Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 31 Dec 14 - 04:04 AMSciencegeek, lentil shepherd's pie is great! One of our staple meals during colder weather. For some reason potatoes and lentil go wonderfully together - very satisfying.
This is the recipe I use, which doesn't include mushrooms (though I think I will next time)
Lentil Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, sliced 2 sticks of celery, sliced 1 – 2 tbsp vegetable oil 8 oz / 250 g whole lentils (brown, green or speckled – just not the red split variety) 1 & 1/2 pints / 900 ml boiling water 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp yeast extract, Vegemite or Vecon 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp brown sauce 2 & 1/2 lbs / 1 kg potatoes a bunch of spring onions, finely sliced 2 oz dairy-free margarine (and a little extra to dot over the top of the mash) A splash of non-dairy milk to let down the mash 2 tsp course cornmeal / polenta 1 tsp paprika
Method:
Heat oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion. Once softened add the sliced carrots and celery and continue to saute for a few more minutes. Add the lentils, water, black pepper, tinned tomatoes, rosemary and brown sauce. Bring to boil, lower the heat, put on lid, and simmer for about 45 minutes or til most of the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are tender. Remove the rosemary stalks and tip into an ovenproof dish.
While the lentils are cooking peel and chop the potatoes. Add to a large pan with plenty of boiling water, bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and soft when pierced with a knife. Strain the potatoes and mash them well with the spring onions, margarine and a splash of non-dairy milk.
Spoon the champ over the lentils and fork the surface. Sprinkle the paprika and cornmeal evenly over the mash, add a sprinkle of salt then dot the surface with a few teaspoons of dairy-free margarine.
bake at 190C for 30 – 40 minutes, until the centre is piping hot.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: sciencegeek Date: 31 Dec 14 - 04:58 AMwhat I find fascinating is the origins of the variety of foods coming from so many different parts of the world... and climates.
Potatoes and peas in an Indian curry, tomato sauce with pasta...
the list gets pretty long without even trying.
what I find distressing is the increasing number of folks with food allergies... there is something going on, environmental or cultural or a mix of both, that is not good. This is an area in great need of good research.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 31 Dec 14 - 09:31 AMFor those interested in reducing their meat consumption but not inclined to go the whole way, the idea of 'Weekday Veg' might appeal.
It's pretty simple, five days a week no meat fish or fowl, then at the weekend you eat whatever you want to.
I think it's quite a sensible and easy way to structure meat reduction. I guess it's the natural step up from meat-free mondays (if any of you currently do that?)
Here's a short Ted Talk from the guy who created the eco site 'Treehugger' describing how he decided to reduce his meat consumption by 70%:
http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,sciencegeek Date: 31 Dec 14 - 09:45 AMI can get artichoke hearts in bulk, so was looking for different ways to use them... this should be nice after so much heavy eating:
Angel Hair Pasta with Artichokes, Olives, Tomatoes, and Capers
•1/2 lb angel hair pasta, cooked per instructions •1-2 tbsp olive oil •2-3 cloves of garlic, minced •1 cup of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed •1 cup of grape tomatoes, diced •1/2 cup black olives, sliced •1 tbsp capers, rinsed •Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste •2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped •Parmesan cheese, shaved Cook the pasta in water per instructions. Make sure you season the water with sea salt before cooking the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked/drained pasta to the skillet, season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, add the basil and some Parmesan cheese then toss to coat evenly. Taste and re-season if needed. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 31 Dec 14 - 11:12 AMArtichoke hearts are lovely with pasta or on pizza. It's a little bit harder to get hold of them here in the UK though, I've never seen them frozen anywhere.
Usually I find Lidl the best place for getting them in jars - along with lots of other 'world food' pickles and preserved vegetables. Aldi stock them too, but their isle of preserved veggies tend towards smaller jars rather than the big value ones Lidl stock. Hmm, must make a trip to Lidl and get some goodies in, in the new year..
I find artichokes also go really well with cannellini beans in particular, whether mashed on bread, or in a salad or served with pasta.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,sciencegeek Date: 31 Dec 14 - 11:26 AMat the buying clubs here I can get Berkley & Jensen brands in large jars. Marinated artichoke hearts is my favorite. The plain hearts are nice for making "artichoke french" - a western NY form of piccata. Sauted in egg wash and served witha nice lemon sauce.
No green salad is truely complete without my marinated vegetables... mushrooms, artichokes, gardenia.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 31 Dec 14 - 01:28 PMThis morning I reviewed all of my posts in this thread and skimmed the rest in general as a reminder of what I've shared and asked so far. It's more than two months old and I read so much here at Mudcat that I don't remember everything I wrote on a given topic, though I do know myself well enough to guess what I probably wrote. About my organic garden, itemizing my crops, about my general food choices and eating less meat than I used to. Check.
This is an interesting thread, and (skipping over a few posters who dropped in just to snipe) the subject has moved forward in a productive way. For those who are vegan, a lot of recipes and sources of information have been shared, and for those who are considering vegetarian eating or a moderated diet including just certain types of meat/poultry/fish/dairy products, sources and discussion will aid that decision. Good links, lists of books, and recipes have been shared.
I don't make new year's resolutions because that seems a sure-fire way to set oneself up for failure, but I do foresee continuing the reduction of meat in my diet. I don't eat as much beef for health reasons, but reducing the poultry and other meats (lamb and pork) will be for a mix of cost and ethical reasons - finding organic meat isn't easy and it always costs more. The way big companies raise poultry is an abomination and feed lots for four-legged meat sources are equally awful. I see myself favoring the wild-caught pesectarian approach, with milk and eggs there also.
