Vegan MoFo! Day 4: Stuffed Shells Because I Love You

This recipe is another one among my favorites, right up there with kale salad and Death Row Mac 'n Cheese. I must credit my former housemate, Muckford, for discovering the original recipe somewhere on the internet a while ago. I've modified it slightly, but only slightly. This is another one of those recipes that delights vegans, omnivores, and Italian families alike.

In fact, legend has it that one of my uncles, a lover of all dishes meat-and-cheese-related, had no idea this was vegan until I told him. After he ate a plateful. I believe his words were something like, "This is vegan, really?! It tasted exactly the same as regular stuffed shells." Hell, I'm betting even babies and dogs would love these shells, but please, please, don't test that hypothesis. Because I love it so much, let's repeat that one sentence real quick: "This is vegan, really?! It tasted exactly the same as regular stuffed shells."

I am tagging this as "students," too, because it can be made cheaply, and we all know students are poor.

The following, I share with you, because, CYoFC readers, I do love you. <3


V e g a n  S t u f f e d  S h e l l s

Ingredients:

About 40 jumbo shells
3 jars tomato sauce
2 pounds firm tofu
2-3 cups of baby spinach (optional)
1 & 1/3 cups low-fat vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons dried parsley
4 teaspoons dried basil
4 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder

NOTE: If you don't want to make this much (the above serves about 12), just halve all of the ingredients. Don't forget to halve the seasonings and salts, though!

Directions: 

• Cook the pasta according to directions the on the box
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
• Drain the tofu well and pat dry. With a fork (or potato masher), mash the tofu, vegan mayonnaise, nutritional yeast, salt and seasonings together until the texture resembles ricotta vegan cheese. Yep, no blender or food processor needed here. OPTIONAL: include 2 cups of baby spinach leaves in the mix before you mash it.
• Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a thin layer of pasta sauce. Using a small spoon, fill each shell with a scoop of the tofu mixture. Lay each stuffed shell gently on top of the pasta sauce, seam facing up. (FYI: The original recipe said seam facing down, so choose what you will.)
• When the baking pan is full, pour the rest of the tomato sauce evenly over the shells. Sprinkle with a small amount of nutritional yeast. OPTIONAL: gently arrange a baby spinach leaf over each shell. The vein of the leaf should run perpendicularly to the seam of the shell. This will make your tray of shells look prettier, and your friends/family may think these are actually basil leaves. Mine did. Extra cooking cred points, score.
• Bake for 30 minutes or so.  

This looks complicated and daunting, but really, the basic steps are 1) cook the pasta, 2) mash together the fillings, 3) put sauce and pasta in the tray, 4) fill pasta, 5) cover pasta with more sauce, 6) bake.

In da tray.

What do I mean by "jumbo shells," you ask? Here's a photo:  

There they are, looking all jumbo and menacing.

 

Yep, that's an American flag napkin. I made these for our 4th of July party like two years ago. When I was in preschool, I used to do stuff like refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing My Country 'Tis of Thee, so making "foreign" food on a patriotic holiday is pretty standard for me.

iMangia, my pretties! 

Love,
CYoFC

Vegan MoFo! Day 3: Green Thai Curry

Hey there! For my Day 3 MoFo post, I'm going to tell you about the green thai curry I made!

I mostly followed the recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance, but with a few "grad student changes" (i.e., skipping any ingredients that would break my poor grad student bank and adding some ingredients that were much cheaper).


Here are the changes I made to the chile paste:

• I didn't have fresh lemongrass so I skipped that part. Looking back, I think this was probably a vital ingredient.
• Rather than grinding coriander seeds and cumin seeds, I used the powder forms of both. 
• I didn't have fresh cilantro, which was also probably rather important. Need to start growing more of my own herbs. Right now we only grow mint at my house.
• Didn't have shallots, either, so I used yellow onion. Seemed to be fine.
• I added an extra Thai green pepper. What? I'm a glutton for heat.

And here are the changes I made to the rest of the recipe: 

• I didn't use tofu. I ate all of my tofu. Woops. The SO told me that baked tofu probably wouldn't have worked out in a curry dish anyway, although I disagree.
• I added chick peas. This made me feel better about the lack of tofu.
• I added eggplant. Eggplant is one of my favorite veggies to work with. 
• I added some sliced up carrot.

I served the finished product with jasmine rice. One thing I loved about this recipe, other than the ah-mazing taste, is that it made a lot. I'd say this yields about 4 hearty servings, if you make it the way I did with the extra veggies and jasmine rice. Next time, I'll aim to add shiitake mushrooms, too. I think the earthy shiitake flavors would make this even closer to perfect.

