Homemade Granola Bars!

It's been busy, busy around here. But I am still trying to find time to cook and experiment in the kitchen. This morning's project was homemade granola bars full of peanuts, sun flower seeds, raisins, and shredded coconut mixed with granola, oats, peanut butter, and honey. Still working on perfecting the recipe but it was a first trial run. Tasty, but rather crumbly. I like the idea of knowing what goes into them and cutting down on the processed sugars and other mstery ingredients. Plus, one pan of homemade just beats the overpriced ones in the grocery.

One show ended, but always busy with other projects.

I've been hungary for chili and tonight the rest of my family was having it. I made my own nice pan of homemade chili tonight. I sarted by sauteeing diced onion, garlic, and diced mushroom pieces in some vegetable oil with some hot pepper flakes. (I don't always use diced mushrooms, but sometimes I "sneak" them in for added texture and nutrients.) Then, I added some bulgar that I pre-soaked in water to help soften. (Sometimes I use a plain rice much the same way.) I added rinsed black and kidnet beans and a can of tomato soup (without the water). The enough tomato juice to give the desired liquid needed and spices (chili, cumin, pepper flakes). I let it all cook through and served it over some cooked noodles with a sprinkling of cheese. Yummy!

My meatless circles seem to be expanding as I talked to a few people in my life the last couple days that have either given meat up in the last year or have given it up for Lent. Whatever the reasons it does make me feel a little bit less alone on this path than in the days before.

Even Martha Mentions Us

While skimming through the Martha Stewart website (http://www.marthastewart.com/) I came across something on meat-free recipes and couldn't help but click on it. This is what I found... http://www.wholeliving.com/article/eat-your-veggies . We are not forgotten as vegetarian culture continues to seep into everything else and into the everyday language and culture of the America. Yay!!!

Okay, so sometimes it really is the little things that remind me that we, as vegetarians, are not invisible.

A Weekend Away

I spent the weekend in Columbus with my show and got one of those reminders about how much easier it is for a vegetarian to have food options in a bigger city than going out here. Last Monday we moved the show down and stopped in the "North Market" before heading home for a late lunch... oh, the options I do not get here. Our director is vegetarian too and we both seemed to embrace the options that do not exist here.

Thursday Night, we had brush up rehearsal and wanted food afterwards so we asked a local. He sent us to a restaurant call "Tip Top Restaurant and Cocktails" that met the specifications of our group... beer and food options for both me (the lone vegetarian) and the meat eaters alike. The corn chowder was almost as good as my own.

Friday night, we headed back down for our show. We headed to High Street Friday after the show in search of amusement and I embraced a falafel sandwhich before the bar and a big slice of new york style pizza after the bar. We decided sometime in here to stay away from things we could have here.

Saturday, we slept in and then headed to Easton in search of food (four of us from the show stayed in a hotel together). We had a late lunch on the Mongolian Grill (my brother's favorite), where they had no problems making sure my meat free food was cooked seperate from the meat-laden entrees of my friends. We headed to a midnight show and caught a bit of Waffle house before heading back to the hotel to catch a little bit of sleep before our Sunday show.

Sunday, we slept in as late as we could (something to do with lack of sleep) and got up only as early as we did for check out After a phone call or two we made plans to meet up with someone else from the show and head back to "North Market" for lunch and to kill time before we had to be back to the theater. I had a somewhat messy, but satisfying sandwhich of mushrooms, artichokes, roasted red peppers, cheese, lettuce, and some italian dressing on a nice long peice of bread. It made me happy. When I got home after the show and after strike i made one of my rich favorites of tortellini with mushrooms, spinach, and oilive oil. (I sneak frozen spinach in where-ever I can.)

Still peaking from the high of have food options I made stuffed portabella mushrooms (stuffed with a mixture of woody basmati rice, frozen spinach, corn, diced mushroom, and italian cheese), and served beside roasted carrots.

Alfredo Pizza Triangles

Looking for something easy for lunch I found a roll of crescent rolls in the refridgerator, topped the unrolled triangles with leftover alfredo sauce, sauteed some onion, garlic and frozen spinach on top of that, then some sauteed mushroom sliced and topped with shredded cheese. Baked until the crusts were golden and the cheese was melty. Easy and even my brother ate some (he cut out the spinach and onion mix and used taco stuff from last night instead).

Rehearsal tonight, so dinner will probably be something on the run. It comes down to what I can grab and go (and hwo much time I want or have to put in to even things like defrosting and reheating).

"In an earlier stage of our development most human groups held to a tribal ethic. Members of the tribe were protected, but people of other tribes could be robbed or killed as one pleased. Gradually the circle of protection expanded, but as recently as 150 years ago we did not include blacks. So African human beings could be captured, shipped to America and sold. In Australia white settlers regarded Aborigines as a pest and hunted them down, much as kangaroos are hunted down today. Just as we have progressed beyond the blatantly racist ethic of the era of slavery and colonialism, so we must now progress beyond the speciesist ethic of the era of factory farming, of the use of animals as mere research tools, of whaling, seal hunting, kangaroo slaughter and the destruction of wilderness. We must take the final step in expanding the circle of ethics." ~Pete Singer

Bring on the Yumminess!

