An Asymmetric Game

From Veganomicon.

Made this as the dip for my seitan cutlet/mustard sauce sandwich. I didn’t have any five-spice powder, so I used a ‘fiery’ chili powder instead. I also upped the spice, cause that’s how I am.

In saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cup broth from seitan cutlets (water/soy sauce mixture), 4 cloves crushed garlic, sliced 1-inch piece of ginger (I used more), 1/2 tsp five-spice powder, and 1 tsp red pepper flakes. Boil for five minutes, then simmer for 10. Turn off heat, and stir in 1 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp lime juice.

Good broth, but too labor intensive for me to make a lot. I might make another batch and freeze it for quick use, but probably not because I’m lazy.

(Complete List) 

From Veganomicon.

Among the common condiments, mustard truly is the best. The intro to this recipe claims it’s for mustard lovers only, so I had to make it.

Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch (I used arrowroot) and 1/4 cup vegetable broth and set aside. Over medium heat, saute 3 garlic clovers and 1/2 tsp thyme for about a minute. Add 1/2 cooking wine (white or sherry) and 1 tbsp soy sauce and up the heat. When it’s boiling, lower heat and simmer for a few minutes. Add 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp capers with brine, and cornstarch mixture. Stir often. When it’s bubbling, lower heat and simmer for a few more minutes. Should be pretty thick.

I used this with the seitan cutlets in a french dip-style dinner. I really like this sauce–the capers and wine give it a great kick. I made it again as a dipping sauce for artichokes. I didn’t have lemon juice, so I substituted some Gordon’s Vodka–couldn’t tell the difference. Sauce was good, but overpowered the artichoke.

(Complete List) 

From Veganomicon.

I should have known better: I’ve made enough seitan that I have a handle on the right texture. For some reason, the recipe says to knead the dough for 3 minutes. So I did. Mistake. Seitan shouldn’t be kneaded more than necessary. The extra kneading made it impossible to stretch it thin enough. Still tasted good, but had a pretty tough texture. I need to try it again, but have yet to be that adventurous.

Pretty basic seitan. Not really aynthing special.

(Complete List) 

From Veganomicon.

I’m not going to type out the ingredients, because you should go buy the book. This bread is really good and I’ve made it twice now. It’s pretty dense, but has a nice flavor from the currants and soy milk (I use vanilla-flavored). Nothing too difficult here, though it does take a while to make it since you have to pre-cook the millet.

Bread also lasts longer than most breads. It’s good enough that it’s usually gone in two days anyway.

(Complete list)

I bought some amaranth at the co-op with no particular use in mind. I searched the internets for a recipe but, wouldn’t you know it, not a whole lot of people cook with amaranth. I was looking mostly for a recipe that was simple, where I could find out what Amaranth tastes like without it competing too much with other flavors. Sure, I could have just cooked it up like any other grain, but where’s the fun in that?

So I found this recipe. Truth be told, I’ve never had “real” grits—where I’m at now is the furthest south I’ve ever lived, and I’m sure we’re still considered Yankees here. So, I didn’t know what I was going for, texture-wise. And this may have been the problem, as I’m pretty sure I drastically overcooked the grains. It really wasn’t good, but I ate it all with some help from salt and hot sauce.

I’ve tried cooking amaranth again, this time with some millet. I made it for breakfast: a hot cereal type thing. I added some butter and brown sugar—just like we did when we were kids—and it was pretty yummy. So there’s that. (1/3 cup each millet and amaranth; dry toast for a minute or two, add 1 1/3 cup water, lower heat and cover for 15-20 minutes.)

I. Thoughts on why one should be vegetarian.

The above is a misleading title. I feel no need to present an argument as to why one ought to be a vegetarian; it should be mostly obvious and, if not, there are other (better) sources. Simply, it boils down to two reasons: first, it’s far more healthier than the current western diet. While some people will argue this, I think a little research bears it out (just be careful to note who funds the research!). The book that was recommended to me, and the one I am now recommending, is The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. His claim boils down to this: a plant-based, whole-food diet is the best way to eat.

