To V or Not to V

"The time is out of joint. O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right." And so Hamlet laments the spectre of his father and his duty to avenge said father's death. Today, a different sort of ghost haunts us, whispering in our ears the wrongdoings of the food industry. Are we crazy? Or, like Hamlet, do we have some sort of duty to avenge the wrongs of the meat, dairy, and soy industries?
Let me back up to the first part of Hamlet's speech. The time is out of joint.
Here are some US statistics:

1. In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the market. Today, the top four control more than 80% of the market.
2. In the 1970s, there were thousands of slaughterhouses producing the majority of beef sold. Today, we have only 13.
3. During the Bush administration, the head of the FDA was the former executive VP of the National Food Processors Association.
4. During the Bush administration, the chief of staff at the USDA was the former chief lobbyist for the beef industry in Washington.
5. In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9,164.
6. In 1998, the USDA implemented microbial testing for salmonella and E. coli 0157h7 so that if a plant repeatedly failed these tests, the USDA could shut down the plant. After being taken to court by the meat and poultry associations, the USDA no longer has that power.
7. In 1996 when it introduced Round-Up Ready Soybeans, Monsanto controlled only 2% of the U.S. soybean market. Now, over 90% of soybeans in the U.S. are Monsanto's genetically modified soy bean. (Prior to renaming itself an agribusiness company, Monsanto was a chemical company that produced, among other things, DDT and Agent Orange.)...oh yeah, Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas was an attorney at Monsanto from 1976 to 1979. After his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion in a case that helped Monsanto enforce its seed patents.
8. The average chicken farmer invests over $500,000 and makes only $18,000 a year.
9. 70% of processed foods have some genetically modified ingredient.
10. 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes; Among minorities, the rate will be 1 in 2.

Time IS out of joint! Our practices are clearly not sustainable and may actually pose a threat to humans, animals, and planet earth in general.

Since I've been in the UK, I've noticed a rather unfortunate trend in vegan products: the vast majority of vegan products are soy-based.

SO, what does this mean?
soy is not very healthy for humans. it contains a lot of oestrogen, which can cause breast cancer in women or even early puberty in girls. In men its been linked to prostate cancer and even a low sperm count. Furthermore, as shown above, Monstanto pretty much controls soy production in the United States so that 90% of soy in genetically modified. The movie Food, Inc taught me that Monsanto can sue small farmers who keep their non-gmo seeds/do not use Monsanto seeds. Not only is soy production bad for the environment and our bodies, its bad for farmers. I thought that maybe soy in the UK-though bad for me- would at least be produced in a more sustainable, farm-friendly way. What I learned is that soy is flown in from either the US or South America. We already know what happens with soy in the US, but in South America large patches of rainforest are being burned in order to grow soy. Not very sustainable at all.
Just like in the US, a huge portion of the soy used in the UK goes towards feeding livestock. Animals like cows and chickens do not naturally eat soy, but its protein density makes it ideal for farmers who want hearty animals. We know its bad for us, is it healthy for animals? How much remains when we eat those animals or drink their milk?
The only non-soy beverages I can find come from this fabulous little grocery called Jorden Valley (I'll write about that another time though). Jordan Valley offers a wonder selection of rice milk, soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, and even hemp milk!!! However, all of these are produced in California and then somehow shipped over to Scotland. Not very local and probably not very good for the environment.
So I find myself in a tough situation. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not a huge animal rights person, I don't like peta and I'm damn proud of a president who can kill a fly with his bare hand. I am vegan because of the environmental implications (exs: the meat packing industry emits more greenhouse gasses than all the cars, trucks, and airplanes in the world combined...soy production is now almost entirely genetically modified and big companies rarely allow farmers to let the land lie fallow for long enough be it with soy, corn, etc). If soy production is just as bad if not worse for the environment as dairy farms than I don't want to support the soy industry more than I have to. If my only soy alternatives come from thousands of miles away by plane I don't really want to support that either.
Here's the good news: rBGH is banned in the UK and organic farms still exist! Therefor, I have decided to renounce veganism while in the UK and opt for dairy products from locally grown organic farms. This is expensive...but not as expensive as the $7.00 USD hemp milk. Or the cost of breast cancer treatment.