I thought about some of the recipes I've adopted over the years because they use many types of my garden produce. For example, a recipe from Cyprus that has pork simmering in onions and tomatoes covered in the oven for 90 minutes, then adding browned quartered eggplant on top and baking for another hour. This is eaten with rice or mashed potatoes, but how good would it be to make it without the meat and serve it with falafel balls or lentil patties? Or add lentils to the liquid and let it all cook into a sort of lentil stew. Probably excellent and the tomato, onion, and eggplant come from my garden. Lidia of Italy has a summer simmered sauce that uses all of these things plus fresh basil - no meat in her recipe - that I can (process) in small jars to use year-round. Organic home-grown foods are my eating preference.
I can easily choose to not eat meat several days a week, and often (as stated above) the meat is part of a more complex dish, a casserole or sauce. It could be substituted out. For a health-conscious diet, other things that need to be reduced that also have some ethical issues are white flour products (because of both GMO wheat and the unhealthy carbs of processed white flour), foods with high fructose corn syrup (because despite the protestations of the pundits, not all sugars are equal), adulterated foods from abroad (many American producers now ship raw materials to China to be processed and returned because the labor is so much cheaper, but the oversight is also lax). Local honey instead of the mess that comes from China, and if I didn't have a good source of Middle Eastern olive oil, there are some excellent varieties coming out of California now.
I am allergic to coconut, so any of the things that are used for substitution must be free of the meat or oil. (I also have to avoid it in soaps, shampoo, lotions, etc.) This is why cow's milk is a better option for me than coconut milk, and soy milk isn't something I am interested in any more. Between the GMO beans and the addition of whitening agents, it isn't really healthy. I haven't looked at almond milk, but know it takes a lot of water to grow those California almonds to turn into "milk."
Being a locavore in addition to whatever level of vegetarian as much as possible means knowing the sources of food and aiming at organic origins. These are all part of my concerns as an American eating from the American food supply these days.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,sciencegeek Date: 31 Dec 14 - 01:55 PMyesterday I was on the phone with a farmer and the conversation drifted over to the pressures placed on them to "get bigger", just to stay in business, much less competitive. He had started small and wished he could have stayed that way.
A major issue is that you lose direct control over the operation when you must rely on others to take care of things. He cares for his animals and land, whether his own or rented, but if he had it do over he probably wouldn't do it. He's working for the bank, not himself at this point.
Bigger is not better: it's just bigger. But it's the way the "system is rigged these days by short sighted politicians and regulators. The little guy is left to fend for themselves unless they can become "too big to fail"...
I'll give him credit for this - the reason he called was because he needs to renew his permit for creating a wetland on his land as part of the USDA- NRCS wetland reserve program. They ran out money for this fiscal year and have to wait for more funds before his project can go forward.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 31 Dec 14 - 04:23 PM"I thought about some of the recipes I've adopted over the years because they use many types of my garden produce. For example, a recipe from Cyprus that has pork simmering in onions and tomatoes covered in the oven for 90 minutes, then adding browned quartered eggplant on top and baking for another hour. This is eaten with rice or mashed potatoes, but how good would it be to make it without the meat and serve it with falafel balls or lentil patties? Or add lentils to the liquid and let it all cook into a sort of lentil stew. Probably excellent and the tomato, onion, and eggplant come from my garden. Lidia of Italy has a summer simmered sauce that uses all of these things plus fresh basil - no meat in her recipe - that I can (process) in small jars to use year-round. Organic home-grown foods are my eating preference."
This is a good sound policy to adopt. Working out how to adapt dishes you already make and enjoy so that they can be done either by simply omitting the meat altogether (as you say, in a recipe which has lots of flavoursome ingredients this may work fine) or finding something else to put into the dish to help beef it up a bit. Pulses often work well in this context.
I make a moussaka that omits the meat element and doesn't replace it with 'veggie mince', lentils or anything. Because it's chock full of lovely beefy aubergines, a rich tomato sauce and thick sliced potatoes, there's simply no need to bother switching anything for the meat. Family members have said it's as good as anything they've had on holiday in Greece.
Sometimes with classic traditional dishes, you will find that there's a "poor man's" version already in existence that doesn't contain the meat element. They may include beans or potatoes instead. You may have to search for these traditional dishes outside of mainstream US based recipe sites though as Americanised versions of traditional 'old world' dishes, are often much richer in meat and dairy than their 'peasant' origins (not always the case, but often). "Lenten" dishes for religious fasting days, are another good source for vegetarian alternatives to traditional dishes. You will find plenty of these if you search about a bit.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 01 Jan 15 - 03:26 AMMore bad news for red meat consumption, according to a recent study researchers have identified the molecule which causes a harmful autoimmune response in animals (ie: humans) whose bodies don't possess it.
Red Meat Molecule Identified Increases Cancer Risk
Red meat has been known to increase the risk of heart disease with its high saturated fats, but it's also linked to higher cancer rates, and scientists didn't know why until now.
[..]When researchers took a closer look at red meat, they found the sugar molecule Neu5Gc may be the culprit. It's found in most mammals except for humans, which is why when we ingest it our bodies it disrupts our system. [...]
this newly-discovered sugar molecule caused spontaneous tumors formed five times as faster than mice that didn't consume it. Their immune systems generated antibodies to fight the foreign Neu5Gc molecules, which caused inflammation known to fuel and accelerate tumor formations.
"The final proof in humans will be much harder to come by," Varki said. "But on a more general note, this work may also help explain potential connections of red meat consumption to other diseases exacerbated by chronic inflammation, such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes."
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 01 Jan 15 - 03:36 AMWe've already mentioned vegan athletes like Carl Lewis, but this one's a bit different.
English chap called Tim Leiff AKA 'Livewire' whose a world class exponent of Parkour / Free Running. Worth watching just for the woo factor.
He also promotes a vegan diet on his site:
https://www.youtube.com/user/99timshi/videos
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 01 Jan 15 - 11:45 AMFor those who observe 'hogmanay' they may be interested in vegan haggis. Yes I know haggis is supposed to be made with all kinds of sheep's gooey bits and bobs, but homemade vegan haggis can be surprisingly tasty - at least we think so.