Second, animal cruelty is rampant in our food system to greater or lesser degrees. Yesterday, for instance, there was a massive recall of beef: it may or may not be tainted, but what’s clear is that abuses were occurring. Of course, one could make the claim that it’s morally acceptable to abuse (including torment and torture) and then kill an animal. I will not spend much time on these arguments, partly because I think it depends a lot on what assumptions we use, and to argue assumptions takes far too long. However, in discussing this with a variety of people, it seems that most reasons carnivores use to justify the abuse/killing are based on differentiating animals and humans. But when pressed for specific characteristics, the traits offered seem to allow for the moral eating of the handicapped and children. And that, I think we can all agree, is not right.

I’m not saying that I fully believe either one of these reasons; I think both have a great deal of validity but also their problems. In the first, for instance, one could point out (say) that alcohol is also unhealthy (if not moreso) and, if I was being consistent in my beliefs, I would also have to give it up. This is a fair point; my counterclaim is, one, too point out that alcohol consumption, more or less, concerns only the one consuming (that is, no being had to die for it) and, two, that there are secondary benefits (e.g. feeling “happy”) that also need to be factored in that eating meat or drinking milk cannot offer.

My point is simple and twofold: First, I find that, for a variety of reasons, vegetarianism works for me and that while I think others should (at least) give it a shot, I understand that there are some good reasons not too. Second, that the arguments presented above are not conclusive, but that when presented together, they provide a compelling argument.

This is prompted, in part, by a brochure a gentleman was handing out on campus. I had read it before—you can get it online [pdf]. It’s produced by Vegan Outreach and titled “Why Vegetarian?” with a subtitle of “Boycott Cruelty!” As mentioned or implied above, I think this is a bad way to go: partly because I don’t think it’s the strongest argument, and partly because telling people that their immoral is generally not the best way to convince them you’re right.

II. How to increase vegetarianism

Do we want people to be vegetarian? I sure do, and there are a few reasons for it. The evidence supports vegetarianism as a healthy lifestyle: presumably, if more people become vegetarian, we would see a decline in heart-disease, certain types of cancer, maybe even some diabetes, among other medical problems. This would decrease the burden of public health assistance—a good thing in and of itself, but could also increase support for a national (dare I say, socialized?!) medical plan…which, to my mind, would be a very good thing. There are other arguments that, again, I don’t feel the need to develop fully, like, that if everyone ate vegetarian, then there’s be more food and (hopefully) therefore fewer hungry people in the world.

Additionally, from a purely selfish standpoint: being vegetarian/vegan is difficult, especially when eating out or eating for convenience. It’s not difficult cooking that way, so it makes sense that if the market demanded it, there would be more convenient and good-tasting vegetarian/vegan options. This would make my life easier.

So, let’s assume that we think it’s a good thing for people to be vegetarian. Then, how do we go about convincing people? Here are my four suggestions, in order from most important to least important:

First, people need to know that vegan/vegetarian food tastes good. This should be the duty of vegans/vegetarians out there. I love the vegan food, so I think it’s definitely possible. How many people hate tofu? How many of those people have had tofu cooked well? How many of those people realize that tofu really doesn’t have a taste? These are misconceptions easily fixed.

Second, we need more convenient vegan food. If someone, right now, wants to become vegan, then the best suggestion I can give is to learn to cook. This, in and of itself, will put many people off. I can go to the local sandwich place and have my choice of 25 meaty sandwiches or 2 vegetarian. I cannot get one vegan. Of course, I think most people should learn to cook anyway. Barring this, though, there needs to be more vegan options. And—this is very, very important—they need to be affordable. Food marketed as vegan (in particular) is very overpriced. I’ve made no secret of my love for seitan, so take this example: it costs me a bit over $1 to make 2 pounds. If I bought it, not only would it not taste as good, but it’s about $6/pound.

The first two reasons are intended to get people considering the possibility of being vegetarian. The third reason is to help on the path. There are a few mindset changes that, at very least, would facilitate the transition. The biggest one, in my mind, is changing what we think of as “a meal.” It seems that many people believe that “a meal” is defined as “meat plus sides.” Why this would need changing is obvious. The more insidious aspect, though, is that it may lead new vegetarians to defining “a meal” as “meat-substitute plus sides.” I was one of these people, sure. And while this new definition is better than the former the big danger is that “meat-substitute plus sides” is limiting and feeds into the idea that being a vegan/vegetarian means eating the same thing over and over. This is most definitely not true! My range as a cook has dramatically—and perhaps paradoxically—increased as I removed meat and almost all dairy.