If you want to know more about soy in the UK I highly recommend this 3 minute video:

I want to conclude with the second part of Hamlet's line: "O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right." More and more evidence shows that we aren't crazy for thinking something is a-miss with the meat, dairy, and soy industries. I'm not asking anyone to become vegetarian...only to consider their options more and buy local, organic, non-gmo products when possible. Our food decisions don't only affect us- our choices affect the earth and all its creatures including plants, animals and our future generations. Setting it right doesn't have to be cursed, we can all make small decisions every day to make the world a safer and healthier place.

Cheers,
Veg Girl

How do you say soy in Czech?

Anthony Bourdain declared Prague the land of pork when he visited the Czech Republic capital for his godsend of a TV show, No Reservations. While he may have a point, I found Prague to be fairly vegan friendly upon closer examination. At first glance, the streets of Prague are filled with all things pig; the grocery aisles all things dairy; the locals all things...chinchilla. Although the Edinburgh Tesco offers about 6 variations of non-dairy milk, I could not for the life of me find soy milk in the Prague Tesco. This might have been a language barrier though and for the record I now know that soy in Czech is sója but soy milk is sójové mléko. I'm still not convinced this information would have helped me though. As I was put up by Logan, the meat eater, I tried not to push the boundaries of my warm welcome and indulged in such vegetarian (but not vegan) delights as the local dumpling bread and smazeny, pronounced "shmaz". For as little as 25 crowns, smazeny is probably one of the best street vendor foods to soak up the alcohol in your stomach at 3 am. From what I could discern it consists of breaded, melted cheese with onions and condiments in between a hamburger bun. The bites I stole from Logan were totally worth the breach from veganism and I felt pretty cultured compared to the large group of wasted Americans next to me repeatedly yelling out for a cheeseburger.

As I explored the city, I began to see signs of a vegetarian-conscious underground often expressed through graffiti.

A chance encounter with an ad for a vegetarian restaurant prompted me to google the vegan food scene, despite the meat fuelled cries of Tony Bourdain, Logan, and local street vendors. Logan generously agreed to check out the vegetarian restaurant Maitrea on Valentine's Day. Maitrea is a sister restaurant to Clear Head (as seen in the advertisement) and offers an eclectic menu of veg and vegan delights sure to satisfy even the most pork addicted palate. I chose a pasta with soy-based imitation cream sauce, smoked tofu, and spinach. Although I usually avoid soy I recognize that I should be grateful for any type of a gourmet vegan meal in a formerly communist country where you ate what you got end of story. While the cream sauce was a bit too rich for my liking the smoked tofu was nothing short of inspired. Logan and I had to take home our rice pudding desert because we were too full but I highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Prague, vegan or not. The back of the menu also included a very helpful index of vegetarian terms like "tofu", "seitan" etc to clarify any questions for first timers. The staff was also very helpful and the general ambiance of the restaurant, filled with sanskrit writings and tea lights, made for a very relaxing experience. At around 450 crowns the meal was expensive for Czech standards but do the math and you'll realize 2 people stuffed themselves on Valentine's evening to the tune of about 25 dollars. Not bad.(Děkuji, Logan!)



PS If anyone can explain why a lot of the writing is in blue and how to make it not in blue I will be forever in your debt.

Pizza Night

I am currently in Edinburgh, Scotland and have much to report on the vegan scene here. Before this happens though, I want to say a little something about vegan pizza, something everyone can enjoy! That said, part of my mission is to educate people on the vegan lifestyle without shaming anyone out of the meat isle of the grocery store. Therefor I warn you this post contains graphic material of the meat eating variety. Some images may not be suitable for angry vegans.
What does this mean? It means I believe in adding vegan options to meals, not taking meat options away from my friends. I've converted many a mouth to my vegan baked goods and I thought I would try the same with pizza.
We made our own dough from scratch but this took a long time so I would recommend buying pizza dough from the store (just make sure there's no animal product in it). As well, whole wheat pizza crusts are really hard to make from scratch (they don't rise as well) so that's another reason to buy pre-made whole wheat dough. From there I mixed tomato sauce with pesto sauce. For the pesto I blended about 3 cups of basil, 3 cloves of garlic, 5 handfuls of walnuts, a little salt, and 6 tablespoons of olive oil. It looks kinda icky but it tastes DELICIOUS!
Meat-eater Logan and I making the dough (sometimes a little wine on the side is needed-or should I say kneaded?)