Here's the recipe I use. Lots of good wholesome ingredients like oats, beans and barley are involved as well as all the traditional pepper and spices. It is a bit of a faff, but it makes a BIG batch that you can freeze and reheat for lots of other meals. It's also cheap as chips, if not cheaper.
You can even use it as a basis for veggie shepherds pie, or to stuff vegetables. Or just use it to top a baked spud and have baked beans on the side. We like to pan fry it and serve it with mashed neeps and tatties and lots of steamed greens.
Vegetarian Haggis Recipe Ingredients
150g pearl barley 250g aduki beans, soaked overnight in water 200g spilt yellow peas, soaked overnight in water 250g pinhead oats 100g mixed nuts 4 tbsps olive oil 4 bay leaves 2 onions 2 medium carrots 2 sticks celery 4 cloves garlic 3 sprigs rosemary 250g mushrooms 2 heaped tsps ground allspice 1-2 heaped tsps ground white pepper (to taste, but it needs to be tasteable) 1/2 whole nutmeg, finely grated Sea salt to taste 750ml good quality veg stock 2 lemons, juiced
Method Toast the oats and nuts in a hot oven (180°C) for 25 minutes. Or you can roast the oats and nuts in individual batches, but more quickly, in a dry frying pan (keep stirring so they do not burn). Chop or process the nuts into fine dice (not a powder). Set the oats and nuts to one side.
Cook the pearl barley in boiling water until tender but with some bite left. This is important for the texture of the finished dish. You can pressure cook it for 20 mins or cook according to packet instructions for about an hour. Test frequently so that you do not over cook the barley. Drain and put to one side.
While this is cooking cook the well soaked pulses together in a saucepan. Don't try to cook these unless they've been properly soaked overnight. Cook in just enough water to cover and top up as necessary. Don't add any salt or acid or you will toughen them. Drain and put to one side.
Finely chop (or food process to fine dice) the vegetables and rosemary. Heat the olive oil in a wide based pan to a medium heat and add the bay leaves. Stir for a minute or so. Then add the vegetables (not the mushrooms) and the chopped rosemary. Sauté over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then cover and turn down to low and sauté for 15 minutes. You want the vegetables to sweat but not to colour.
Add the mushrooms and stir well. Re-cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes or so.
Add the spices to the vegetables and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add the pearl barley and pulses and stir well to incorporate. Taste and season with salt if required. Add enough vegetable stock to create a slightly sloppy consistency. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes for the flavours to amalgamate.
Add the oats and nuts to the mix and stir well. Add more stock which will get absorbed by the oats. Simmer the mix for 30 minutes over a very low heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. You may need to add a little more stock or water depending on how good a seal your pan lid makes.
You should end up with a fairly dense but not solid mix at the end of this time. Check the seasoning and add what you need along with the lemon juice.
http://www.carllegge.com/2012/01/vegetarian-haggis-recipe/
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 01 Jan 15 - 12:09 PMYour link to the mice study is to a popular science publication. It is full of flabby statements and weasel words. Of course, the original science so badly described by the article may be good science for all I know (I'll look it up as long as it doesn't cost me anything), but I can tell you straight away that there's no spectacular breakthrough afoot..
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 01 Jan 15 - 12:12 PMWhat publications would you recommend as worthwhile online sources for current research?
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 01 Jan 15 - 12:40 PMYou need to go to the peer-reviewed source. Simple as that. I looked at the abstract in PNAS (I don't think I can access the whole thing unless I subscribe). What I glean from it is that the mice were considerably mucked about with in order to be experimented on. I also know that it is extraordinarily tricky to extrapolate results obtained on mice being kept in artificial, experimental conditions to human beings. What's more, there was a conflict of interest involving two of the workers. What I would be wanting to know from the full study is the size of samples, the duration of the experiments, the nature of control experiments and the full data subjected to statistical scrutiny. You should never take popular science journalism as gospel, no matter how enticing it seems and how much it confirms prejudices. I'm not saying it can never be good. I'm also not saying that the science in this study is bad. The scientist in me is naturally sceptical whenever dramatic breakthroughs are claimed. Somehow, they always seem to fizzle out.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 01 Jan 15 - 12:46 PMHow about this. I'll continue to post current stuff from the popular press relevant to the topic of this thread, and you can continue to debunk it? ;-P
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Jan 15 - 12:46 PMIf you do find a for fee publication post the full citation here and I'll see if I can reach it through my university databases. I agree - it takes some filtering to get past some of the full articles that actually hinge on a single small statement but have a lot of padding added. One of the more frustrating aspects of the Internet - anyone can post anything and name their site anything. You'll save time if you start your search in Google Scholar.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 01 Jan 15 - 12:58 PMI was being constructive. I have a science background and I know weasel words when I see 'em!
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Jan 15 - 03:59 PMI never said you weren't being constructive - I offered to look for your citations to save you money because the university already pays for the access.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 01 Jan 15 - 04:42 PMI didn't mean you, Maggie. 'Twas CS I was coming back to.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Jan 15 - 05:40 PMSome of those bogus sites look awfully authentic - it takes debunking the "weasel words" and logical fallacies to find the useful information.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 01 Jan 15 - 06:18 PMThe beauty of peer-reviewed science is that you know that it has been subjected to keen scrutiny by people who are just as qualified as the authors. The trouble with popular science journalism is that its quality not only depends on the scholarship of the author but also on the editorial standards of the publication, and there is no peer reviewing. There is also the potential for conflict of interests apropos of advertisers. Don't get me wrong: some of it is very good, adhering to standards of high integrity. But you do need the critical skills to see the wheat from the chaff. Weasel words are always a red alert. "Experts have discovered..." "Scientists are now saying that..." "the dramatic discovery that..." And always look out for the deliberate, attention-grabbing headline. You get none of any of that in real science. It's worth looking up the term weasel words on Wiki.
Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Jan 15 - 10:01 PM
You're right. My academic background is an MA in English MA and Environmental Ethics (philosophy). There is pleasure in tracking down good citations, in looking at someone's use of material and going to the original source to learn more. This kind of scholarship can lead to accusations of pedantry when you're looking at popular culture publications. Sticking with good journals and newspapers is one way to generally avoid the nonsense, but there are plenty of people willing to totally buy junk science. Keep pushing back, describe lucidly why the junk is junk and make the truth understandable, and be nice to people who made the error.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 02 Jan 15 - 10:03 AMI find, because my imagination and organisational skills need a little help, that I work best with a rough idea of what I'm going to cook each day. So my menu planning this year is going to look something like this. I find it helps, especially if you've got to plan ahead, as you often do to cook veggie stuff. When cooking meat I find you often don't have to think much about it, but eating mostly vegetarian does take a bit of forethought, hence I do recommend using the internet or cookery books and having a rough menu plan within which you can allocate dishes for the weeks and months ahead:
Fridays are usually slated as 'curry night' any kind of rich spicy dish anywhere can fit in here, in fact I'd like to do a bit more in the way of hot African stews with rice.
Saturdays are 'burger and chips' veggie style with homemade bean burgers and home baked oven chips, plus a nice green salad.
Sundays are 'potatoes and gravy' day, with anything from a nut roast to pies as the main with lots of greens and carrots.
Mondays it's anything I haven't tried cooking before. Could be Korean noodles or Greek pie. Or indeed anything that doesn't fit into my other days.
Tuesdays we often have a thick beany dish, like the hopping john, chilli or boston baked beans. Often served simply with baked potato and slaw. I like these kinds of dishes as they're easy to cook in bulk and freeze ahead.
Wednesdays is stew, casserole or cobbler - something 'British' feeling.
Thursdays is pasta. Spaghetti, lasagne, fusilli, whatever.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 02 Jan 15 - 10:19 AMFurther to the freezer and prepping ahead. Bean burgers are also great for this. I do a big batch of bean burgers and open freeze on trays then pack them into bags to story. Any type of classic combination can be used.
- If for example you love hummus or falafal, think about a chickpea and cumin burger covered in sesame seeds; serve in buns with a nice greek salad on the side and some herby home made chips. - Or maybe a black bean and sweetcorn burger served on buns with a spicy salsa. Chips tossed with chilli powder. - Curried lentil patties, beefed up with some rice in there too. Put in buns with raita and some of that Indian curry house onion and cucumber salad. Colour your chips golden with some turmeric. - Minted pea patties, made with dried whole peas or green split peas and lots of mint and parsley. - Or Christmas burgers made with dried chestnuts, parsnip and sage.
You can do anything you fancy. But the mixture will need plenty of seasoning as well as a good amount of filler in the form of breadcrumbs and / or oatmeal in order to hold it's shape.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,gillymor Date: 02 Jan 15 - 11:27 AMThanks all, for the suggestions for black eyed peas. I added smoked paprika and minced baby bellas, a bit of worstershire sauce, an extra vegetable bullion cube (in about 2# of peas and lots of veggies) and got something close to what I was looking for. I'm going to use some of the other suggested ingredients in the future. I also added three fresh caught Spanish Mackerel (I guess I'm a pescetarian), not to the peas but to the grill, to the feast which also went over big. All that and lots of Cava, Vinho Verde, music and a resounding victory by Oregon in the Rose Bowl made it a memorable day.
CS, curried lentils with brown rice are a staple of mine, how can I bind them up into patties? Thanks.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,Ed Date: 02 Jan 15 - 11:38 AMYour 'Christmas burgers' sound delicious, CS.
What sort of beans do you use? Haricot?
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Jan 15 - 12:22 PMI love black beans, and make a general mix that I use during the week for tacos, burritos, etc that is half beans, half hamburger (I grind my own roasts, I never buy ground meat any more). I could probably just as easily make that without the beef and have the seasoned beans for the same use.
I don't have nights when different things are cooked, I cook on the weekend then use leftovers during the week. But I fix things that are adaptable to different uses, like the beef/bean mix described. I love beans over rice, and beans can easily be made without a meat ingredient (though we get back to the hamhock question again - putting the smoke in the dish - smoked paprika in beans would be excellent). Pinto beans are popular here in the south but I prefer red kidney beans, or the aforesaid black beans.
I use small jars (kept from salsa, peanut butter, salad dressing ,etc.) to freeze about 10 - 12 ounces of beans in each, then when I make lunch to take to work I use rice from the fridge, take a jar of beans from the freezer, and add whatever fruit or other item to the padded lunch bag. By lunch I usually still have to microwave the beans to thaw them. Include a small container of green tomato relish to spoon on top of the plate and it is perfect.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 02 Jan 15 - 12:31 PMGillymor: "CS, curried lentils with brown rice are a staple of mine, how can I bind them up into patties? Thanks."
Hi Gillymor!
I tend to make my burgers by 'having a go' rather than following recipes. Lentils can be horribly sloppy though, so I'd cook them so that they're 'just' done, or in other words, 'not quite' done. Then drain them thoroughly and let cool, before mixing into other ingredients.
I would probably include an egg in the mix. As well as plenty of cooked and drained short-grain rice (nice and starchy) and some oatmeal or breadcrumbs to thicken to a good 'playdough' type of consistency.
Shove loads of curry powder in there. And plenty of other seasoning like herbs, salt and pepper. Lentil dough isn't too exciting in its natural state!
Typically I chill the mixture well before trying to shape into patties. I find this helps make the mix a bit more friendly.
You can either then just douse in flour before frying, or do the whole flour, egg and breadcrumb routine. I do both.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 02 Jan 15 - 12:42 PM
From: GUEST,Ed Date: 02 Jan 15 - 11:38 AM"Your 'Christmas burgers' sound delicious, CS.