As a corollary to number three, possible vegetarians would need to stop comparing meat-products to their vegan/vegetarian counterparts. Tofurky Italian sausage doesn’t taste like meaty Italian suasage. The latter is good, the former isn’t. Or: this week I made a vegan mac n cheese (which I will be posting about soon). It tasted nothing like mac n cheese—especially Kraft’s, which is one of the few truly horribly unhealthy things I still love and sometimes crave—but it was good nonetheless. I think this is true for most people regardless of their eating orientation: we need to approach our food on it’s own terms, without our expectations controlling the experience.

Finally, on a social scale, we need to talk about these things. Far too many vegans/vegetarians are evangelists about their choice. Far too many carnivores won’t even listen. Our national guidelines are too infected with bullshit for companies and politicians with a stake in the meat and/or dairy industry. In short, we need good data and for people to objectively look at the data.

III. Vegan vs. Vegetarian vs. Social Vegetarian

Above, I’ve used “vegan” and “vegetarian” mostly interchangeably. Obviously, there is a difference. Vegetarians don’t eat meat. (Some “vegetarians” eat fish, but I don’t consider them vegetarians. Eggs are complicated.) Vegans don’t eat animal products or, generally, use products made from or tested on animals. My jacket, shoes, and belt are leather—I’m not going to stop wearing them until they wear out, but (if other factors allow) when I replace them they will not be animal. However, I’m only going to discuss the eating aspect, since that’s what I’ve been doing until now.

Assuming one is vegetarian, should one become vegan? Vegan Freak—a pretty decent and very quick read—argues yes. The reason is simple: most of the reasons why most vegetarians are vegetarians also apply to being vegan. Vegetarian because of the animal cruelty? Well, there’s still a bunch of animal cruelty in milking cows and collecting eggs. Vegetarian because of the health benefits? Well, milk and eggs are still animal protein and have much the same problems.

I find this argument somewhat compelling but ultimately I reject it for two reasons. First, there’s a moral difference between killing an animal and using an animal. I’m not sure how much practical difference it makes, but it’s something that needs to be considered. Second, if I’m vegetarian because I don’t like the taste of meat, but I like the taste of cheese, it obviously doesn’t follow that my reason is valid for both.

Ultimately, though, I’m not arguing against being vegan. I think it’s a worthy goal as long as the evangelism isn’t to high. I’m just saying it doesn’t necessarily follow from being vegetarian.

“Social vegetarian” isn’t my idea—I’m stealing it from a friend. Ultimately, this is what I am (though it’s more like “social vegan”). The reason for this is also simple: I don’t want to be a person who requires a host to make a separate dish, I want to be able to go to dinner with friends, etc. In Vegan Freak, the authors argue that “meek vegans suffer”–that you need to tell people you’re vegan or else you’ll always be put in a bad situation. I completely agree; at the same time, though, I care more about not putting people out than my own moral baggage. This probably says much about how dedicated I am to being a vegan—but so be it. (Hell, I did just write over 2000 words on why we should and how to get more people involved…)

I would argue that, until everyone becomes vegan or vegetarian, that this is a good way to be. At home, I cook about 95% vegan—the only non-vegan things I use are butter and ghee. (I have an absurdly large container of butter, but once it’s gone, I’m switching.) When I eat out alone, I pick places that have vegetarian fare I like. When I eat out with others, I try to get vegetarian, but if I can’t, who cares. (I also try to suggest places with good vegetarian food.) If  I go over to someone else’s place, I eat what they make, because that’s what you should do. I’ve only been strictly following this plan for a month now and have eaten meat once—chili, at the superbowl party I attended.

There is one big drawback to this. The best way to get others to consider being vegetarian, as implied in section 2 above, is to make it known that you are vegetarian. If you never say anything, then others won’t know. I am sensitive to this argument. I’ve made no secret of my choices—most of my friends know that I’d prefer not to eat meat or dairy, but that if I didn’t have a choice, I would. Your own mileage may vary.

IV. Conclusion

So, I’ve sketched out a few ideas here, basically arguing that we should all consider being vegetarians, if not vegan, but that it shouldn’t necessarily override social obligations or harmony. These arguments should be fleshed out and given more support, I realize.

For the time being, though, I wonder if any of you readers have thoughts on this—even if just to point out areas where I completely missed the boat. Comments, as always, are welcome.

English name: Jain Coriander-Scented Millet and Mung Bean Pilaf. From Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni.