Also, I must say, I never realized how easy it is to make your own chile paste. I mean, it's basically just a few types of peppers + spices + water all ground up together. Again, I wonder how this simple fact evaded me for so long? I feel a new obsession coming on.

And now...for the food porn:

Chile paste, just waiting to be added to the coconut milk and simmered into glorious aromas.

Yep, there's some wafting happening up in here.

iViola! A dish that's pleasing to all of the senses.

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for day 4. I've got some good stuff coming up!

Vegan MoFo! Day 2: My Secret for Perfect Tofu

As a vegan of over 5 years, it's hard to believe I'd never made baked tofu...until yesterday.

Let me just say, wow. I tested out the recipe for Asian Style Baked Tofu in Veganomicon and it was probably the best tofu I'd ever tasted (I give Isa and Terry full credit!). Where has this recipe been all my life, and why did I wait until now to try it?

Succulent baked tofu, waiting to be added to a kale salad.

As for the "secret" tip to getting your baked tofu perfect (no matter which recipe you use), the trick is in the pressing*. Typically, I'll press my tofu for a mere 15 minutes, maybe 30 if I'm feeling ambitious. This time, however, I pressed for about 3 hours (flipping the tofu block over a few times throughout, so that the top and bottom sides get pressed equally). Pressing for longer, I found, created a firmer, chewier composition and a heartier texture. My boyfriend, who often makes baked tofu, noticed the difference, too. From now on, any time I'm going to work with tofu, I will press it for a few hours!

*For those not familiar, to "press" tofu, you must drain the water out of the package and then place the block of tofu between two hard surfaces. It usually helps if you wrap the tofu with thin cloth first - that way the moisture can absorb into the cloth and keep the tofu-hard-surface sandwich from falling apart.

Keeping it brief today; I'm at work for most of the day, then going to see Little Stranger tonight at Detroit Bar.

Vegan MoFo! Day 1

Happy World Vegan Day, everyone! What better day to say...I have an exciting announcement! I've signed up for Vegan MoFo, which means I'll be posting a food-related blog entry every weekday for the entire month of November. That's 22 entries! I'm pretty stoked, as this year, November promises many interesting food opportunities for me.

What are those opportunities, you ask? Well, first off, today my house got a brand new vegan roommate! We are already plotting to host our first vegan potluck this month. Date TBA.

Next on the list, I was the very lucky recipient of quarrygirl's Healthy Taste of LA 2010 drawing! This means I'll be heading to Redondo Beach on Nov 7th to watch renowned vegan chefs perform cooking demos and taste their samples. There will also be speakers on nutrition and veganism. I believe tickets can still be purchased, so if you're interested, here's some more info!

On Nov 14th, I'll be participating in the first annual Bitchcraft Trading Post. There, I'll be selling my cruelty-free jewelry and other products. While this isn't exactly "food-related" per se, art is one of the ways in which I like to disseminate knowledge about veganism.

Then there's Thanksgiving on the 26th. I'll be helping my mom with the cooking, and creating an entire vegan menu.

My birthday is Nov 27th. Hopefully the S.O. and I will be road tripping up to northern CA, where there will be lots and lots of vegan restaurants I've been dying to check out.

I've also got a few cooking projects brewing. Below, you will see my beautiful "pumpkin pie" pumpkin, which I hope to use for some vegan pumpkin pie. I'll also roast the pumpkin seeds, which went over smashingly at my Halloween party last night. (My recipe is at the very bottom. It's super easy and delicious, so you should try it!)

Next to a standard-size coffee mug, so you can get an idea of its size.

We're due for another CSA delivery soon, too, just in time for starting Vegan MoFo off fresh and local! I can't wait to see what's inside the box this time. I really, really hope we get more purple bell peppers. Those taste similar to the more typical bell peppers, but more "peppery" and they're also crunchier. The smell made me nostalgic for my late Grandfather's vegetable garden. He was always growing green bell peppers and marveling at their beautiful, shining skins and robust aromas.

Colors matter a lot to me. Purple is one of my favorite. So, naturally, I nearly jumped outta my shoes when we received this here purple pepper.

Speaking of peppers, I'm currently concocting my first, ever homemade curry paste! I'm following Isa Chandra's recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance, but with a few of my own tweaks. A word to the wise: if ever you choose to embark on such an endeavor, DO NOT touch your eyes or face after you touch the peppers, EVEN if you have washed your hands. Don't be like me and think that washing your hands will suffice. It won't. That capsaicin takes time to fully come off your skin. I touched my forehead tonight after chopping my jalapenos and Thai green chiles, and it was as though I'd applied Icy Hot to my forehead for the next hour. ;) Hey, come to think of it, perhaps I'll start using hot peppers instead of Icy Hot... (Kids, do not try this at home.)