It's been a fairly long weekend and I am ready for a break in this chilly weather. In the meantime I've been embracing some of those foods that are easy to fix for vegetarians, especially along side a family of non-vegetarians. Last night we had stir fry choked full of vegetables and mushrooms served over some white rice along side of a vegetable egg roll. Sliced mushrooms, onion, garlic, carrot, water chesnuts, and some snow peas made me happy. (The meat-eaters here added meat to their seperate serving.)

Tonight, after an afternoon/early evening rehearsal I came home to find the starts of tacos (okay, so the meat for them had been prepared). I sauteed up some diced onion, mushrooms, and a touch of garlic (my standby) in olive oil, then added some pepper flakes and black beans I had in the freezer (i usually don't use a whole can at once and have found freezing whatever I don't use for later to be super handy). Spiced it all up and let it simmer with a little water until it thickened and cooked down nicely. It didn't take too long to thicken.

I warmed some soft taco shell in the microwave between damp paper towels, then topped with my black bean/mushroom mix, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and some black olives. Then served it along side some nacho chips and salsa. (Vegan, with the exception of the shredded cheese although that is getting easier to substitute or replace with something else.) Bring on the yumminess!

"Cruelty must be whitewashed by a moral excuse, and pretense of reluctance." ~George Bernard Shaw

Another day, another meal

So, I'm fighting a bit of a cold. One of my brothers started with it and everyone in the house has had it to some point or another. I'm dealing with it and with the fact that I really do not feel like cooking. Tonight I raided the leftovers I had in the refridgerator. I cooked some noodles and heated up a container of bulgar chili I had in the freezer, topped with some peices of swiss cheese from the refridgerator. Hearty and simple. Depending on the pasta I usually add and toppings (cheese in this case) the chili itself is vegan; full of onion, garlic, a mixture of different kinds of beans, spices, and bulgar. Mine tends to be on the spicy side.

"Heaven is by favor; if it were by merit your dog would go in and you would stay out. Of all the creatures ever made [man] is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he is the only one... that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain." ~Mark Twain

Vegetarian Culture

“Vegetarian Culture” -- a phrase heard in regarding restaurants and people understanding and embracing the ‘vegetarian culture.’ How does the concept of a “vegetarian culture” change in regards to geography, environment, family situation, upbringing, etc? Vegetarian culture in regards to internet, community, religion? Groups? “…Because they understand the vegetarian culture…” is a phrase I recently heard in regards to a restaurant and the offerings in their menu. I, like I am sure many others living a meat-free life, live in an area that does not offer a lot of like-minded individuals in this area. How does the vegetarian culture as whole affect the lives we lead with little personal interaction from other vegetarians?

This is sonething I have been thinking about a lot lately, along with the feelings isolation that is connected to loving in my house and in this part of the country. I've only a few friends who don't eat and most of them have gone back to those meat eating ways or it is a Lent thing. Once in a local grocery store I had someone ask me about my preferred type of veggie burger while I was shopping in that area. My brother, who was with me at the time, was floored. There are others!!! For a moment my lifestyle suddenly seemed almost normal to him as he met a rather normal woman who shared in this journey, but overall this has been the exception. On the whole I feel rather detached from the whole of "vegetarian culture." It's something I am a part of, but also something that seems so far away.

I meet people occassionaly who claim to be vegetarian... but they eat chicken, seafood, and attack others for choosing not to. I occasionally meet people who at least try to respect it, but I also meet a lot of people who just end up attacking me for it or puzzled over the "sacrafise." Sometimes, it feels like a rather isolated journey in a world that thinks I am nuts. Sometimes it would be nice to not feel way.
I did a net search... in hope of finding some other thoughts on it.

* "The Importance of Vegetarian Culture" http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj97sep/979cult.htm
* "Good for the Gods: India" http://www.veggieheadonline.com/india.html
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Building-Vegetarian-Culture/
* "Vegetarian & Vegan Diets" @ 'Home Chef' http://www.chefhome.com/Cookbook/Vegetarian.shtml
* "The Vegetarian Channel" http://www.thevegetarianchannel.com/directory/News/Publications/213.html
* "Becoming a Vegetarian" http://becoming-a-vegetarian.blogspot.com/

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals." ~George Orwell, Animal Farm

Food TV

There are a lot of people who believe that watching the cooks on TV work their culinary magic can have a calming effect. It seems to be something about watching someone prepare food. I have an uncle in a higher stress career that watches it to “veg” after work and grandparents who are HUGE fans of cooking and food shows. I’m a huge fan, even back to the days before an entire network and channel was created for it. I still sometimes catch episodes of Julia Child on public television. I guess for me part of it and extension of watching my family members cook in their home kitchens and being a part of it. This love that has continued from childhood is not always easy when you don’t eat meat, don’t cook meat, and don’t like the sight or smell of meat. I still watch the cooking shows- I just tend to look towards the side dishes and ways to adapt recipes to a meat-free mindset (sometimes that is as simple as using a vegetable broth or stock instead of chicken, beef, or such). I have been known to channel surf during things I would rather not see, such as roasts, steaks, etc.

