Vegan Vacation

[Roguish Lawyer]

So we just got back from a vacation in Central Oregon, visiting my totally vegan Aunt. "Vegan," for those of you who don't know, basically means you are an incredibly strict vegetarian -- no animals or animal by-products (eggs, milk, etc.) whatsoever.

So I decided to do some vegan cooking for her and her husband. If there is interest in what I made, I will post some recipes.

[NousDefionsDoc]

I didn't know you are a vegan. I'd be interested in the recipes.

[lksteve]

"Vegan," for those of you who don't know, basically means you are an incredibly strict vegetarian -- no animals or animal by-products (eggs, milk, etc.) whatsoever.

so, do vegans breast feed their young?

[Roguish Lawyer]

I didn't know you are a vegan. I'd be interested in the recipes.

LOL -- yeah, that's why the first thing we had when we got home was bacon-wrapped filet mignon! Like Razor, I am a card-carrying vagitarian. ;)

I'll post recipes tomorrow.

[alphamale]

so, do vegans breast feed their young?Another like lksteve's question:

Would a vegetarian eat a carnivorous plant?

FrontSight

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

RL as I alluded to in my PM. You are now a moving target :)

Jack Moroney-wondering if vegans are the "sea" in which the PETA and ELF guerrillas swim

[lksteve]

-wondering if vegans are the "sea" in which the PETA and ELF guerrillas swim
i know some (a hazard of living near the left coast)...my current, soon-to-be-ex employer is a vegan, although he occassionally backslides for a pizza or piece of chicken...his reasons are health based and he has no politics associated with his choice of menus...

i know several that are politically motivated, PETA and ELF wannabes, if nothing else...some of them are 'active', attending fund raisers, etc...it was toward one of them that i addressed the breast feeding question...her answer was that lesbians didn't have that problem...

the short answer is, in my opinion (seldom humble), that many vegans are principle constituents of the extreme left, and that would include PETA, ELF, and others...those that are non-political, while a significant number, do not contribute to a balanced world view on the part of many...their silence is deafening...

[Peregrino]

--- politically motivated, PETA and ELF wannabes, if nothing else...some of them are 'active', attending fund raisers, etc...it was toward one of them that i addressed the breast feeding question...her answer was that lesbians didn't have that problem...

the short answer is, in my opinion (seldom humble), that many vegans are principle constituents of the extreme left, and that would include PETA, ELF, and others...those that are non-political, while a significant number, do not contribute to a balanced world view on the part of many...their silence is deafening...

SO - Are we at war with Vegans? (Couldn't resist!) :munchin Peregrino

[Team Sergeant]

SO - Are we at war with Vegans? (Couldn't resist!) :munchin Peregrino


There is only one place more dangerous than being between rosie odonnell and an “all you can eat” buffet and that is between me and my plate full of tasty, burnt, dead animals and as long as that delicate balance is upheld there will be peace on the planet. :munchin

[Airbornelawyer]

i know some (a hazard of living near the left coast)...my current, soon-to-be-ex employer is a vegan, although he occassionally backslides for a pizza or piece of chicken...his reasons are health based and he has no politics associated with his choice of menus...

i know several that are politically motivated, PETA and ELF wannabes, if nothing else...some of them are 'active', attending fund raisers, etc...it was toward one of them that i addressed the breast feeding question...her answer was that lesbians didn't have that problem...

the short answer is, in my opinion (seldom humble), that many vegans are principle constituents of the extreme left, and that would include PETA, ELF, and others...those that are non-political, while a significant number, do not contribute to a balanced world view on the part of many...their silence is deafening...If "his reasons are health based" then he is not properly a vegan. Veganism proclaims itself to be a philosophy of reverence for life, seeking to avoid cruelty toward and exploitation of animals. The memorandum of association (http://www.vegansociety.com/html/about_us/memorandum.php) (the UK equivalent of articles of incorporation) of the Vegan Society defines it thusly:[T]he word "veganism" denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment.

In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.And the American Vegan Society describes (http://www.americanvegan.org/vegan.htm) "vegan" thusly:Veganism is compassion in action. It is a philosophy, diet, and lifestyle.

Veganism is an advanced way of living in accordance with Reverence for Life, recognizing the rights of all living creatures, and extending to them the compassion, kindness, and justice exemplified in the Golden Rule.

Vegans exclude flesh, fish, fowl, dairy products (animal milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.), eggs, honey, animal gelatin, and all other foods of animal origin.

Veganism also excludes animal products such as leather, wool, fur, and silk in clothing, upholstery, etc. Vegans usually make efforts to avoid the less-than-obvious animal oils, secretions, etc., in many products such as soaps, cosmetics, toiletries, household goods and other common commodities.

Reasons for Veganism:
An equitable, ethical relationship between human and other living creatures
The physiological human design
An enlightened concept of repairing and maintaining health
Practical solutions to the population explosion
Spiritual developmentOf course, besides being soft-headed left-wingers, most vegans are hypocrites. There are hundreds of millions of rats, rabbits, other rodents, foxes, snakes, worms, insects and other animals killed as part of the cultivation of crops.

There is no reason to treat animals cruelly, but humans are part of nature, and in nature, animals consume other animals.