R o a s t e d  P u m p k i n  S e e d s

Ingredients:

1 medium or large pumpkin

dried basil

garlic powder

ground thyme

ground cayenne pepper

dried rosemary

salt

Preheat oven to 350. Save the seeds after you remove them from the pumpkin. Rinse in a colander to get the pumpkin bits off. Spread them out on a cookie/baking sheet. Then sprinkle all of the spices onto your seeds. I always just wing it and go by what seems tasty, but if you're one for measurements, then I'd say to use about 1/2 tsp of each spice. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, checking occasionally. The finished seeds will be a golden color and slightly browned on the edges. Oh, and your kitchen will smell absolutely to-die-for fabulous.

Happy Dia de los Muertos!

The S.O. and I succeeded at making our jack-o-lantern creepy-looking, no?

Recipes: Kale Salad!

Just because I want to spread the magic, I'm going to tell you how to make kale salad.

....It's not just any salad, mind you...

...It's...

photocredit.

...kALe sALaD!

You'll love it, I know it. If you don't, you can send it over to me and I'll eat it. :)

But seriously, I am amazed at how many palates this salad has pleased. I made this as a side dish for Xmas dinner last year, and my entire family loved it - this, coming from a family comprised of much Italian heritage! (Yes, it's a little-known fact that I grew up on my late grandmother's cooking: homemade meatballs, manicotti, lasagna, you name it.)

This salad is also a favorite among my housemates and a lot of our friends. Speaking of whom, I must credit Everett for discovering this recipe on the good ol' internets a long time ago...Thanks for passing this along to us, Everett!

Without further ado:

K a l e  S a l a d:

Ingredients:
1 or 2 bunches of kale, rinsed and cut up
1 large carrot, chopped into slices
1 red pepper, diced
2 scallions, chopped into slices
1 4''x4'' square of baked tofu, chopped into little rectangles (Trader Joe's Teriyaki style is what I use)

Dressing:
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup Vegenaise (Follow Your Heart brand)
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk thoroughly.

Toss the vegetables and the dressing together in a large salad bowl.

Then tell me what you thought!

Kale salad with a side of organic pea shoots.

The handiwork of me, Shenee, AJ, & AJ's other half. photocred.

Animal Lovers Unite: Ask Obama To Save The Turkeys!

Animal Acres' own Turkey Lurky.

This post is somewhat of a follow-up to the previous post, in which I talked about animals' poor living conditions and ill fates in the zoo system. 

If learning about what orca whales go through at Sea World made you angry, or inspired you to reach out and make a difference, or both, then here's your chance. There's this relatively new Thanksgiving tradition at the White House in which the President "pardons" two turkeys; instead of allowing them to be slaughtered for a Thanksgiving dinner feast, he sends them to Disneyland. Okay, so what's the problem, right?

Here's the thing. While the President is effectively saving two turkeys from instant death each Thanksgiving, their futures are still pretty bleak: at Disneyland, turkeys still typically die within one year of their arrival. So why doesn't the President somehow ensure that the turkeys live long, happy, healthy lives? Well, here's where you and Obama come in.

This year, Farm Sanctuary is sending a (very polite, respectful) petition to President Obama, asking him to send this year's two turkeys to their safe farm in Watkins Glen, NY. There, the turkeys will spend the rest of their years playing and, well, doing whatever turkeys like to do (I can only say that I know what Turkey Lurky likes to do, which is follow volunteers around and "talk" to them). What's certain, though, is that at Farm Sanctuary, the turkeys will be given the kindest care, and they'll never, ever be used for human dinner. But we only have until November 15th to get this petition signed, sealed, and delivered, so please, if you want to spread some gratitude and love this Thanksgiving season, sign the petition now.

I mean, really, all they need is a newly-freed turkey up in there and it'd be the best frickin' photo ever. photocredit.

And hey, if you want, you can sponsor a turkey, too! The estimable Ellen DeGeneres, the vegan celebrity spokesperson for this year's Adopt-A-Turkey Project, is telling folks "Save a life this Thanksgiving, and join me in starting a new tradition by adopting a turkey instead of eating one through Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project." Check them out. Kima is pretty adorable.

Not convinced? Read this.

And if you really wanna go all out this Thanksgiving...   

photocredit.