What sort of beans do you use? Haricot?"
Ed, I'd just use whatever you have. If you have a tin of butter beans, or red kidney, use them. Chickpeas would be just as good.
I'd roughly chop the 'key' ingredients like roasted parsnips (if not roasted then grate them instead) and cooked chestnuts. Try to ensure there's not too much moisture in there by draining or mopping with kitchen towel. You could add in dried cranberries too. Set aside.
Add a good mixture of oats and breadcrumbs - as well as lots of herbs and seasoning - to your mashed bean mix to turn to a 'playdough' consistency. An egg can help to bind it all. Or some flax seeds if vegan.
THen gently squidge in your 'set aside' ingredients.
Shape flour and fry. Or shape, flour, egg, breadcrumb and fry.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,gillymor Date: 02 Jan 15 - 12:45 PMThanks for the ideas, CS and Happy New Year.
Black Bean-Sweet Potato Burritos. Two of my favorite foods in one great dish.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Jan 15 - 12:52 PMThere are two approaches to cooking dried beans. If you're making hummus, soak then cook the beans then pop off the pulses (for a creamy texture) then add ingredients and puree. But if you're making falafel, soak the peas, pop off the pulses, DON'T COOK them before grinding and making your dough, then they cook when they are in the hot oil. I imagine you could make a similar approach with lentils if you want to make a patty that you are going to fry.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 02 Jan 15 - 01:16 PMHere's a Veggie Burger 'Formula" from the Meat Free Athlete site. It may help with working out a mix that appeals to you, without relying on a fixed recipe as such:
Veggie Burger Formulae
Though I'd reinforce the importance of i) seasoning, ii) using wholegrain starchy fillers to achieve a 'playdough' like consistency, iii) draining / blotting everything well, iv) chilling thoroughly before shaping and frying, and v) seasoning!
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,gillymor Date: 02 Jan 15 - 01:50 PMThose formulas look interesting. Lots of room for personalization.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters + diabetic challenges From: freda underhill Date: 02 Jan 15 - 09:37 PMVery interesting thread. There are lots of recommendations on this thread, and many yummy recipes.
I've been vegetarian since 1973, but like you Chanteyranger I went onto a no-carbs, plant based diet 4 months ago. I too have diabetes type 2 and since adopting this eating style my blood sugar levels have halved and are now normal. I follow Dr Joel Fuhrman's nutritarian diet which can be summarised as concentrating on greens and beans - with some fruit, large serves of seeds and some nuts daily, and no carbs (grain based products).
This has been a tough change but I have averted going on insulin and have reversed some of the symptoms of diabetes, though I haven't yet eliminated it.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: freda underhill Date: 02 Jan 15 - 09:38 PMps grains have been substituted with legumes..
freda
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 03 Jan 15 - 03:48 AMThis weekend I'm doing a bit of batch cooking.
Today I'm making Boston Baked Beans (linked to somewhere below) - I put whole 500g bag of haricot (navy) beans in a large pan to soak overnight. I'll boil these this morning and then I'll bung them with everything else into the slow cooker for a couple of hours.
I'm also making up the vegan Haggis mixture I linked to below - some adzuki beans and split peas were put in an even bigger pan of water to soak overnight. I'll boil up a bit of barley with these. Then I'll use the processor to blitz some nuts and toast those with some oats till nicely brown. Onions, carrot, celery and mushies will also be blitzed in the processor and then sauteed. All the mixture will be mixed together with lots of herbs and spices. Makes loads and will last us several weeks cooked from the freezer.
Both these dishes will be portioned up and frozen for future meals (I save up stuff like icecream tubs for doing this)
Tonight I'll soak some black beans to make a huge pan of veggie chilli - lots of onion, peppers and sweetcorn will go into that as well as cumin, chocolate and chilli for lots of flavour.
These are all big batch dishes I've made before so I know what I'm doing, which helps to speed things along a bit when dealing with larger quantities. But today I'll also look for something else to cook that I've not tried doing before so I can expand the range of recipes I know. I might for example have a think about doing something like a veggie cassoulet with cannellini beans and tomatoes. I might portion this us into little enamel tins. for reheating in future weeks.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,Ed Date: 03 Jan 15 - 06:22 AMCS,
I've really enjoyed reading your recipies on this thread.
I very much doubt if I'll ever become vegetarian, let alone vegan (cheese, butter and eggs are amongst my very favourite things). However, I should eat more healthily and you have given me some inspiration.
Thank you.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 03 Jan 15 - 07:47 AMYou're welcome Ed, I'll no doubt keep updating and use this thread as a future reference for things I want to try.
To be honest it's probably just as easy to eat a 'bad' vegetarian diet as it is a bad meat based diet. Three are plenty of vegetarians who don't do things right. Subsisting on pot noodles and crisps for example and not making sure they're getting decent nutrition.
The key really - for meat eater and veggie alike - is to try to incorporate more of the good fresh natural wholefood stuff into your diet and try to minimise processed foods full of unnecessary additives.
The classic vegetarian staples such as pulses, vegetables, whole-grains, nuts and seeds all have lots of good things going for them. Fibre, minerals, antioxidants and so-on. The papers love to call these things 'superfoods' when in fact their really just plain old 'ordinary foods' that haven't been stripped of their goodness and turned into something unrecognisable.
Apart from the health benefits such simple foodstuffs provide, they're also - typically - very cheap. So even if you find you''ve tried a batch of say Cajun black-eye beans and you decide you don't like it, you've probably only spent a couple of quid altogether.
The only real downside to this kind of cooking, is time. It does take a bit of time to faff around with wholefoods. But once I know what I like and how to do something. I balance that out by doing batch cooking for the freezer. Like today. In fact my haggis is on the stove now. Off to finish it off..
