Change: Vegan School Lunch

Change.org is taking votes on the Top Ten Ideas For Change to be presented to President Obama and you can vote for Vegan School Lunch Options to be among those included. You didn't think you were done after casting your ballot back in November, did you? Go ahead, participate in democracy! It feels great!

Dear Omnivore

Each day I make the choice to live vegan. I read labels before I buy: food, clothes, cosmetics, etc. (Well, at least 99% of the time – sometimes I get too comfortable.) I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide I wanted to deny myself more, be a radical or make my life or anyone else’s more difficult. For me the decision to go vegan was the result of a lot of research and thought. I don’t feel at all burdened or deprived. If you ask me, I will gladly share my reasons for being vegan, but I’m not going to badger you if we share a meal and you chose to eat a cheeseburger. I’m just not a fan of proselytizing, religious or otherwise. I will respect your omnivorous decision and expect the same consideration for my choice.

So why do some people feel the need to badger me about my meals? My decision to be vegan is not a criticism of you or your lifestyle. Veganism represents the vast majority of my values and ideals. It covers everything from human welfare to animal welfare and the environment. When you criticize my food choices, you are in fact criticizing some of my most deeply held thoughts and beliefs.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a sense of humor and can take a little teasing. But don’t start throwing outright falsities at me in attempt to convert me and presumably make you feel better about yourself. Case in point: today a co-worker was prodding me for the umpteenth time about drinking milk. She tried suggesting that by my choice to not consume dairy, I was causing cows’ utters to become unnecessarily engorged and thus causing them very great discomfort. Wrong - on so many levels. My support of the dairy industry would in fact encourage the meat industry (research veal) and create more demand. This idea is like suggesting that livestock would overrun the world if everyone stopped eating meat. Such comments, as is the case here, are often not intended to insult; but they do.

All I’m asking for is some respect and consideration. Let’s keep an open dialog. I won’t criticize you or feed you hyperbole, but I ask that in return you not criticize me or feed me any animal products. Thank you.

You're Invited!

Tomorrow at 1 pm at the Downtown Spokane library (room 1A), the Spokane Vegan Meetup Group will be hosting a screening of Porch Life Production's documentary, "Seeing Through the Fence", which takes a critical look at factory farming. The film will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmaker and a vegan potluck. A $5 donation to the filmmaker is encouraged.

the who farm

i think this is a tremendous idea! i signed my name; will you?

Fudge Balls

These delicious morsels of chocolate are rolled in coconut and have a hidden ingredient: avocado. Yes; avocado and chocolate. I swear it is amazingly good and you cannot detect the slightest taste of avocado. Omnivores love this treat, too. I came across this recipe last year and adapted it slightly for a Halloween treat. Follow the recipe, but instead of spreading it in a pan, place the fudge in a bowl. Refrigerate for about half an hour, or until the fudge is the consistency of playdough. Using your hands, roll a tablespoon of fudge into a ball and coat in shredded unsweetened coconut. Return finished fudge balls to the refrigerator until hardened, then devour!

Curried Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

We visited my friend and her boyfriend in Richland a few weeks ago and my friend's boyfriend made us stuffed peppers for dinner. I don't know that I'd ever had a stuffed pepper before and if I did, I probably didn't like it. But my taste buds have developed a lot over the years and I really enjoyed the classic stuffed peppers with rice, tomato sauce and veggie sausage. I enjoyed it so much that my mind started racing with variations on this humble classic. So here is my take on the stuffed pepper, with some of my favorite flavors such as coconut milk, cashews, curry and cilantro. (Sorry about the poor picture quality - I really need a new camera.)

You will need:

4 green bell peppers, cored and seeded
1 C quinoa
1/3 C currants
1/3 C cashews, roasted, unsalted
1/2 C mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 t cumin
1 t ginger powder
1 T curry powder
1 C coconut milk
salt to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°. Add quinoa to 2 cups water and bring to boil. Cook covered at a simmer until all water is absorbed and the germ has separated from the grain. Stir coconut milk, spices and garlic into quinoa and combine thoroughly. Toss in mushrooms, cashews, currants and cilantro. Fill peppers with quinoa mixture and place in a deep baking dish filled with 1/2 inch of water. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until peppers have softened but are still firm. Let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy!

shopping vegan

i found these primal strips at the rosauer's at the north division "Y" in the natural foods section (actually, i found all of these snacks there). they carry the mesquite and hickory smoked flavors. these make a great snack. my son loves them!

these taste just like cheetos, but they're vegan and they don't have that gross orange powder! even non-vegans like these.

vegan GF french bread pizza! i was really happy with these. the bread was toothsome, the soy cheese didn't have much flavor, but added a nice texture and the sauce was good and garlic-y. this is a new quick meal favorite in our house.