Vegetarian Views

Vegetarian Views: Venice Beach, CA

http://www.eatveg.com/vv092696.htm

EATVEG.com

WOMEN:
Interviewer: Would you kill the animals you eat?
Woman: No I wouldn’t, but I don’t have to kill to eat meat, so I eat it. And I don’t see that as murder.

*Little girl
Cerissa: I became a vegetarian because of the pictures I saw at Interviewer booth. It made me sick, I can’t eat these poor animals.

*Middle class woman

MEN:
Interviewer: Would you kill that cow you’re eating?

Boy: No, but I’d let McDonald’s do it for me.
Interviewer: So what if McDonald’s didn’t do the killing for you? Then what would you do?
Boy: I’d let Burger King do it.
Interviewer: No… c’mon now, stop copping out. What if no one would do it and you had to do it yourself?
Boy: Then I wouldn’t do it. But McDonald’s and Burger King kill the cows for me and it’s good… here want some?

*Hispanic, lower class boys

RELIGION:
Mr. Born again: According to the bible, Man has dominion over all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air and all of the fishes of the sea.

Interviewer:What makes you think dominion means domination? Dominion really means companionship and working together. Although I do not have much faith in the bible, the earliest scriptures tell us that plant foods were to be the only food for humans.
Mr. Born again: But the Disciples ate meat and Jesus gave out fish to the people.

*Middle class male

DENIAL:
Mr. Macho hunter: I’ve worked in a slaughterhouse. They don’t drag out the deaths of the animals, it’s quick and painless and I’m also a hunter and I wouldn’t kill anything that I wouldn’t eat. I do not believe in suffering, I’m a good shot and the animals I have killed never knew what hit em’.

*Middle class male

Some of Mother’s Sweet Cooking

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

My mother, who is a single parent, used to make this recipe for my brother and I to eat. She would literally take an entire day devoted to cooking this, even though it is pretty simple. To be honest, even though I eat meat, I enjoy vegetarian chili more than chili with chicken or beef. I plan on making this recipe one day when I’m older.

Product review

Trader Joe’s Chicken-less stuffed chicken cutlet

I heard great things about this product on other food blogs, so on one of my weekly trips to TJ’s I decided to pick them up. They’re just under $5.00 for two cutlets, which seems expensive but is a pretty decent price for faux meat. The cutlets themselves look small but they’re very filling. The stuffing is black beans, corn, and jalapenos and the sauce on top is a slightly smokey tomato sauce. The box recommends cooking in a microwave for two minutes, but I find that I like baking it in the oven more. It’s more time consuming but worth it, so if you have the time then give it a try. My favorite part of these is the smell! My omni roommates always comment on how delicious these smell while cooking. The sauce is really flavorful and the cutlet pairs well on a bed of brown rice.

Rating:
4 out of 5 pears

Easy low fat sweet potato fries

Who doesn’t love a good french fry? They’re delicious, but not usually healthy. Instead of fried white potatoes, this recipe is uses baked sweet potatoes. They’re oil free, which means they’re low fat, but still delicious, flavorful, and crispy.

Ingredients:
- 1 medium sweet potato (100g = 103 calories)
- Pam spray (or something comparable)
- Desired seasoning (I used sea salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes)

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Wash sweet potato. If you want, peel it as well. I prefer peel on.
- With a sharp knife, cut the sweet potato into small wedges.
- Place on lined baking sheet. Spray with Pam to lightly coat. Sprinkle seasoning and toss potatoes until fully coated.
- Arrange on a lined baking sheet in ONE layer. *Do not overlap or else the fries will steam instead of becoming crisp.*
- Bake for 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are golden brown. Fries should be crisp on the outside and soft/tender on the inside.

Teriyaki glazed portobello mushroom burgers

Serves 2

Ingredients:
- 2 portobello mushroom caps
- 1 glove garlic, crushed
- 1oz ginger, crushed
- 1/4 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
- A few dashes of sriracha sauce* (more or less depending on your taste)
- 2 whole wheat buns
- Toppings of your choosing (lettuce, tomato, onions, etc)

* = you may substitute hot sauce if needed.

Prep:
- Clean mushroom caps with a damp cloth to remove dirt.
- In bowl, combine garlic and ginger with teriyaki and sriracha sauce.
- Marinate mushroom caps in mixture one at a time. Let marinade sit for at least 5 minutes on each side.

Instructions:
- Stove or grill: Cook mushroom caps for 2-3 minutes on each side. Marinade should begin to caramelize.
- Assemble burger and enjoy!

Tacos!

I have been craving tacos for the last two weeks, but kept putting it off, saying they were “too expensive.” It somehow all came together yesterday, though, when I got a phone call saying I finally got a job (!!!), and I happened to find Morningstar Beef Crumbles in my freezer, and refried beans in the cabinet. To top it all off, Compassion Over Killing mailed me a free tube of TEESE (!!! once again) for signing a petition to not eat eggs for 30 days. Then when I went to Stop & Shop and saw taco kits on sale for $2.50, how could I say no?