From there I added kalamata olives, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes. Next I placed strips of vegan cheese over the toppings. Again, I suggest using non-soy cheese, such as rice cheese or almond cheese. Don't forget that soya production can be just as devastating to the environment and our bodies as meat. However, pizza can be delicious without cheese too! Next time I will definitely try one without cheese but my dinner guests wanted to try one with vegan cheese- who was I to say no? I then sprinkled cilantro on top of the cheese. (Feel free to leave this out if you are one of those unfortunate souls who thinks cilantro tastes like soap)
Logan's pizza looks delicious! But it was also very very not vegan. He deserves some major props though for this masterpiece
Finally, our pizzas were done and everyone enjoyed them!
Update on Europe coming soon!

Final Seattle Post: Lark, Squid and Ink Review

Squid and Ink

The fam and I headed over to the Georgetown area of Seattle for breakfast the other day and my was it worth the drive off the island. In lue of my usual g-town routine, this adventure traded popped collars for gages and kid cudi for chris cornell. just the way i like it! squid and ink operates as an entirely vegan restaurant manned by one cook and one waiter by day and a jammin bar by night, offering several beers on tap and the Georgetown beer of choice, PBR. the walls are all black except for the occasional tag from a drunk patron and the only coffee you'll get here comes from a self-serve coffee maker in the corner. my waiter was in his mid-20s, had dreads bellow his knees, and spent the rest of his time talking with his red bearded friend at the bar about how he got beat up by a girl last night. i think i might be in love. apart from the ambiance, Squid and Ink offers some truly delicious but affordable 100% vegan grub. My dad opted for the fried steak and hash browns breakfast, my mother the "french kiss" french toast with a side of scrambled eggs (tofu). I got the homemade burger patty (one of the best I've ever had) on rye with caramelized onions and au jus dipping sauce. Apart from their excellent execution of usually carnivorous delights, Squid and Ink uses tasty and healthy spices like turmeric and cinnamon to complete the various dishes. Unlike Cafe Flora, the decor and service may not be top notch, but the food is first class and affordable, staying true to Georgetown's industrial roots.

Lark
Lark is a foodie's paradise and gave me one of the best meals I've ever had as a going away present. The menu changes according to season and it shows. Though expensive, it's worth it if you love food- maybe not if you like food, but definitely if you love food. Lark covers all matters of sin excluded from the Garden of Vegan (aka meat) and may not appear vegan friendly at first. Fortunately, the Lark staff can adjust their meals for the vegan pallate, concious of their very hip location in liberal Seattle. I cannot explain to you how delicious this meal was, except to say that all I had were sunchokes, mushrooms, and sorbet for dinner. Upon closer taste however, the sunchockes were lightly baked in garlic, salt, rosemary and thyme with a hint of lavender. The mushrooms were so thinly sliced and so delictately cooked that they tasted like noodles. And the sorbet was a homemade chocolate sorbet with bourbon maple syrup, pecans, and white chocolate flakes. If you are ever in Seattle I highly recommend visiting Lark, a slice of heaven on earth; the garden of vegan hidden among the weeds.

Snow Day!! Bananbrød og Varmt Smør Rom!!

I don't know much Danish but for some reason I feel like its more fun to talk about food in this language. Similarly, I like expressing the past-perfect tense in spanish. ANYWAYS, today it snowed all over DC and for once cocaine wasn't involved. I enjoyed myself by studying for finals andddd indulging in homemade vegan banana bread plus hot buttered rum (hopefully my translation was OK).
I make a small loaf of banana bread just big enough to warm two bellies on cold winter mornings. I mush up 2 bananas and then add 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance and coconut oil mixed together (oil optional), 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbs water to mimic an egg, lots of cinnamon, tiny pinch of salt, 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so and voila! afternoon delight
I recently came into the possession of some hot buttered rum mix from Whole Foods. Mix this with 1 tbs melted Earth Balance, 3/4 cup water, and a bit of rum and afternoon delight turns into late afternoon slumber. OR nix the rum, use vanilla almond milk instead of water and sip a seasonal treat everyone can enjoy.

Double V-Ture: Fall Food and Seattle Lovin

It's been a while since my last post, apologies friends!

