling you how delicious their plate of tortured baby cow is, so do unto others and all that.

Secondly, I usually wait until someone asks about my views before I start spewing my opinions on the subject. I'm very open about the fact that I'm a vegan and proud of it, but I'm not going to lay into someone for their leather boots or their bottle of JLO perfume without any pretext. (Actually, I take that back... I'd probably rag them about the JLO perfume, but that has little to do with the Jennifer Lopez/fur/animal-testing factor and much more to do with the fact that they actually bought JLO perfume.)

This agressive approach to veganism is actually why I have such a huge problem with the way PeTA operates. They hand gory literature to children, objectify women, and give thousands of dollars to defend arsonists and vandals who go to extremes to promote animal rights.

This isn't to say I'm against promoting the animal rights movement. I've been an animal rights activist for years, but my approach has always been one of peaceful education. If you can catch someone's attention with a clever but fairly inoffensive shirt or sign at a demonstration and back up your opinion with intelligent reasoning and hard facts, you're way more likely to change minds than you are with aggression and belligerence.

The bottom line here is that there isn't any need for all the hostility between omnis and vegans. It's entirely possible for us to peacefully co-exist without all the insults and the anger. And the truth is that social change and improved conditions for animals won't happen without all of our support.

Put the gloves away and quit drinking the haterade, people.

That goes for all of you.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/18/food-porn-currie-cashew-burgers/)

At our weekly get-together, my pal Josh whipped these up for us from a recipe his friend Jennifer tipped him off to. I will admit that this is NOT my photo. It's the photo that goes with the original recipe at EatingWell.com. But there's a very good reason I didn't get my own photo of these. It smelled so good that I couldn't wait to dig in, and by the time I realized I hadn't snapped a photo, it was already in my tummy. So I apologize for that.

Seriously, though, this is SUCH an amazing recipe! It's filling, has a wonderful texture, and is just plain delicious.

Here's the recipe, which is a little involved but SO worth it!



Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, divided


• 1 cup diced peeled carrots (2-4 medium)


• 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed (Josh was unable to find red lentils and used white instead, which didn't seem to make much difference.)


• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided


• 3/4 cup raw cashews (Josh couldn't find raw cashews, either, so he just got a can of the lightly salted kind and rinsed them well to remove the salt.)


• 6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided


• 1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 2 teaspoons curry powder


• 3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs


• Freshly ground pepper to taste

The instructions:

1. Combine 2 cups water, carrots, lentils and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer until the lentils are tender and falling apart, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain in a colander, gently pressing out excess liquid. Transfer to a plate; let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, toast cashews in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.


3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder and the remaining 2 tablespoons water; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.


4. Pulse the cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the lentils and the onion mixture; pulse until the mixture is cohesive but still somewhat textured. Transfer to a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; mix well.


5. With dampened hands, form the mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties, using about 1/2 cup for each.


6. Using 2 teaspoons oil per batch, cook 2 to 4 patties at a time in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until evenly browned and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. (We used an indoor grill to cook ours, which turned out great and used less fat!)

I can't even tell you how wonderful these were! The original recipe suggests serving them in a pita, which would probably be equally delicious, but we ate ours on bread like a regular burger with a side of sweet potato fries. SO yummy. They also store well, so you could make a bunch of the raw patties and then wrap them up and freeze them for up to 3 months.

[rating:5]

I think this is the first recipe I've ever given 5 carrots to! Since Josh did the grocery shopping, I'm not sure what the exact total for the meal was, but I know it was under $10 for 8 patties. I'm betting you could get 10 patties out of the batch if you made them a bit smaller.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/17/product-review-follow-your-heart-cheddar-cheese-alternative/)

One of the questions I always get from people when they find out I'm vegan is whether or not I miss meat, eggs, and dairy. For the most part, the answer is "no." I wasn't a big meat eater before I went veg, so that wasn't hard to give up, and saying goodbye to eggs wasn't hard, either. But man, oh man, do I get cravings for cheese!

In talking to other vegans, cheese does seem to be the thing a lot of us miss above all the other off-limits foods. Unfortunately, it also seems to be the hardest thing for vegan companies to replicate. Greg and I use Follow Your Heart's Mozzarella Cheese Alternative pretty frequently, for things like pizza and our veatball grinders, and we really love the stuff. It melts pretty well, the texture is pretty good, and it tastes darn close to real mozzarella. So when we saw that our favorite grocery store also had a cheddar version, we decided to grab a block and try it out.

Before we went vegan, we used to make this baked casserole with rice, corn, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, chicken strips, and cheddar cheese. We decided to veganize it by replacing the chicken strips with fake meat and the cheese with the Follow Your Heart Cheddar. We spent an hour waiting for the rice to cook, then shredded the block into the casserole dish with the rest of the ingredients, popped it into the oven, and waited another 20 minutes for the dish to finish baking. It looked pretty good. The cheese had melted nicely over the rest of the casserole, and it smelled yummy, too.

When I took the first bite, I literally gagged.

The cheese was awful. I literally cannot describe to you in words how bad it tasted. It ruined the whole meal, which had cost us around $10 total, not to mention the time we wasted fixing it all. I'll be generous and give them half a point for melty-ness, but they get none for taste.

[rating:0.5]

Yes, I had an entire meal ruined, and yes I will be asking for my money back. What really sucks for Follow Your Heart, though, is that I now have zero confidence in trying their products. I know they have a Monterey Jack cheese alternative, and a Nacho flavor as well, but I'd be afraid to try either of them for fear that it would be the same scenario all over again.

I'll keep buying their mozzarella product, but unless someone ELSE cooks me something using one of the other cheese flavors, I doubt I'll be adventurous again anytime soon.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/12/the-cookie-gods-must-really-not-like-me/)

So I've tried two cookie recipes in the last week, and I have to say, they've both been major flops. I dunno if it's my baking skills or the recipes, but they just haven't been that great.

The first one I tried was a chocolate chip cookie recipe from VegWeb. I had Bill and Josh over on Saturday afternoon, and we were doing vegan pizzas for lunch, so I figured these would be a good dessert for afterward. The dough was pretty difficult to work with. It seemed to want to fall apart on me, so rather than doing them as drop cookies, like you usually do with chocolate chip cookies, I ended up having to kind of roll them into a ball and then press them flat a little bit. The cookies themselves ended up getting a little burnt on the bottom before they were golden on the top, which I seem to have issues with a lot. Might just be my oven on that one. Anyway, it wasn't terrible, so we decided to give them a try anyway. I was pretty happy with the taste, but the texture was kinda weird. And the cookies got hard FAST. Like, within 2 hours. And by "hard," I mean like hard candy. They were tough to bite into and stuck to your teeth. It was very bizarre.

So, overall, cheap and easy to make, but not the best cookies in the world.

[rating:2]

Then, a couple of nights ago, I decided to try a peanut butter cookie recipe from ChooseVeg.com. The components were things I already had, and they were all really cheap staple ingredients, as well, so I figured I'd give it a try.

Once again, the dough seemed to want to fall apart on me as I was working with it. Once again, the cookies got burnt on the bottom (and stuck to my baking sheet!) before the tops looked done. And once again, the taste was awesome, but the texture was just weird. They were very rich and peanut buttery, which I'm totally fine with, but the texture came out kind of like the inside of a peanut butter cup. Which would be fine, except that I use turbinado (raw) sugar, so there were big crystals of undissolved sugar mixed in, and it made it all gritty. Greg seemed to like these okay, but I was not impressed.

[rating:1.5]

So, do any of you have any tried-and-true cookie recipes? I'd like to be able to get some good recipes to keep around for the classics. Chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodles, things like that. Send 'em in and I'll give them a try!

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/12/new-commenting-system/)

Wow, has it really been a week since my last update? Man, guys, I'm sorry about that. Life has been a little bit crazy lately!

I just finished installing Intense Debate's commenting platform on here, so now our comments will all be nice and pretty and organized. You don't have to sign up for an account with them to comment. (Although I would encourage it, myself. It's a cool system!) Just comment like you normally would. Then, replies to individual comments can be threaded to make things easier to read. It's just a really cool platform all around.

I realize I sound like a total nerd right now, getting all excited about my commenting system. Sorry. :)

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: -*http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/05/2008-election-results-mean-progress-for-animal-welfare/)

Last night was an incredible night for our nation. I feel so lucky to have been part of a monumental event in American history as we elected our first African American President. It was exhilarating to watch the results come in last night. I shared the evening with friends at a watch party hosted by a local bar, and the atmosphere there was a lot like watching a heated sports event. Cheers and boos erupted based on the results on CNN, and Obama's acceptance speech left few dry eyes in the room.

One of the things I'd been fearing were the ramifications for the environment and animal welfare if the McCain-Palin ticket was chosen. For those of you who follow politics, you probably know that McCain opposed drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, but his running mate did not. Palin even tried to have polar bears removed from the threatended species list in an effort to push forward with drilling.