There always seem to be reminders that we are a part of the few… that we, the vegetarians and vegans, are the minority. If restaurants and the meat counters at our local grocers were not enough, TV is yet another one of the ever-present reminders. On the plus side there is a growing awareness about the existence and growing numbers of people like me, the average (more or less) Americans who choose a meat-free lifestyle. While watching the food and cooking shows there are more and more meat-free meal ideas or even suggestions for cooking for vegetarian friends and family. It is slow, but positive.

http://www.vegtv.com/
(Traveling Vegetarian) http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=travelingvegetarian (or check out on my listed favorites)
http://www.delicioustv.com/aboutdelicioustv.shtml

"I am not interested to know whether vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn't.... The pain which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity toward it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further." ~Mark Twain

Snow and Stuff

It's been one of those days... well a couple of those days. The cold streak in Ohio is getting old, the temperatures dropped so much w had to bring the goats in from the barn. Unfortunately, we lost one of the from the frigid tempteratures. It is a small barn and just isn't enough protection aginast the severe wind chills. (The other is in a large crate/cage in the spare bedroom with plastic covering the floor.) He seems mostly content, even laying up against the bars to be closer to the dog. I think we will all be ad when the temperatures let up and the risks go back down (he may not be a large goat, but I know he would prefer to have more room and be back in his barn and yard).

This may surprise some people who know that I have lived in Ohio all of my life, but really, REALY am not a big fan of snow or ice or cold. It' aggitates my joints and makes me achy. This is my quiet weekend before the business to come is upon me. No one in my house felt much like cooking for lunch so we went out... a local place that has Chinese and other Oriental type foods. I've often found Ethnic food places to have meat-free options that are not always as readily available in other places (Oriental, Italinan, Mexican, etc). It was alright. My mom made dinner, forgetting about me, she put meat in all of it. I ended up making a mushroom noodle soup for dinner for myself, nothing fancy or great, but the warm both was probably for the better. I think sometimes it really just gets to me when I get forgotten when it comes to family meals. Me being meatless is not a recent, new, or on again/off again thing. It's just me, but sometimes that still doesn't seem so easy for the people around me.

I keep having this fantasy of living in a vegetarian house (more than just me and a small scattering of friends, mostly sometimes vegetarians at best), with vast connections to other vegetarians, and living in a more vegetarian world- where meat-eaters are in the minority and not me. It seems a far away fantasy, but I will keep it.

"Tongue - a variety of meat, rarely served because it clearly crosses the line between a cut of beef and a piece of a dead cow." ~Bob Ekstrom

Simple, Yet Hearty

The lastuple days I've been in one of those moods where I have wanted hearty food that is fairly simple to make. Last night I had to be at the theater so I fixed up a toasted cheese sandwhich (on a nice whole grain bread) and made a homemade vegetable soup out of the selection of vegetables from leftover, frozen, and fresh vegetables, mushrooms and rice that I had around. I thickened it a little with a seasoned flour I keep around and spiced it up. It made an easy take-along in a plastic-lidded container to the theater.

For lunch I sauteed up some onion and spinach with peirogies I had in the freezer. Dinner was a simple parmesan pasta with some spinach and mushrooms thrown in, served along salad with homemade croutons and some garlic bread.

"Drinking without being thirsty and making love at any time, Madame, are the only things that distinguish us from other animals." ~Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, The Marriage of Figaro, 1784, translated

Happy New Year

I haven't forgotten, it's just been a rather busy time with the holidays and all the family stuff that goes around it. For Thanksgiving I made my own version of a Portabella Wellington for my Grandpa and myself and for Christmas dinner I made something between a Portabella Wellington and a Meatless Shepard's Pie inside the puffed pastry I had leftover from Christmas. Both are things I will probbaly try again.

The last couple days I have been back to my cooking self, making sure I had stuff tucked away in the freezer for my upcoming show. I made bulgar/black bean chili and black beans and rice. (Both with extra helpings in the freezer.)

Today, I decided to make the meatless version of the sandwhich the fast food chains wish they could make. My not sausage biscuit breakfast-inspired sandwhich. I made two biscuits (we keep the kind in the freezer where you can make one or the whole bag) and two Morningstar "sausage" patties with a single egg scrambled with a couple sliced mushrooms, a bit of green onion, salt, pepper, and a dash of milk, topped with a small bit of cheese. The mushrooms and green onion made a nice addition to the sandwhich. Served with apple slices it made a nice lunch.

"You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson