I consider this awesome news. Once upon a time, they were made with lard, and I was sad. For years, I would read the ingredients list, see "lard," and make a frowny face. And lo! One day! I turned over the package and saw NO "lard" and I was happy. Now, even better; no whey, so they're completely vegan.
No, I'm not 100% vegan, but I'm working on getting dairy & eggs out of my diet and figuring out an array of vegan food that tastes good. What I find when I start looking at vegan cooking websites is an obsession with desserts, which really, I hardly ever make and am not that interested in for myself, and an obsession with fake meats and meat-looking things. Like fake meat-loaf and fake turkey and...yuck. I don't like meat, so I certainly don't want fake meat. There are a few pre-made veg* burgers I'll buy in the frozen aisle, just to make a convenient lunch. Eeeevery so often I buy fake hotdogs or fake bacon because I'm craving those - like maybe twice a year. But on the whole I do not want a casserole that looks like a soupy southern chicken/rice/mushroom soup debacle. I don't want to sculpt my fake-meat ingredients into something resembling shepherd's pie or pot pie or whatever. I guess what I'm saying is: I don't see a lot of recipes for *vegetables* in the few vegan blogs I try to read. I'd rather do without a meat analogue entirely instead of focusing on a meat + three model. I mean, I'm sure I could find plenty of vegan recipes that do not involve dessert or fake meat, but those seem to be the two categories that get most of the attention out there. How many people regularly make cupcakes? Especially people that aren't parents of elementary-school kids?
Holiday cheer.
17 hours ago
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4 comments:
yo jez - have you got the modern vegetarian kitchen by peter berley? it's pretty much all vegan (he was chef at angelica's kitchen ny vegan restaurant) - awesome food and not an analogue in sight
I have not tried heard of that one. I use Laurel's Kitchen, one of the Moosewood books, and that's about it. I have Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, but it tends to be a little elaborate for everyday cooking. I have Vegan with a Vengeance but it requires a lot of ingredients I can't get easily here in Buttcrack. I'll check out the Berley, thanks!
I'm right there with you, Jez. I don't need any of these substitutes either (except tofu, but I don't count that as a meat substitute, really).
As for cookbooks, I love "The Vegan Table" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. There are some sample recipes at www.vegantable.com. (Also, Colleen's podcast is amazing!)
I also really like Isa Chandra Moskovitz's latest cookbook "Appetite for Reduction". I think it's a lot more approachable than Veganomicon. You probably know this already, but Isa has some recipes on her website www.theppk.com. (I love this one: http://www.theppk.com/2011/03/cast-iron-stir-fry-with-avocado-basil-peanuts/)
Another recommendation is the blog caribbeanvegan.wordpress.com. I've bought Taymer's cookbook a few weeks ago and everything I've made so far has been amazing. It does have a couple of meat substitute recipes, but for me the Creole Stew alone is worth buying the book. There are some recipes at the blog as well.
For quick recipes: veganyumyum.com. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in quite a while.
Unfortunately, Oreos in Europe still contain whey. I hope they'll change that some day!
I'm totally going to have to check out "Appetite for Reduction"! I love my Veganomicon for the precise reason you decried, Jez. It's all about, here are beautiful tasty foods from plants - let's enjoy them for what they are, rather than pretend they'r esomethign else. But the main section of the book I use is the front how to cook a ______ section, and then I improvise. The actual recipes do seem a bit involved. If "Appetite for Reduction" is the same in spirit as Veganomicon, but for the I just came home from work and I'm stupid-tired and hungry just feed me now type of person, I think I need it.
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