An avid hunter, Palin has also proposed legislation and cash incentives for aerial wolf gunning, a process in which wolves are run to exhaustion and then shot and killed from an aircraft. This rarely produces a clean kill, and often leaves many animals to bleed out painfully from stomach and chest wounds. Animal welfare advocates have been standing against the inhumane practice for years, and many other hunters even oppose this method, as it violates their "fair chase" ethic. When legislation to end this practice was put to the voters in August, Palin also poured $400,000 in state funds into the campaign to defeat the measure. Alaska Department of Fish and Game personnel even went so far as to methodically kill 14 infant wolf pups this summer, a practice illegal in the state, and Palin's administration has yet to investigate this event or hand out justice to those in the wrong.

It became clear to me very early in the game that this was NOT a team I wanted to lead our country.

While animal rights wasn't specifically mentioned in Obama's platform this year, he did receive a question about his stance on the issue during a January town hall meeting in Las Vegas. He stated then that he cares a great deal about animal rights, citing his support of an Illinois bill to ban the slaughter of horses, his co-sponsorship of the 2007 legislation that gave higher federal penalties for cock-fighting and dog-fighting, and his landmark endorsement from the Humane Society of the United States.

"I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other," Obama said, "and it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals."

Obama also pledged to support nearly all of the animal welfare initiatives currently pending in Congress and vowed to work with executive agencies like the USDA to make their practices more humane.

Oh, and that new First Dog that Obama mentioned in his acceptance speech? It's going to be adopted from one of the millions of shelters across the country striving to help our nation's unwanted companion animals.

In addition to Obama's victory, California also passed Proposition 2 by more than 60%, which provides strict guidelines for farm animal enclosures and will effectively phase out gestational crates for pigs, veal pens, and batter cages for chickens across the state. Farms will have until January 2015 to make the switch, giving them 6 years to get their enclosures up to code.

In addition, Massachussets thankfully passed Question 3, which will require that greyhound racing be phased out statewide in the next two years. The initiative passed with 57% of the vote.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/05/jasons-story/)

"I was a vegetarian, both good and bad, for 4 years starting when I entered college.  I initially wanted to eat less red meat so I wouldn't die of a heart attack, then I just stopped eating all meat.  Over time, I realized I couldn't kill an animal in order to eat, especially when I don't have to.  I also got into the political and environmental side of things (against hormones, factory farming subsidies, etc...).  Eventually I realized that being a vegetarian supported all these things.  Not only was vegetarianism not cruelty-free, but it all supports an environmental and economic system I find f---ed.

So in May of 2006 I graduated from college and went vegan.  I figured if it didn't work out I could always fall back into vegetarianism.  I haven't and I won't.  I was much easier than I thought.

And I think that is what I want omnivores to know - it isn't that 'hard' to be a vegan.  Sure, you have to put more effort into planning meals, and going out to eat (depending on where you live) can take a lot of questions and planning.  However, food is the most important thing we have in our lives.  How can we not treat it seriously and sacred?  I can no longer eat at McDonald's, Ruby Tuesday's or Wendy's, but I don't want to.

I actually know what I am eating now, I can grow some of my own food, I can prepare it myself and I can take control of my own health.  It takes extra effort, but why be so lazy when it comes to something so important?

To me, eating meat was like an arranged marriage.  Just because the American diet is what was presented and given to me, it was not compatable and staying with it would have lead to a life of misery.
Instead I found veganism and truely fell in love with food.  After giving up meat, caffiene and high fructose corn syrup my taste buds were reborn.  Veggies, grains and beans are true love to me!"

I think that story speaks for itself, really. Thanks for sharing with us, Jason.

I'm getting a good response from this, and would love to hear from all of my readers. Even if you aren't a vegan, tell me what interested you in my blog, and what impact (if any) it's had on your eating and purchasing habits, or just the way you think about veganism in general.

E-mail your stories to christina[at]veganonthecheap[dot]com, or leave a comment here.

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/03/product-review-trader-joes-organic-whole-soybean-powder/)

Protein seems to be the biggest nutritional concern for a lot of new vegans, from what I've gathered, and it can be tricky to make sure that you're getting enough when you have a crazy-busy life and a tight budget. Unfortunately, there's no magical protein pill that you can take to help with this, but Trader Joe's has made it almost that easy with their Organic Whole Soybean Powder.

