mark bittman on what we eat

like michael pollan, mark bittman offers a nice reminder that it's not an "us vs. them" battle when it comes to what we eat. we're all in this together and for myriad reasons the world needs to lessen its consumption of animal products. i'm really looking forward to reading bittman's book, food matters.

earthlings

local markets

so, i've been sick this past week. and whenever i'm sick i crave fresh fruit and vegetables! the combination of being sick and this frosty weather has me looking forward to spring and the return of our local farmer's markets - especially the two (!) that are within walking distance of my apartment. but i need not wait for the sun to show its golden face to enjoy local produce. no! spokane offers a few special winter markets to help us get through these dreary months.

Fresh Abundance - not really a farmer's market, but a market nonetheless offering local (within 200 miles) produce at three locations

Millwood Winter Market - for those of you on the eastside [of spokane]

Spokane Winter Market - in the community building, of course

C d'A Winter Market - thought i'd better include this one, too

happy [local] shopping!

GF Vegan Pizza

First off I need to start by saying just how much I love my mom's camera! I took this amazing shot using my mom's fancy Nikon, thanks mom! Also, I love my step-dad's oven. Yes, it's his oven - a shiny new convection oven. I made this spinach and mushroom pizza on Christmas day for lunch. I'm the only vegan in the family, but I wasn't the only one eating this pizza! I used a mix for the crust. It's not the best crust in the world, but it is gluten free and it isn't bad.

You will need:

Namaste Pizza Crust Mix (gluten free)
pizza sauce, you decide how much
1 C fresh spinach, washed
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
5 oz Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet mozarella style "cheese", shredded
olive oil
pizza pan or stone


Method:

Preheat oven according to package directions and prepare crust according to directions. The rest is pretty straight forward: Spread the pizza sauce on the crust and follow with toppings. I like to put the cheese on last so it melts nicely. Be sure to brush the exposed crust with olive oil to prevent it from drying out! Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crust has started to brown. I like to put the pizza under the broiler for a minute or two after baking to brown the cheese a little. Let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes then slice and enjoy!

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.