Try some Tofurky! It's 100% vegan, which makes it a compassionate alternative to the actual bird. Oh, and it's quite delicious, I must say.

To give you an idea of what Tofurkey looks like when prepared. photocredit.

If you're serious about getting a Tofurkey product for Thanksgiving, then allow me to highly recommend going for the Tofurkey "feast," which comes with dumplings. Believe me when I tell you that my omnivorous family members were practically fighting me over who got the last dumpling! That's how good it is. :)

Thanks for reading!

Zoos: Like Being Thrown in Jail Simply for Being Born?

PETA recently tweeted about a baby orca whale who was born nine days ago at Sea World in Orlando, FL.

This article broke my heart and brought me to tears. The following quotes were particularly wrenching to me:

"As Katina approached the birth of her seventh child, she watched her first-born's [dead] body lifted from the tiny pool that is their home." (credit)

"Katina is used to replenish the performing stock for Sea World, as female dogs do in puppy mills, while Tillikum, captured from Iceland and once kept in Oak Bay, is isolated in a back pool as a living sperm bank." (credit)

"Katina's baby will have a life of limitation and boredom, knowing there must be more and never to feel the ocean in a storm, the slide of kelp over skin while playing "kelping" with friends and siblings, the taste of fat chinook salmon fresh caught after a chase or see the bright anemones in sunlit water. This baby's home will be a barren concrete tank." (credit)

How often do you yearn for the salty ocean air, or the freedom to travel to a new or distant place? More applicably, how often do you feel like you just want to go home? 

What if you never could?

It's like being thrown in jail for life simply for being born. Imagining this terrifies me, this lifetime of solitude from the world one knows. Perhaps equally chilling is the constant exploitation of reproductive systems, the separation of mother and child, and the perpetual motion of this entire process. After all, zoos have been around for ages.

Zoos are intended to provide entertainment and sometimes, education, to the general public (who are paying for this, either in the form of a ticket or, I assume, through taxes). But when we really stop to think about it, zoos are more similar to haunted houses than anything else, only nothing is fake.

Here's a thought: DID YOU KNOW THAT HUMAN BEINGS USED TO BE DISPLAYED IN SOME ZOOS**!??? That's right. In both America and western Europe, people who were considered "different," namely those of non-European descent, were kept in small areas for the paying public to watch. Many of the people displayed in these zoos were short in stature and of African descent (commonly referred to as "Pygmy" peoples). Around 1904, a white, American anthropologist named William McGee thought he'd "discovered" that whites were "superior to all other races," and to "prove" this to the public, he set out to Africa, conned a group of Pygmies to come back with him, then put them on display at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. Even though he never accomplished his goal of finding scientific proof that the Pygmy peoples were "less evolved" versions of human beings, he set the tone for racism in America and abroad. One of McGee's prized prisoners, Ota Benga, was later said to have shot himself in the head ten years after being put in this terrible anthropologist's "scientific" show. All things considered, it's not that surprising.
 
Human zoos. "Ethnic shows." Absolutely ludicrous, degrading, and disgusting, right? Totally and completely abominable, right?

It's like being thrown in jail for life, simply for being born.

I know that for most people, the horror of human zoos is far more terrifying and compelling than that of animals, but I bring it up to illustrate the dark similarities.

Now you might say, but animals cannot suffer like humans can, so it's not the same thing to keep them in zoos. 

Do they have to be exactly the same? Sure, there are differences between human animals and other animals, but the number of similarities is far greater. And they sure can suffer. Animals can feel pleasure, pain, and a variety of emotions. They communicate via a common language. Orca whales, as an example, live to be as old as humans and have tight family bonds.

But many species are kept from becoming extinct, thanks to the help of zoos, so zoos can't be that bad! 

To which I say, yes, while zoos can serve this important function, they also do a lot of harm to a lot of other species. Why not simply have wildlife preservations and sanctuaries for the animals who would benefit, and leave the rest to exist in their natural habitats? Why not use all the money that goes into zoos and put it toward said preservations and sanctuaries?

But what about the children? 

Educate them. Explain what happens to animals at zoos. Chances are, they'll catch on to these concepts rather quickly. Maybe they'll denounce zoos, maybe they won't, but my bet is that most kids won't be too keen on the idea of visiting a zoo once they understand. To quote the article, "Children are sensitive to injustice."

"Cowboy," a happy calf fella, makes his home at Animal Acres, a sanctuary in Acton, Ca. Here, he never has to worry about being used for veal.

What do you think about zoos? How does your dietary/lifestyle preference influence your opinion? I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this matter.

**I encourage you to watch the three-part documentary. It's eye-opening.