Dear Lord, this is good. So good I’ve now made it twice and doubled the recipe the second time. Yes, I ate it for four days straight. It looks far more complicated than it is, and is totally worth trying at least once.

Soak 1/2 cup mung beans for at least 8 hours or overnight. The fist time through I soaked only four hours and they were still a bit crunchy but good. Second time, I soaked for 36 hours and they were very very tender, almost like they didn’t exist in the finished product. So, 8-12 hours sounds good to me. After they have been soaked, drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large pot (at least 3-qt, though it’d be easier if bigger) put:

2 tbsp ghee (or a light vegetable oil)
1 cup millet
2 bay leaves

Cook for about 2 minutes on high heat, reduce to medium, and fry the millet for another 5 minutes. The first time I did it, I followed the time directions, but after the pot was already hot. The directions say the millet should be golden brown, mine were darker. After doing it both ways, I think I prefer the darker color. Take the millet off the stove and put it in a bowl, aside.

Same pan, add 4 tbsp ghee (or the oil), and up the heat to medium-high. When the ghee is hot, add:

1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Cover with a lid because these will pop. When the splattering subsides, add:

2 chopped medium onions
4 hot green chiles (I used serrano)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

Cook this for ~6 minutes until the onions are browned. Then add:

1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp tumeric

Mix well, fry for another minute or so. Add the millet, mung beans, 1 1/2 tsp salt and the juice of one lemon. Mix well. Add 1 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for ~30 minutes, until the beans and millet are cooked but still firm.

Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with garam masala and cilantro. Garnish with cucumber and tomato, if you wish.

So doesn’t that just look good? The first time, I didn’t have ginger so I used garlic. Don’t think it made much difference. Also, the lemon was particularly juicy and the chiles were exceptionally hot—and the mix of the two was a delight. Next time I make this, I’m going to use two lemons and six chiles (or get something hotter, or leave the seeds in) instead of the 1 and 4, respectively.

So there you have it. This is the best thing I’ve made so far.

It was nice writing something that doesn’t really mean anything. I’m not really looking for much beyond an answer–and, hey, if they know some people are waiting for it, maybe they’d move faster. Of course, I’m trying not to eat so much pizza (tonight was the first time in 5 weeks), but still. Also, after a crappy day like today, it feels good to tell someone else something positive.

Dear [Regional Pizza Chain],

Six months ago I moved out of [former state] in order to go back to school. It was stressful and I was leaving behind many things I enjoyed–friends, decent weather, and the city in general. During my time in [Former State], I had taken to your pizza and it became my delivery of choice. I was not sad about missing your pizza since I saw on your website that, COMING SOON!, there would be a [Chain]’s in my new town of [New City, New State]. Now, I don’t eat pizza as much as most college students but, every time I do, I check your website and hope that I somehow missed a grand opening announcement. Sadly, it seems I have not. So, I am curious: when will [Chain]’s pizza be available in [New Town]?

A former and hopefully soon-to-be returning customer,

XXX

That is, apparently, the correct Indian name. The bolded heading, in English, is: Hyderabad Hot Green Chili Peppers Braised in Almond-Cream Sauce.

I recently bought two Indian cookbooks, both by Julie Sahni: Classic Indian Cooking and Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. Both books, from what I gather, are still the best Indian cookbooks in English, though they’re over two decades old. Intuitively, it makes some sense: modern convince always alters tradition. Which is not to say this is all old-ways: Sahni embraces time saving techniques (ie the food processor) if it doesn’t change the way it’s supposed to be and offers up potential substitutes for items difficult to find in the States of 1985. Point is, these don’t fall into the cookbook-for-idiots category.

This recipe is from the latter cookbook. Sahni is pretty detailed in her recipes, I will be far less so because I am lazy. Besides, this cookbook looks to be worth owning if you want to cook Indian food.

Heat 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 1 cup minced onion until light brown, ~10 minutes. To this, add:

3-inch stick of Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp minced Garlic
1 tbsp fresh shredded Ginger
2 tbsp ground Almonds

I didn’t have any cinnamon sticks, so I added ground cinnamon instead, trying to estimate how much flavor would have been leached from a three-inch stick. I don’t think it affected the outcome too much.. Fry until the almonds begin to darken, ~3-4 minutes. Then add:

1 tbsp ground Coriander
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Cayenne (cut in half if you want to limit the heat, but why would you?)

