Spokane Vegans

About a year ago, I started organizing monthly vegan potlucks for Spokane Vegans and am so encouraged by the growth we've had. When I started the group, I only knew one other vegan in Spokane and now I've made friends with several other veg*ns through out the Inland Northwest. It's nice not to feel so alone, but most importantly, we're building a community and developing a vegan culture in a place that didn't really have one before. I admit that the idea of starting the group was daunting at first, not knowing what kind of response there would be, but the results have been so rewarding! We have such a unique opportunity to really build a vegan community from the ground up and connect with other conscious eaters. The Inland Northwest has so much to offer in the way of sustainable agriculture and is something we veg*ns can encourage and support. Businesses like Fresh Abundance and restaurants like Picabu and Mizuna already serve the (growing) Spokane veggie community well. Now it's time to encourage other area business owners and restaurateurs to do the same - and I hope to see Spokane Vegans start doing this.

I'm really excited about the future of our group. We've just made the switch from Meetup.com to a mailing list format with a supporting group blog and Facebook group. There is talk of starting a vegan/food-conscious reading group and a pet-sitting network. I'd really like to see the group develop some visibility within the community at large and become more active in making Spokane a decidedly veggie-friendly city. I know we've all heard it a thousand times, but this quote from Mahatma Gandhi still inspires me: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

*For more information, or to get involved, please email spovegan [at] gmail [dot] com

distracted

i haven't been so creative with my cooking lately, but have been doing some vegan-related things. i'll share those in another post. but for now, here's something mildly related to veganism, if only because i'm vegan and it was my flub...
that used to be a Pyrex 9 x 13 in. glass baking pan. yes, Pyrex can break.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Ganache - Two Ways

I've had a couple of requests for this recipe, so here it is! The first time I made these I used flax "eggs", but found the cookies to be a little dry. However, they came out softer and were my favorite. The second version uses a banana as the egg replacer and imparts a subtle banana flavor. Those came out crispier and a little flatter, but still tasty. These are easy cookies to make vegan even if you don't keep a vegan kitchen because they don't require any special ingredients (except maybe the chocolate ganache).

You'll Need

1 1/4 C AP flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 C (1 stick) veg shortening (I use Earth Balance)
1/2 C creamy peanut butter, plus a few teaspoons
1 C brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 flax egg* or very ripe banana

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. Cream shortening, peanut butter and sugar (and banana if using). Beat in vanilla (and flax egg if using) . Mix in flour mixture, blending well. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork, sprinkle with coarse sugar or sea salt if desired, and bake for 6 - 8 minutes, or until lightly brown. (The banana version bakes quicker and should be checked after 6 minutes.) Let cookies set for one minute and then transfer to a cooling rack. Once cookies have cooled, finish with drizzle of ganache**.

*Flax egg

(This is a great way to add some of those important omega-3's into your diet!)

1/3 cup of whole flax seeds 1 cup of water

In a food processor or blender, grind the flax seeds until they are a fine flax meal. Slowly add the water until the mixture becomes gooey and gelatinous (like an egg white). 3 tablespoons of flax mixture is equal to 1 egg.

Makes a total of 6 "eggs". Keeps 3-6 days, refrigerated.

**Chocolate Ganache

1 oz (1 square) semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken
1/2 t margarine (I use Earth Balance)
1/2 vanilla
1 - 2 T rice milk

On low setting, heat chocolate, margarine, vanilla and 1 T rice milk. Stir constantly adding more rice milk to reach desired consistency. (You want the chocolate thick enough to coat the spoon, but thin enough to drizzle.) Drizzle over cooled cookies and allow the chocolate to set before serving.

Cucumber Melon Soup with Mint

My best friend and I have a tradition of sharing Easter Breakfast together. This year I made a delightfully refreshing cold soup. I also made sweet potato pancakes (with Field Roast sausage on the side), but those didn't turn out so well. In fact, I was so disappointed with them I didn't even take a picture. And I take a picture of almost all of my food. Thankfully, the soup was great. I have a potluck at work this Friday and I think I'll be bringing this soup - the theme is "Spring".

You will need:

1 1/2 C soygurt (plain or vanilla)
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and rough chopped
2 C ripe honeydew melon, rough chopped
1/4 C fresh mint
pinch of salt

Method:

Combine cucumber, soygurt, mint and pinch of salt in food processor or blender and puree. Pour into a bowl. Puree honeydew melon and add to cucumber puree. Stir to combine. Chill. Serve in individual glasses or bowls and garnish with fresh strawberries. Enjoy!

Vegan in Seattle

Earlier this week I made a short visit to the Emerald City. I return with a full belly and inspired to start soliciting local restaurateurs to better provide for Spokane's vegan community.

And now, some of the delicious food I enjoyed:

Veggie Groundnut Stew from Pan Africa Market

Vegan Cinnamon Roll and Soy Hot Cocoa from Cinnamon Works

Vegan Chowder from Pike Place Chowder

Mighty-O Donuts

Not pictured: the terrifyingly realistic mock meats from Bamboo Garden and vegan pizza from Vic's Pizzeria in Olympia

Hot Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

Here it is again, my favorite grain, quinoa (keen-wa). With eight grams of protein per one cup serving, this is a great way to start the day!

You will need:

1 C uncooked quinoa
1/4 C crystalized ginger, chopped
1/4 C dried currants
nutmeg, to taste
cinnamon, to taste
non dairy milk, to taste (I used rice milk, but soy creamer works well and adds an extra richness)
agave nectar, to taste (optional)
fresh berries (optional)

Method:

Combine quinoa with two cups water and bring to boil. Add ginger and currants, stir to combine, cover with lid and turn off heat. Quinoa is done when all liquid is absorbed and the germ has separated from the grain. Fluff quinoa and transfer to individual serving bowls. Add non-dairy milk to taste and finish with cinnamon, nutmeg and agave nectar. I had some beautiful red raspberries hanging out in the fridge, so I added those as a garnish.

Vegan Pets

Can our companion animals be vegan? Yes. There are many reasons to feed your dog or cat a vegan diet. Most obviously, if you're buying Kibble and Bits for your pup you are supporting the meat industry, but your pets' health is another factor you should consider. Pet food is made of animal byproducts that is considered unsuitable for human consumption. Until just last year SpokAnimal was sending the remains of euthanized animals to a local rendering plant. Horrifyingly enough, byproducts from the rendering process are used not only in livestock feed, but also in pet foods. In 2007 there was also the incident of pet food that was found to be tainted with melamine.

We all choose a vegan lifestyle for various reasons. Whether it's for health or animal welfare reasons, feeding your pets a vegan diet seems like an obvious decision. However, there are some things you need to consider before starting your pets on a vegan diet. Proper nutrition is very important and cats especially need a good source of taurine in their diet. I'm not an expert in this area, but there are some helpful resources online. The Mad Cowboy website has a great list of resources, including shopping and more information on pet food.

I feed my dog, Skippy, Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula from Petco and we haven't had any problems.