FALLing In Love with Vegan
First on the list is fall food! Around the middle of October I went a little crazy with seasonal recipes and subsequently gained 10 pounds of squash, apple and pumpkin. It was worth every gourd.
Apple-Squash Bake
I highly recommend slicing up Honeycrisp apples with butternut squash. Place in baking dish, drizzle with agave nectar, a little bit of Earth Balance vegan butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place in oven at 350 and cook until tender (20 minutes give or take). YUM YUM YUM.
Carrot-Ginger soup
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger (I used bottled sushi ginger)
10 medium carrots
3 tablespoons olive oil (what up EVOO!!)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup hemp milk- just say NO to soy and YES to omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon agave syrup (maple syrup if you don't have agave)
little bit of salt n pepper ooh baby baby
1)basically you want to heat the oil, 2 tablespoons of broth, onion, ginger and garlic in a soup pan and saute for a few minutes
2)add the rest of the broth, hemp milk, pepper, honey, and carrots
3) bring to simmer and let carrots cook until they start to get mushy
4) let soup cool- no seriously...let it cool
5) use blender to puree ingredients 1 cup at a time
6) return soup to pot, heat it up and enjoy!!
although the recipe does not call for it, I added some melter Earth Balance for a slightly creamier consistency...this recipe takes patience (which I do not have) but it worth it!!
Vegan Chocolate-Pumpkin Cupcakes from the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"
my dude friends were impressed by this one- a great addition to a 4o and 10 cups
1 cup canned pumpkin- I used the pie filling
1/4 cup hemp milk
2 tablespoon coconut oil
8 tablespoon vegan chocolate chips- yes, vegan chocolate chips exist
3/4 cups granulated sugar OR 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup agave syrup (it works double time)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pastry flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking power
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1)Preheat oven to 350.
2)Mix wet ingredients together. Sift in dry. Stir with fork until just blended, fold in 6 tablespoons chocolate chips. Don't use a handmixer or overmix, batter will get gummy.
3)Fill cupcake pan and let bake 18 minutes.
4)At 18 minutes I take those bad boys out and put in the remaining chocolate chips into the center of the cupcake, they make a nice melter chocolate center when the cupcakes are done =) 5)Return cupcakes to oven for 4-6 minutes and then let cool.
6)I use the same frosting explained in my last post, except I add more cinnamon for a slightly spicy frosting.
Thanksgiving Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce (taken from Sunset magazine)
1 bag (12 oz.) cranberries, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 small sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1)In a medium saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, molasses, and thyme to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil, stirring often, until most cranberries pop, 5 minutes. Make sure to remove thyme.
2) At the point, it looks and tastes kinda icky and you're wondering if you should waste a pomegranate on it. Never fear friends! Put it in the fridge overnight (or at least a few hours) to let sauce solidify.
3) Mix in lots of pomegranates and refrigerate for another few hours, then enjoy!
Thanksgiving Cranberry Ginger Sauce (also from Sunset)
2 bags (12 oz. each) fresh or frozen cranberries, any soft or decayed berries discarded
2 1/2 cups sugar
Finely shredded zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I suggest using a cheese grater to those not in possession of my mother's coveted zester)
1)Combine all ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries have popped, about 20 minutes.
2) Let cool over night. Patience friends, patience.

