Nichole inspired me to start baking again. And that can only mean one thing: vegan baking! I have always loved to bake, but Nichole inspired me to learn a new, cruelty free way of baking. Ever since, I have been attempting to learn and experiment with classic vegan baking.
Of course, my favorite vegan baking cookbook is the previously mentioned Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. The first recipe I made was the Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes, which includes delicious ingredients like bourbon and soy yogurt. Um, yum.
Last night, I decided to go a bit more classic, but with a twist. I made the basic chocolate cupcakes that Nichole shared with us earlier, but made the frosting with a bit of a twist.
For half of the cupcakes, I made peanut butter frosting and topped them with chopped Reese's cups. For the frosting:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer
2 tbsp peanut butter
Directions:
Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
Add the vanilla, peanut butter, and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
For the other half of the cupcakes, I made strawberry frosting and topped them with pink sprinkles:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer
2 tbsp strawberry preserves
Directions:
Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
Add the vanilla, strawberry preserves, and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
I think I have created some vegan baked goods lovers at work!
I have never tried to go vegan. I know that Nichole was for a while, and I have a few other friends who have attempted the noble lifestyle. Unfortunately, I could never in a million years pull it off. I am just too much of a dairy consumer. Milk and cheese are staples in my diet.
But I never want to consume dairy products made with growth hormones. There is something slightly seedy about the milk and cheeses on our shelves, the ones that aren't organic. The population growth and limited resources have led to dairy products laced with rBGH and IGF-1. Thankfully, organic products have come onto the scene and are more readily available than ever.
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Of course, organic is often synonymous with expensive. They don't call it Whole Paycheck Foods for nothing. But Safeway brand has come to the rescue with Lucerne brand and O Organics dairy products.
Lucerne and O Organics are generic brands carried in Safeway stores, including the Vons near my apartment. Both brands produce organic products, which I find especially important in dairy products. And...they're reasonably priced!
The O milk is usually at least 30 cents cheaper than Horizon. The Lucerne cheese is actually cheaper than Sargento and other brand names. I feel good about what I'm eating and my wallet doesn't suffer.
For me, quality ingredients are everything. Our country has allowed some pretty heinous things to taint our food, and some pretty inhumane things to happen to the animals that provide the food. I think that the generic organic brands are a huge step in the right direction. It makes eating smart affordable and simple. Why not choose the organic product when it's best for your body and your bank account?
As for myself, today I would like to engage in a little bit of self-indulgent reflection. First, I'd like to share some specific reasons that I believe the vegetarian lifestyle is a good choice for me. Secondly, I would like to write very candidly on the real challenges that I face on a daily basis. In short, let's talk about veggie motivation and veggie reality.
First things first. The reasons to go vegetarian are almost too numerous to name (but we'll give it a shot).
Physical Benefits: Vegetarian diets are some of the healthiest diets in the world.
Vegetarians are at lower risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, diverticulosis, renal disease, some cancers (including lung and breast), and gallstones (Source).
A vegetarian diet decreases exposure to food-borne illnesses and damaging free radicals (Source).
Vegetarians consume larger quantities of vegetables, legumes, fruits, and grains, thereby increasing their consumption of many essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants (Source).
Environmental and Social Benefits: Vegetarian diets reduce the negative impact of man on the environment, and help funnel resources to those that need them most.
Farmland used for meat production produces millions of tons more carbon dioxide and methane than does farmland used to produce vegetable foodstuffs (Source).
Each animal slaughtered for food consumes 16 pounds of edible vegetable food stuffs (corn, grain, soybeans, etc.) for every pound of edible flesh. This grain would be put to better use feeding human beings (Source).
Here is a great article from Green Living Ideas that sums up many studies of energy consumption for food production, particularly as it relates to livestock. It includes many links to relevant, peer-reviewed research studies.
Morality: This is perhaps the trickiest motivation of them all, and perhaps the most compelling. However, if you just don't care about the suffering of animals....then you don't care. But if you do care, this argument is pretty compelling. (Warning: This Video Contains Graphic Material)
When taken together, I think that the combination of these facts is so compelling that it would be difficult to defend an omnivorous diet. In fact, it might be difficult to defend anything but a vegan diet under these terms. (Visit PETA for a comprehensive if somewhat impassioned explanation of all of the above phenomenon.)
So........... why is it so hard then?
For me, the desire to consume meat (or the lack there of) has never been much of a factor in determining whether or not I will maintain a veggie lifestyle, or whether I will backslide into meat consumption. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed well-prepared meat in the past, but I don't crave it regularly (probably due to the fact that I've either been, or nearly been, a vegetarian since I was 14 years old).
The Context of Food
The real issue is, and always has been, social pressure. Personally, I believe that the resistance from friends and family comes out of three fundamental social contexts:
(1) Meat Eating and the Herding Culture
Meat eating is the keystone of herding culture (of which the Abrahamic cultures are descendant). This sentiment is particularly explicit in the creation myth of Adam and Eve, wherein God grants the infamous progenitors lordship over all the creatures of the Earth. Therefore, in the Christian (and Judaic and Islamic) tradition, man is not only destined by divine right, but obligated by the creator, to dominate animals. In this context, man has the right and privilege to use animals as he sees fit, without any obligation to the animal.
(2) Concept of "Man as Hunter"
One of the most frequent nonsectarian arguments against vegetarianism comes from the idea that man has been hunting and consuming meat since time immemorial, and thus meat consumption is biologically and evolutionarily predestined. In the world of Anthropology, this is a hotly contested issue. However, after having read many books on the subject (see the bottom of the post for a list), I think that there is ample evidence to challenge this age-old assumption. Some of the most compelling arguments questioning the identity of "Man as Hunter" include: fossil and biological evidence that links the human digestive system more closely to that of fruit eating apes than that of wolves or tigers; the relatively late appearance of the tools man uses to hunt in the archaeological record; and archaeological evidence that indicates a high predation rate among early humans (i.e. people were being eaten by animals more frequently than they were eating animals). All that aside, the "Man as Hunter" argument resembles (or perhaps follows from) the first in that it considers the use of animal bodies for consumption as the naturalright of man as an omnivore.
(3) Habits are Hard to Change
Contexts (1) and (2) are really important, but they operate mostly in the background of people's everyday lives. If they're invoked at all, it's usually only to defend the continuance of habitual action. Consider this: if you've spent your whole life communing and taking pleasure at a dinner table that features meat and animal products, it's not only difficult, but perhaps even painful to move away from the habits and nostalgia of meat eating. If you come from a family where food is important, this can be a very big deal. For example, when I went Vegan for a couple of months, both my Dad and my boyfriend were very upset with me, for different reasons. My Dad felt that by rejecting meat, I was rejecting his personal food tradition, ruining all of our future holidays, and trying to push my strange morality onto everyone else. My boyfriend was frustrated because he didn't know what to make for dinner on a daily basis, and felt that my choice made it difficult for him to eat the things that he liked to eat (read: bacon).
That's why it's hard to be a vegetarian. It's hard to act against society's deeply rooted ideas, assumptions, and habits, especially when they manifest in the feelings of the people that you love. It's hard to face your parent's anger and frustration when they don't understand why you are being "difficult" and "picky." It's hard to say no to the pot roast that your grandmother lovingly prepared for you. It's hard to make one dish for you, and one for your spouse, every night of the week. It's much easier to take the path of least resistance and do what they ask of you.
Making it Happen
But no one said it would be easy. So, a couple of pieces of advice for World Vegetarian Awareness Month, from a very human vegetarian:
No one's perfect. I know that I've had my share of back sliding over the years (mostly in the form of prosciutto and fresh mozzarella). If you fall off the wagon, watch that PETA video, take a deep breath, and get back on. One slip up doesn't mean that everything is lost.
Sometimes people in your life will be supportive of your choice, sometimes they will not be supportive of your choice. Remain calm, try not to argue about it, skip the turkey, and bring sweet potato casserole to Thanksgiving.
Try to be as compassionate to people as you are toward animals. Be patient and respectful of people who do not understand or accept your lifestyle, and demand that they respect and be patient with you as well. Lead with your fork by making delicious vegetarian food.
Have fun! Vegetarianism isn't all doom and gloom! It's a celebration of life! Think about all of the delicious food that you can eat! Check out the Recipes tab for some of the food that Carrie and I make on a regular basis, and explore the web! There are a zillion delicious vegetarian options out there, so don't be afraid!
Readers, I sense you're incredulous. I know, I know..... the Burgh doesn't have the greatest gastronomic reputation. The only national attention our restaurant scene receive involves the manner in which we put french fries on our beef and fried egg sandwiches, and how many hot dogs we sell. But those of us living here know that something else is happening, and the proliferation of farmers' markets and organizations like Pittsburgh Slow Food and Grow Pittsburgh are proof!
Pittsburgh is growing....... vegetables, that is. The Burgh is getting a food face-lift from urban farming and the people who support it. These organizations are planting gardens in abandoned lots, teaching children about the origins of the food they eat, and imparting to urban communities a greater measure of health, self-sufficiency, social empowerment.
I was lucky enough to attend the Grow Pittsburgh's "A Taste of Grow Pittsburgh" Fundraiser on Sunday, September 18th, and it was a wonderful experience. The Mattress Factory, an incredible and unique installation art museum in Pittsburgh's North Side, hosted the event, which featured food, wine, and beer from Grow Pittsburgh's restaurant partners.
Participating restaurants either purchase fresh ingredients from Grow Pittsburgh's farms, or support the organization financially. The fare was awe inspiring, and included everything from spicy vegan sushi and fresh mushroom quiche to gourmet cupcakes and scones.
Not only was "A Taste of Grow Pittsburgh," a gastronomically exciting event, but it shows the myriad of culinary possibilities available to communities that value local foods, and work together.
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