Sunday, January 30, 2011

Vegan Alfredo


My son Drew will eat spaghetti anytime. Really, anytime. Since he eats so few foods, I made it just for him yesterday. He can live on the leftovers for a few days.

Since I was boiling the spaghetti noodles anyway, I got the idea to make this Vegan Alfredo sauce from Vegan with a Vengeance. I freaking LOVE this recipe. ADORE it. Lick-the-plate-moaning love it.

The creaminess of the sauce must come from the pine nuts. Also, anything made with nutritional yeast is my BFF. Seriously, I could eat that stuff every day and marvel at the bright yellow-ness of my pee.

I always saute mushrooms to go with this dish, but this time, I felt like adding broccoli as well. How on earth could that go wrong? It just can't. I was not disappointed. I can't wait to eat the leftovers tonight for supper.

I haven't opened up my VWaV book in a while, and that's really a shame. I need to go back and make some more of those recipes again, and try some of the ones I haven't tried yet.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Curried Lentil Soup


This winter in Minnesota stuff is not for the weak. Right now it's 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperature is dropping. The next two days are going to be worse, with highs barely reaching zero, if they do at all.

Hanging in there....getting through this January stuff. I think I'm going to make it...

Last night I came across this recipe on Oh She Glows. So I made it. It was really easy. I have made soups like it before. Ah....the soothing sounds of my music, chopping onions and carrots, letting it simmer...

If we each have our own personal heaven, mine will smell like curry simmering on the stove.

The soup was good. Really quite good. But thick. And after a while, I got tired of all the lentils. I think that's the only way to explain it. I just didn't feel like chewing them anymore.

It looks like vomit, but many of the best dishes do.

I am sure I will make this soup again. But I may add more veggies, use less lentils, and add rice or couscous or quinoa. But then it will just be another soup. Oh, well.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Meat Meat Meat

I am right now writing an article for the paper on the new meat locker/processing plant/butcher shop/house of torture in town.

I knew this would happen ever since the building was first being planned. I live here. It's only natural they would ask me to write about it.

I waited for my boss to ask. I didn't offer it up.

I stressed about it a little for a week before the interview came up. I felt sad and torn and disgusted. What would I see? What would I have to hear about? Could I handle it? I almost turned it down and said no.

It wasn't too terrible. We sat in the front room so I didn't have to see anyone carve up a carcass. There was some blood on the owner's apron, but that's all. I didn't tell her I was vegan. I didn't say anything. I asked about the animals - turns out they are alive when they come and they "take care of everything from start to finish." Except, of course, when deer hunters bring in their already-dead deer.

It was hard, though. And the place smelled like death. If I would have heard a live animal in the back, I would have walked away.

I just don't get it. How people can look at the animal, living, breathing, scared, and then butcher it. How the pile of guts and blood and bones and tissues can be okay if it's a farm animal, but would be gross or wrong if it was your dog or cat. How these people can look at the meat and think that it looks tasty or delicious.

To me, it's absolutely no different than looking at roadkill and thinking it looks tasty.

Anyway, I survived. And now I am writing the article. Then I will be done with it all.

I wish I could write an article on a tofu factory. Or the new vegan restaurant in town. Ha!