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 03 Jan 15 - 11:21 AMYou are not on a no-carb diet just because you restrict yourself to nuts, fruit and greens. Plants are rich in starch and/or sugars (think juicy fruit) as well as the oils in some seeds. Starch and sugars are carbohydrates.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 04 Jan 15 - 04:38 AMVegetarian diets are associated to a number of spiritual and religious disciplines. An interesting form of vegetarian cuisine that I haven't really explored before is 'Ital' (from the word 'Vital') Rastafarian cooking. Ital focuses on natural whole foods, and shuns processed foods. Lots of herbs and peppers are used, but typically no salt or sugar. SEe more here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2013issue1/2013_issue1_jamaican_ital_cuisine.php
"Jamaican cuisine has been influenced by its slavery era and a variety of cultures including China, India, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Its food includes everything from boiled green banana to mango chutney. Most Jamaican food includes meat of some kind, but ital food is an exception. Ital cuisine involves a natural way of cooking, developed by Rastafarians. Typical ital food does not include red meat and is prepared to enhance a healthy lifestyle. Since the 1940s, Rastafarians have disapproved of processed food. Herbs and hot peppers like Scotch bonnet are a frequent substitute for salt. Sugar is usually avoided, and only a little dark raw sugar sweetens some food on occasion. Though vegan food wasn't popular in 1970s mainstream Jamaica, it wasn't unusual for Rastafarians to make their own tofu, veggie mince, and soymilk from scratch. Now, a whole generation has lived to see ital become a more accepted part of Jamaican cuisine. Generally, ital ingredients are directly from the Earth, and local markets are a popular place to find fresh vegetables. It's common for some Rastas to blend their own herbs and spices to create flavor specific to their taste. Traditional ital food includes beans, peas, callaloo, and coconut, which are part of traditional Jamaican cuisine as well. Ital is thought to be a take on the word vital, and means natural, organic, fresh, and pure. For Rastas, the choice to eat ital is a spiritual decision that can be for health reasons, or as a way to respect the lives of fellow animals. Despite the general guidelines, there aren't rigid rules about what to eat or how to make ital food. In fact, there is a tendency to experiment with food. If an ingredient isn't available, then some Rastas will try something else. Food can be influenced by other cultures. For example, Ghanaian peanut stew can get the Jamaican treatment with scallions, thyme, coconut milk, and callaloo added."
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 04 Jan 15 - 04:43 AMHere's a song about Ital from vegan Rasta Macka B:
Wha Me Eat - Macka B
This is what Macka eats..
[Intro] Selamta (Greetings in Amharic) Ital (natural) we Ital and Vegan we Vegan I and I (we) eat from the earth and leave the animals to give birth No deaders (dead flesh) No fur No feathers When I tell people I don't eat meat, fish or dairy They look at me strangely They don't realise I eat a very wide variety Listen to Macka.B Yo!
[Hook x2] Wha me eat them a wonder wha me eat When me tell them say me nu (don't) eat no fish nor no meat no Wha me eat them a wonder wha me nyam (eat) When me tell them say that I'm a vegan
[Verse 1] Well me nu eat no meat no fish no cheese nor no egg Nothing with no foot no eye no wing nor no head Nothing with no lip no ears no toe nor no leg Prefer fruit and vegetables instead Me careful and me choosy about what I'm eating My medicines my food my food is my medicine When I tell people that me nu eat dem deh (those) things The look at me and scratch their chin And start wondering
[Hook 2] Wha me eat them a wonder wha me eat When me tell them say me nu eat no fish nor no meat no Wha me eat them a wonder wha me nyam When me tell them say that I'm a vegan Wha me eat them a wonder wha me eat When me tell them say me nu eat no fish nor no meat no Wha me eat them a wonder wha me eat Dou you want to hear wha me eat?
[Verse 2] I eat Callaloo, Ackee, Sweet Potato Yam, Banana and Tomato Cabbage, Spinach, Avocado Cho Cho, Butter Beans and Coco Courgettes, Millet, Plantain Rice and Peas and Pumpkin Mango, Dates and Guava Chick peas and Cassava Brussel sprouts and Caulifower Onion, Fennel and Cucumber Plum, Pear and Papaya Aubergine and Soya Lime , Lentils and Quinoa Wholemeal Bread and Wholemeal Flour Watercress and Okra Tofu and Sweet Pepper Cous Cous and Carrots Broccoli and Coconut Peaches, Apples, Apricot Breadfruit, Jackfruit, Sour sop Pistachios, Cashews and Almonds Walnuts, Peanuts also Pecan Sesame Seeds, Sunflower..., Lemon Orange, Pineapple and Melon Bulghar Wheat and Garlic, Kiwi, Corn and Turnip Pap Choy and Pomegranite, Hijiki and Rocket Berries, Cherries and Strawberries Beetroot, Grapefruit and Celeries You see the meat's not necessary We tell them say
[Hook x2]
[Verse 3] Look how me big and me say look how me strong Some people can't believe that me a vegetarian If you want a healthy body check the real Rastaman Cause Rastaman will tell you about the right nutrition Me get my Calcium ,my Sodium me get Potassium Me get my Zinc,me get my Iron and my Magnesium Instead of nyam(eat) the fish I nyam what the fish nyam Like the Kelp and Irish Moss that grow in the ocean Me get me Proteins and my Minerals, me get me Calories The Vitamins A the B the C the D the E,the F the G Essential fatty acids like the Omega 3 Me get me fibre and me Carbohydrates in my body Don't forget your Water drink a few glasses a day The toxins in your body just flush them away Some of the things you eat stop in your body and decay When it comes to food I don't play We tell them say
[Hook x2]
[Verse 4] A lot of people would stop eat the meat If they had to kill the animals before they could eat Look at the way the animals them get treat The unsanitary conditions where some of them keep If we were supposed to eat the meat we would have sharp teeth You wouldn't need a Knife and fork can you see it You can't eat it raw you have to cook it complete And put on Vegetable seasoning to make it taste sweet
[Hook x2]
[Verse 5] It's up to you you can eat what you want to You can be a vegetarian and be healthy too There's a lot of choice around many foods are on view I just remember some more I forgot to tell you The Nectarines and tangerines and clementines and guanabana Lychhe, oats and ginger, kale and spirulina Mung beans, wholemeal pasta etc
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 04 Jan 15 - 04:49 AMI note that his diet is jam-packed with carbohydrates. Just thought I'd mention it.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 04 Jan 15 - 06:33 AMGoing grain free on a vegan diet would be challenging but achievable, going carb free / extremely low carb on the other hand, would be very difficult if not virtually impossible.
Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 04 Jan 15 - 10:09 AM
One of his favourite easy store-cupboard suppers tonight.
Winter Minestrone made with red onions, garlic, rosemary and bay (from the garden), celery, carrots, frozen whole leaf spinach, frozen green beans, cannellini beans (I cook these up in batches then freeze them in individual tubs), macaroni, and tinned tomatoes.
This is a good end of the week meal, as you can chuck basically whatever bits of veg you have left in the fridge into it. It's nicer with fresh greens, especially good dark kale, but I find frozen spinach to be quite adequate. It also makes a good home for any pesto lingering in the bottom of that jar in the fridge...
Pity we don't have any decent bread in though. Maybe I'll bake a couple of the pitta breads I've got stashed in the freezer and stick a bit of garlic 'butter' in them.
Winter Minestrone - take your pick
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Jan 15 - 10:53 AMModeration in everything. That's the approach to keep in mind.
I concur with Ed, I probably wouldn't make it completely to vegetarian, let alone vegan, but I will eat less meat and I will work on broadening my diet, especially as far as the beans.
There are lots of types of beans in the world (some very interesting new world beans I've come across in the writings of Gary Paul Nabhan, an ethnobotanist out at the University of Arizona). The tepary bean in particular is quite delicious. He discusses how American Indians from some of the Southwestern deserts (Sonoran desert - Tohono O'odham - used to be called Papago, and Akimel O'odham - used to be Pima) had such a specialized survival diet that the introduction of processed foods with easily accessed carbohydrates catapulted huge numbers of the indigenous populations into diabetes. This is an extreme example of the harm of modern carbohydrates can do, but taken by degrees there is a lot to be learned about how we process carbs. They aren't all bad, but we get way too many of them and they hit our metabolisms hard.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 04 Jan 15 - 11:48 AMThe problem is not "carbohydrates". The problem is sugar. Of course, starchy carbohydrate can be soaked in fat, as with burger buns, crisps, doughnuts and biscuits, but don't blame the starch for that. As I said beforehand, the blanket vilification of "carbs" is based on ignorance. Bread, potatoes, porridge, rice and pasta are all delicious, if properly prepared, and very good for us. I read somewhere last week that pasta cooked al dente is much better for us than overcooked pasta because it is far more of a slow-release food. There's only about a minute in it.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,gillymor Date: 04 Jan 15 - 12:06 PMI've got Gypsy Soup simmering on the stove right now. One of my favorites, I follow the recipe pretty close but have added fresh ginger, carrots,red and green sweet peppers and put in a little more garlic than called for and left out the squash. I've got some store bought naan to go with it. From the original Moosewood cookbook.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Steve Shaw Date: 04 Jan 15 - 12:11 PMPutting in a little more garlic than is called for is always called for.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Jan 15 - 12:12 PMIt is the efficiency of the body metabolism, adjusted to a life of scarcity, that converts bread and other flour products into sugar that has stymied the desert tribal people. Not just sugar. Many cultures have different food requirements based upon the adaptations of their metabolisms.
Food, Genes, and Culture: Eating Right for Your Origins by Gary Paul Nabhan.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,gillymor Date: 04 Jan 15 - 12:33 PMAmen to that, Steve.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 04 Jan 15 - 01:37 PMI've yet to find anything either experientially/subjectively or anecdotally from others, or indeed anything contained in studies covered in the health press (albeit I'm not very sciency minded) to convince me that there's anything whatsoever wrong with eating whole-grains or other naturally carb-dense foods like spuds, fruit or pulses.
I have had subjectively experienced issues with 'the white stuff', which I think is a little bit, if not actually quite a lot, evil. But the main issue here, as with so much modern so-called 'food', is processing things that would be otherwise relatively harmless in their original state, into intensely refined and concentrated crapola.
Even though 'natural' is obviously something of a problematic word - and not in any small part due to the way in which it's been co-opted as a lying marketing tool - it still broadly speaking describes my personal idea of what constitutes a wholesome and healthy diet.
The day I hear that people who eat a diet of primarily whole-grains, fruit and vegetables are dying in their masses of diabetes, heart disease and strokes, then maybe I'll have another think. Meanwhile I won't hold my breath.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 04 Jan 15 - 01:53 PMThat Moosewood 'Gypsy Soup' looks great Gillymor, got a nice warming Hungarian vibe to it; great for this grey time of year. I'll deffo try that one.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to wean myself off of the garlic a bit as I routinely put a whole bulb into what I'm cooking - especially pasta sauce or curry. And though no-one's ever actually told me so, I can't help but suspect I must totally reek of the stuff... :-/
He's on his second bowl of Minestrone now. After which it's back to Peter Jackson's 'The Desolation of Smaug' (or indeed Peter Jackson's 'Demolition of Tolkien', depending on your perspective..)