The ingredient list also says 1/2 tsp of cardamom, but doesn’t say to add it—so I added it here. Sizzle this for ~15 seconds, then add 1 cup coconut milk (or plain yogurt, light cream, or a combination of theses). Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and—I’m going to quote here to make sure I get it right—“continue cooking until the mixture looks like a thick pulp and the oil begins to separate from the gravy.” When I uncovered mine, it already looked like this. And 1/2 cup water and cook another 3-5 minutes until the water has blended in and the sauce has a nice consistency. Turn off heat and transfer sauce to a bowl.

Back in the skillet, heat up another 3 tablespoons of that vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound of chili peppers. Okay, I’m going to discuss this for a second. In the introduction to the recipe, Sahni offers two suggestions for choice of peppers. She says that poblanos would be better for those with a “fiery palate” and Anaheims if not. I definitely fall into the former category: I have a pretty good tolerance for spicy food and I love spicy food. Still, when I first try a recipe, I try to follow it as closely as possible to get an idea of what is intended. So, I used about 3/4 pound of poblano and 1/4 pound of Anaheim just to test. If I were to make this again, I would go with only poblanos—or something hotter. I cored and seeded the peppers, as you usually do, but maybe I should have left some of the seeds. It might be good with jalepenos. I would not recommend Anaheims for two reasons: (1) They have no flavor (though this may be because I used a mixture and they were overwhelmed; and (2) maybe I cooked it wrong, but the Anaheim meat was real tender, but the skin was not. I ended up just scrapping off the meat and discarding the skins bite by bite. If I did it again, I would definitely consider roasting the peppers first, in order to highlight the flavor and skin it.

Anyway, after you add the peppers, sautee for 3-5 minutes, “until they are well coated with oil, look glazed, and begin to steam.” Add 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1-inch thick wedges. Up the heat to high and cook, tossing and turning, for another 1-2 minutes.

Return the sauce to the skillet, mix, and simmer, covered, “until the peppers look wilted” ~10 minutes. So, my peppers never looked wilted, which is why I think I may have overcooked them. Sahni specifically says not to overcook as they will become limp and soft. Mine were definitely soft. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Turn off heat, serve warm. (If you want, fold in a few tablespoons of cream or milk. I didn’t.)

So, I served with some plain brown rice. I wasn’t overly impressed with this though, like I said, it may have been my fault. And while I like peppers, I don’t think I’m fond of them as the basis of a meal. What this means is, I don’t think I’ll be trying this one again for sometime.

I do love seitan. Most often I eat it plain or in barbecue sauce or in a stir fry. As I said in the last post, I’m looking for diversification of my seitan eating, so I tried this one, from Vegan With a Vengeance, the best all-vegan cookbook I own:

2 cups Seitan
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion (~1 cup), thickly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded & thickly sliced

Marinade:
1/2 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp ginger (fresh)
3 tbsp lime juice (fresh)
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp ground allspice
1/4 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tbsp ground cayenne
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Throw all the marinade ingredients into a food processor and chop it up real good. There’ll be some chunks left and that’s okay. I doubled the amount of garlic because I always double the amount of garlic. Marinate the seitan in the marinade for a while, at least an hour.

Sautee the other onion and bell pepper in the olive oil until the onions start to brown. Take the seitan from the marinade and put it in the skillet. Do not throw out the remaining marinade. It’s good stuff. Sautee the seitan until it’s browned to your liking. Add the remaining marinade and heat through. Eat.

I wasn’t as wild about this as I thought I would be. There’s two things that might have caused this:

1)I used a slightly different recipe for making the seitan. The recipe I use calls for chickpea flour, which I don’t have and can’t get cheaply, so I just add more vital wheat gluten. This time, I substituted soy flour (thinking they were comparable because of the seitan pastrami recipe). It made the seitan fluffier and less tasty.

2)With few exceptions, I have a problem with using high quality stuff when I’m just going to mix it. This is why, if I order a whiskey and coke, I get the rail instead of something good. I mean, what’s the point? So here, I didn’t use my good maple syrup, but the crappy $1.29 stuff at the grocery store. Stuff doesn’t even taste good alone, and I think it adversely affected the flavor of the marinade.

Overall, it wasn’t bad, but too labor intensive for me to do it again any time soon. The flavor went really well with coconut rice; combined, it was greater than the sum of the parts.