I sort of winged it (wung it?), but I’ll do my best to give you a recipe as I go along.

First, I dumped the Morningstar Crumbles into a preheated pan, at around medium-high heat (like I cook just about everything at. You probably won’t see an entry on pancakes here). As soon as I couldn’t see any ice crystals any more, I dumped in the 2/3 cup water and package of seasoning like the taco box directed.

Make sure the seasoning you get is actually vegan, they aren’t all. If you don’t want to use a prepackaged seasoning (and who would blame you), the key ingredient is cumin. Garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and salt are necessary, but cumin is what gives it the real taco kick!

About now is when I popped the tacos into the oven for about 7 minutes to perk them up. They are actually kind of greasy, so the heat turned them from a dry, crunchy block of yuck to delicious edible food holders.

I added refried beans to the taco “meat” to make it stretch a bit further (and because I was really hungry!). Some companies make ones specifically labeled “vegetarian,” but the ingredients are the same as the ones labeled “fat free,” so I just grab whatever is available.

I also shredded about half a tube of Teese into the pan of “meat” and refried beans. I tried just shredding it into a bowl, but we decided we were lazy, and that decorating our tacos with Sour Supreme, lettuce and tomatoes was enough. The pan, in the end, looked like this:

I chopped up 3 leaves of Romaine lettuce and 1 medium sized tomato, and threw them each in bowls, along side the container of Sour Supreme. In the back, you can also see the white package Ol’ El Paso taco sauce.

Now, I pulled the greasy, glistening tacos shells out of the oven.

And then, WONDER TWINS, ASSEMBLE! FORM OF: TACO!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

2 lbs. green asparagus
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. vegan margarine
Salt, to taste
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
5-6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon

I found this recipe on the PETA website which has many recipes for vegetarians and vegans with tips and pointers on how to become one and still be healthy. It also provides health information, how to order when you dine out and videos as well. I haven’t tried this particular recipe yet but I plan to very soon! This recipe shows you can still create a thick creamy texture without the use of heavy cream or milk.

Why I’m a vegetarian…

I decided to become a vegetarian when I was in 6^th grade on Thanksgiving at the dinner table; I refused to eat the turkey. I had always been an animal lover; I just all of a sudden decided I couldn’t condone animals being eaten anymore. This is before I knew any of the political aspects to being a vegetarian like factory farming and what it does to the environment. I picked to be in this group because being a vegetarian is how I identify with food and it means a lot to me; I even have a tattoo that reads, “ENDING ANIMAL CRUELTY, one vegetarian at a time PETA.  People have tried to challenge me about why I’m a vegetarian saying I’m not making a difference and that not eating meat is pointless and I love having the evidence to back up why I do what I do. I am also active in the community to support being a vegetarian and try and persuade people why it is better to be one as well and I hand out animal cruelty flyers in the beginning and the end of the year on campus. I think being a vegetarian isn’t just a way to eat; it’s a way of life and everyone has their own reasons behind why they choose to be one. No matter what the reason may be, the market responds to demand and if there is less demand there are less animals killed in inhumane ways ,which is my sole purpose behind why I am a vegetarian.

Best post-workout snacks

After coming home from the gym tonight I was inspired to write this. It’s important to eat a snack after a work out because your body needs to refuel and recover. The snack is responsible for replenishing the nutrients and sugar lost during the work out. Here are a few great choices:

1) Apple and peanut butter: Very simple but very effective! The combination of carbs and sugar in the apple with fat and protein in the PB makes for an excellent snack.

2) Almonds: Almonds are high in anti-oxidants, good fats, and protein. A handful of almonds goes a long way, but don’t eat too many.

3) Yogurt and granola: Not only is yogurt low in fat and fairly high in protein, but it’s also great for your digestion. Pair this with nutrient rich granola and fruit (blueberries for added anti-oxidants) and you have a great, fulfilling recovery snack.
*Greek yogurt has about 50% more protein than regular yogurt*

4) Hummus and whole wheat pita: A simple sandwich does the trick. The combination of complex carbs and protein in this sandwich is perfect for recovery. Add veggies for added texture and crunch if preferred.

5) Veggie omelet: Eggs are a great source of protein, which help rebuild muscle tissue. Add veggies (such as broccoli, peppers, spinach, mushrooms, etc) for added fiber and vitamins. Pair with a piece of whole grain bread for a carb boost.

6) Fruit smoothie: Make a smoothie with frozen berries, skim milk or non-fat yogurt (any variety), and a scoop of protein powder and you have a great and refreshing snack packed with protein.

Good luck with your work outs and make sure to recover!

Amherst Brewing Company Restaurant

So, I decided to go into ABC in downtown Amherst this past weekend to try one of their infamous Garden Burgers. It was so good! I ordered sautéed onions with guacamole, tomatoes, and mushrooms on a whole wheat bun. The price wasn’t too bad either; it was affordable and healthy