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,HiLo Date: 04 Jan 15 - 03:21 PMWhat great thread. Very informative. Although I am not vegan or vegetarian , I like lamb and stilton too much, there are sone grand recipes here! I will be havIng a go at few. Thanks to all.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,sciencegeek Date: 05 Jan 15 - 08:40 AMa fun book to read is The Bean Bible...
and for those with wheat/gluten issues... try rice sticks or bean threads... inexpensive forms of pasta that are quick & easy to make and are found in most non Asian grociery stores these days.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,gillymor Date: 05 Jan 15 - 10:23 AMCS:"Meanwhile, I'm trying to wean myself off of the garlic a bit as I routinely put a whole bulb into what I'm cooking - especially pasta sauce or curry. And though no-one's ever actually told me so, I can't help but suspect I must totally reek of the stuff... :-/"
At least you've got good vampire insurance. :)
If a dish calls for 2 cloves garlic I generally use 5-6, depending on the dish and strength of the garlic, and go from there.
SG, I'll have to track down The Bean Bible. I don't have problems with wheat but in pasta dishes I use brown rice fusilli or a brown rice quinoa blend or b.r. spaghetti from Trader Joe's about as much as I use wheat pasta. It's cheap and quite edible.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 05 Jan 15 - 10:55 AMBeans are great, I use them lots. If anything I should expand my range of grain based dishes. I tend to go for brown rice or couscous all the time out of sheer lazy habit, but I've got some red quinoa in the cupboard that I should really get out and play with. As well as a packet of millet, and some roasted buckwheat (aka Kasha) too.
Nuts and seeds too I should use more of as they're full of good oils and minerals. I find sunflower seeds are particularly useful as they're exceedingly inexpensive and can be used to sub for pretty much any other nut. I use them in burgers, roasts, salads and (Steve may not like this idea) pesto. Especially nice just toasted a bit in the oven.
As for beans, I most often use haricot, cannellini, mung beans, black-eye, red kidney, butter beans and chickpeas. But flageolet can be lovely (not so easy to come by, but you can get them dried from Ocado). Adzuki, borlotti, black beans and pinto are also good in a variety of contexts.
My preference is for dried pulses over the canned variety, partly because I don't like to see unnecessary waste in the form of packaging (one 500g bag of dried beans works out about the same as four tin cans worth), partly because it saves space in my cupboards, and partly because it works out somewhat thriftier even after factoring in cooking costs. Plus it's simply the way I taught myself to cook back in the day; you had to cook vegetarian whole-foods from scratch twenty odd years ago, because there wasn't so much of it readily available off of the shelf. Times have definitely changed in that regard. I find Tesco and Ocado, even ASDA surprisingly good for finding veggie whole-food staples these days.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,sciencegeek Date: 05 Jan 15 - 11:31 AMLOL.. "back in the day"... a great reminder of how much change has occurred in the past century...
my grandmom had an icebox and my mom had her chest freezer and pantry that was stocked up to get us through the winter when construction work was slow or dead - just enough income to pay down bills... though canned beans, vegetables & tomatoes were a staple. If you watched the sales you could stock up and save $. Mom had a "brown thumb", so not much fresh garden produce... lol.
But there were no TV dinners or mixes or microwaves or even much in the way of fast food... that came later. And there were plenty of neighbors who either remembered the tough times of the Depression or even war torn Europe and the hunger then. Food on the table was cause for satisfaction if not celebration.
I've heard a fair amount of complaints about the food in our diets - and not without justification - but not much about being glad that we DO have food and choices... or what is available for those who are not so lucky.
For those of you in the USA, please contribute to the Martin Luther King food drives, especially in these winter months. And whatever serves that need in the rest of the world...
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 05 Jan 15 - 12:38 PMSpeaking of grains, new Harvard study suggest that eating whole grains such as whole oats, brown rice and whole wheat (ie: unrefined grains with the fibre left in place) are good for cardiovascular health.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/whole-grains-cut-death-rates-164604938.html#Axzkdit
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Jan 15 - 01:39 PMThe idea of eating whole grains is that the roughage and (often described as "nutty") flavor were removed when hulls or whatever were separated. It is also more labor intensive, but so far I don't see who grains costly less - to the contrary!
Beans and rice for lunch today, a favorite meal with the benefits of complex carbohydrates when these foods are eaten together.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Jan 15 - 03:23 PMA coworker told me today that she is happy to have received Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F as a gift. The book and the related web site encourage people to eat more vegetables.
Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular web site to inspire people to eat some Goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow ("This might be my favorite thing ever") and named Saveur's Best New Food blog of 2013—with half a million Facebook fans and counting—Thug Kitchen wants to show everyone how to take charge of their plates and cook up some real f*cking food.
SRS
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 06 Jan 15 - 04:28 AMLike a lot of people, I followed the Thug Kitchen blog before the book came out and until the book was published the authors where unknown to me or anyone else.
Since the book's publication however there's been a bit of controversy over the mimicking of Black American 'ghetto' dialect by two educated white hipsters for comedy effect. And for critics, a key part of the comedy is the implicit counterpointing of the often fat and sugar laden. heavily processed and meat heavy fast food diets typically associated to poor minority cultures, with a diet that's more typically associated to the white affluent educated classes. I'm not making that argument by the way, I'm just responding to the thread.
It's definitely a book that has successfully popularised a whole-food plant based diet. It's sold really really well, pushing well known chefs off of the top spot. The photos are really vibrant and the dishes really clean, simple and fresh. I probably couldn't afford to cook like that though.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 06 Jan 15 - 04:40 AMNot every day, anyway. Thug Kitchen focuses on a wide variety of fresh produce, which actually works out quite expensive when compared to whole-food storecupboard staples. I keep costs down by mainly sticking with quite a basic selection of fresh produce like roots, simple salad ingredients, brassicas and alliums.
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters From: GUEST,CS Date: 07 Jan 15 - 03:27 AMI had another look at the Thug Kitchen recipes and they're actually not so GooP after all (for anyone who doesn't know, GooP is Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle blog - don't go there unless you have access to super exotic ingredients for 'cookies'.
Otherwise there a