Sleepless In Seattle- from too much vegan food!!!
Short review of some great vegan/vegetarian eateries in Seattle. There's more out there, trust me.
A few places I have NOT tried yet but are worthy of praise from hype alone:
Cortona Cafe: All I know is they serve vegan Belgian waffles. And that's all I really need to know, to be honest
Pizza Pi: Vegan pizza including a build-your-own option and numerous fake meats.
Thrive: It's as much about the ambiance as the food. Their mission statement reads "Our menu is a testament to the decadence of Raw foods, demolishing the myth that to eat healthy you must sacrifice deliciousness. O, not so. We're vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, fatigue-free, and wholly pro-bliss, pro-joy, pro-shine. Dare to be beautifully buoyant. Eat. Drink. Live. Thrive."
Georgetown Liquor Company: Fabulous food in Seattle's historically industrial and recently hip Georgetown area (for all my DC loves just think less collared shirts, more tats and piercings). Unfortunately you have to be 21 to enter, but rest assured should I turn 21 in my city of birth this year GLC is where I shall dine.
Squid & Ink: I hear they serve a mean breakfast. Plus, an every changing menu gives one awesome chef a lot of room for creative/gastronomic growth.
OK, now on to some places I do know!
Whole Foods- sure they're all over, but only NW Whole Foods offer a delicious vegan chocolate cake so tasty even the most carnivorous palate can't tell the difference.
Cafe Flora- ALL TIME FAVORITE VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT (with vegan options yay). Seasonal specials from local farmers plus a core menu that never lets me down. I highly recommend the bucket of yam fries with the vegan aioli sauce for an appetizer. Our family typically orders Vegetarian French Dip (available vegan), Oaxaca Tacos, or the Portabello Wellington (sadly not vegan). Great atmosphere and a friendly staff who will put up with my dad's anti-veg/pro-carnivore jokes. Although I am always full by the end of dinner, this place is such a treat I soldier through a decadent vegan chocolate layer cake or sorbet for dessert. Gluten free options for all courses available as well.
Plum: Located across the street from very hip apartments with huge windows and a yoga studio, this Capital Hill location offers entertainment value in location alone. I really respect their chef, Makini Howell, owner of another Seattle vegan institution, Hillside Quickie. She is definitely a visionary/pioneer in the Seattle vegan scene and takes risks in her vegan delights. That said, Plum still has some kinks to work out. They are currently not serving yam fries due to ventilation issues. I ask you, what is a vegan restaurant without fried sweet potatoes?? Second, they should change the name from Plum to Pepper, as everything on the menu is SMOKIN hot. They aren't kidding when they call it Spicy Mac n' Yease. As long as your prepared for the heat, the food offers a good blend of Asian/Cajun inspired vegan cuisine.
Remedy Teas: My lover took me here over the summer for my birthday and I must admit I was impressed with his choice. First of all, I loveee tea- and with all the health benefits, you should too! I got to sample brick tea for the first time, very exciting after reading about it in "Liquid Jade", a book on the history of tea. Even better, all of Remedy Tea's libations are organic. They also offer several vegan and non-vegan food options to go with your drankage. I recommend the vegan versions of the pesto cream and apple pie tea sandwiches, plus any of the vegan pastries offered for dessert.

Yowzahs is this a blog post or a novel?
XOXO V-Girl

Vegan Ingredients Everywhere Agree: Let's Get Baked!!

It's official, V Girl is now a V Goddess in the kitchen. OK, I might be getting ahead of myself with that statement but I must say my baking skills have gone from 0 to 60 faster than your daddy's m series beemer.
I recently discovered an organic vegan cake mix courtesy of Dr. Oetker (brand name, no actual doctors were involved). For my first try I used hemp milk instead of cow's milk but I found it a bit too earthy. This time around I went with vanilla soymilk (despite trying to get away from the soy) which gives a sweeter taste to these tasty treats. I have heard of many egg-replacers in my life time: applesauce, mashed bananas, silken tofu, etc. I read that 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water is equal to 1 egg. After baking 1 cobbler, 1 cake, 12 cupcakes, 12 mini brownie bites, chocolate and vanilla frosting in the last few days, I have to say I highly recommend the flax seed alternative. Not only is it heart healthy, it doesn't leave an awkward taste in my baked goods...eureka! I bought a fair sized bag of Bob's Read Mill ground flax seed at Whole Foods for less than 4 dollars and I'm pretty sure it will carry me through the semester. A pretty good deal when you consider the cost of an egg (on your wallet and your heart hehe). For butter I use Earth Balance vegan buttery spread, and for my "cream cheese" vanilla frosting it was as simple as 6 oz. toffuti cream cheese, 2 tbs vanilla extract and 3 cups of sugar blended together. The recipe called for 4 but after tasting this decadent topping I would even consider cutting it down to 2 cups of sweetness. I noticed the somewhat grainy nature of the frosting and used the left overs as a body scrub on my knees, elbows, feet, etc in the shower. It left me smelling sweet and not the least bit sticky!
Finally, for all of you non-vegan readers, you might be thinking "Only vegans would find her cupcakes delicious". Well, let me tell you!, this has not been the case, pally. All 3 cupcakes tasters were heterosexual carnivorous males and all enjoyed my cupcakes thank you very much. The same is to be said of the numerous people who enjoyed nomming on my chocolate cake earlier this week. To be clear, I'm not showing off, because my cooking skills are mediocre at best. The point is that vegan baked goods can be easy to make and fun to eat no matter your cooking skills or your taste bud preferences.