Finding a vegan protein powder can be tough, since a lot of them contain whey or other milk derivatives. Not so with this powder, though. It's literally just soybeans. And with 10g of protein per scoop, it's a great way to supplement your diet and help make sure you're getting all the protein you need.

As far as taste goes, this stuff is fairly easy to disguise. It's unflavored, so it could go in a lot of things. I tried stirring it into my coffee one morning in lieu of soymilk, and it wasn't terrible, but you could definitely still taste it.

What I've been doing instead is making fruit smoothies with it. I use a cup of vanilla soymilk, a cup of frozen fruit, and then a scoop of the soybean powder. The acids in the fruit help dissolve the powder, and the fruit and vanilla flavors help mask the taste a lot, so you really can't even tell it's there.

Oh, and did I mention that it's dirt cheap? I got two tubs for about $5 each when we went out to St. Louis to stock up.

[rating:3.5]

Gah! The more I write about Trader Joe's, the madder I am about us not having one in Kansas City!

*pouts*

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/03/food-porn-baked-sweet-potato-and-chile-wedges/)

One of the things I do in my spare time is volunteer work at a local AIDS hospice where my friend Josh works as the activities director. The clinic's Halloween party was on Friday, and Josh found this recipe for me to bring in for everyone to enjoy with their dinner.

My wedges came out uneven, since I don't have the best cutlery right now. As you can see, I was working with a paring knife and a steak knife, neither of which worked especially well. I'm thinking I should ask for a set of knives for my birthday this year...

The original recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens. I had to veganize it, but (as you'll see) that was pretty simple.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes (5 to 6 large)


• 2 Tbsp. olive oil


• 1 tsp. sea salt or 3/4 tsp. salt


• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper


• 1/2 cup orange juice


• 3 tsp. chili powder


• 1 Tbsp. honey Agave nectar or other honey substitute (I bet brown sugar would taste great, too!)

The instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut each unpeeled potato into 1-inch-thick wedges. Place in a large self-sealing plastic bag; toss with oil, sea salt, and pepper. Arrange in two 13x9x2-inch disposable foil pans.


2. Next, in small bowl combine orange juice, chili powder, and honey substitute; set aside.


3. Bake potatoes, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until tender, brushing every 10 minutes with orange juice mixture, and shaking pan occasionally.

I will note that the time suggested didn't seem to be enough time to get the potatoes tender. I brought them to the clinic half-done, and one of the cooks there popped them into the oven to finish. Josh thinks this may be because I have an electric oven. Your best bet is just to keep checking whenever you brush them with your juice mixture.

Here's a shot of them with the juice being brushed on. I just LOVE the color:



Unfortunately, I had to leave the party before the potatoes finished cooking. According to Josh, though, they were very tasty and the residents LOVED them. I'm definitely making these again so I can taste them myself!

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/02/camillas-story/)

I was five or six and we were having some kind of meat for dinner. I asked my mom what the difference was between my muscle tissue and the ‘meat’ on my plate. She told me there was no difference. Meat and human flesh are the same. That made me think.

Maybe six years later, I had a rabbit and I kept wondering about how her breath could be so fresh. I kept on thinking about it, then when I was fifteen-sixteen I decided I wouldn’t eat meat anymore. From then on I’ve learned more and now I’ve been a vegan for several years. I’d never go back to eating meat.

What meat eaters might not know about many vegans is that we enjoy our food. Not all of us go vegan to deprive ourselves of pleasure. There are plenty of delicious recipes for anything from filling dinner dishes to yummy desserts.

I can relate well to Camilla's story. When I found out that meat was actually dead animal flesh, it bothered me a lot. I've always been an animal lover, and the thought that an animal had to die so that I could eat it made me pretty upset.

And I definitely agree that most meat eaters mistakenly think that our diet is bland and flavorless, and it's so not! I've actually found that my diet is more varied and more flavorful now that I'm a vegan, because I'm not deciding between the same 5 meals every week. It's really forced me to open up and try new things, and I'm loving it!

(View the original at Vegan on the Cheap: http://veganonthecheap.com/2008/11/01/happy-world-vegan-day/)

In honor of World Vegan Day, and the start of World Vegan Month, I want us all to share our stories.

How long have you been a vegan?

What made you decide to make the change to veganism?

If you could tell people one thing about the vegan lifestyle, to disspell a stereotype, correct a misunderstanding, or change their mind about the way we live, what would it be?

If you're not a vegan, what interested you enough in the vegan lifestyle to get you reading this blog? How do you feel about veganism, and why?

Comment with your answers or send me an e-mail.