[jon448]

SO - Are we at war with Vegans? (Couldn't resist!) :munchin Peregrino

We might not be at war with them but sometimes they think they're at war with us. I love it when I get evil looks in the dining hall from the dirty hippies at my school while I'm eating a nice steak and cheese sub or something like that. Oh well thats what I get for being from and going to school in Mass. :boohoo

[504PIR]

IMHO Vegans ARE FUN!!! When I mention I'm a conservative, gun-toting, hunting, fishing, cattle rancher who does taxidermy in my spare time...iit gets good!! :munchin Just watchem boil!!

Many get angry easily and you can get them stirred up at the drop of a hamburger patty on a hot grill!!!

Plus they tend be kinda "weak" have yet to see a athletic vegan :lifter in the gym, dojo or winning any race.

[Roguish Lawyer]

Vegan Roasted Corn Chowder

Note: This is much better with bacon. ;)

6 small sweet peppers, assorted colors, finely diced
1/2 large onion, finely diced
1 large red potato, diced
3 cups vegetarian chicken-flavored broth
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (divided, see below)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Spike (a store-bought herb blend)
5 ears corn in husks
2 cups soy milk
1 tbsp crushed red pepper

Soak corn in water for 20 minutes. Roast on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, turning once. Remove husks and cut off the corn kernels, reserving for later use.

Sautee the onions, sweet peppers and crushed red pepper in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the potato and continue to sautee for five more minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.

Add the chicken-flavored broth, two tablespoons of the nutritional yeast, salt, and Spike. Simmer for approximately twenty minutes, until the vegetables are completely cooked.

Meanwhile, blend the soy milk, one cup of the corn and the remaining yeast in a blender until absolutely smooth and creamy.

Just before serving, add the remaining corn to the broth and vegetables and simmer 4-5 additional minutes until the corn is hot. Then add the corn/soy milk mixture to the soup and heat through. Do not boil, as the “cream” will tend to separate if you do.

[Roguish Lawyer]

Portobello Wellington

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, minced
2 large leeks, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 large button mushrooms, finely chopped
fresh thyme to taste (approximately 4 sprigs)
10 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped, without stems
2 chives, finely chopped

4 large portobello mushroom caps
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
phyllo dough


Saute shallots, leeks, and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the button mushrooms and about half the thyme. Cook until the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mixture is just moist (about 10 minutes). Transfer mixture to a bowl. Add remaining olive oil and saute the shittakes. Cook for 5 minutes, then transfer to the bowl with the rest of the mixture. Add chives and black pepper and stir.

Place Portobello caps on a greased cookie sheet. Brush on the mustard and add the remaining thyme and black pepper. Spoon topping mixture onto each Portobello cap. Drape a few sheets of phyllo dough over the top (note: you are really supposed to use puff pastry, but I bought phyllo dough instead and it was still good, maybe even better). Brush top with melted soy margarine if you want to. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees until the pastry looks done (about 20 minutes).

[Bravo1-3]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat? :D

Note: There is no such thing as "Soy Milk." It is Soy JUICE, unless they have developed some kind of genetic mutant strain of soy bean that has teats.

[Roguish Lawyer]

Squash Souffle

2 acorn squash or other winter squash
1 package silken tofu
1/2 cup packed vegan brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ

Bake squash in oven until done, about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, IIRC.

Mix squash, tofu, half of brown vegan sugar, nutmeg, and flour in blender until creamy. Pour into a casserole dish. Mix in a bowl rest of brown vegan sugar, nuts, raisins, and wheat germ and sprinkle on top of mixture. Bake at 350 for 60 min.

[Roguish Lawyer]

There is no reason to treat animals cruelly, but humans are part of nature, and in nature, animals consume other animals.

I explained to my Aunt during one of our discussions that we are omnivores, as reflected by the different types of teeth we have, some seemingly designed for eating plants, others for eating animals.

Saca, can you confirm this? :munchin

[lksteve]

If "his reasons are health based" then he is not properly a vegan.

gee, are you saying that my soon-to-be-ex employer mislead me? ;) .
funny thing about that...not the first time that's happened, but he has four days to fit the last one in...

as i suspicioned, vegans are fuzzy-thinking, tree-hugging, politicos, if your sources are correct...i ain't got nothing against vegetables...they are a nice complement to meat...

anyone who holds cattle in reverence has never tried to keep them inside a fence... :(

[jatx]

I explained to my Aunt during one of our discussions that we are omnivores, as reflected by the different types of teeth we have, some seemingly designed for eating plants, others for eating animals.

Saca, can you confirm this? :munchin

That is correct. Our teeth do not have the size grinding surfaces you would expect of a pure herbivore.

[The Reaper]

I think that a little research would show that strict vegans would have been unable to survive, without a dedicated farming industry to keep them fed year round.

Hard to get enough protein and fat from strictly non-animal sources in the wild.

Primitive man ate meat, and for good reasons.

TR

[Team Sergeant]

I think that a little research would show that strict vegans would have been unable to survive, without a dedicated farming industry to keep them fed year round.

Hard to get enough protein and fat from strictly non-animal sources in the wild.

Primitive man ate meat, and for good reasons.

TR

I've read something like this (below) in more than one scientific journal. I read Scientific American all the time. I know I've read something fairly recent, but I'll be dammed if I can find it. Give me a few minutes while I eat a raw steak, I'll be right back... ;)


"Diet: Foley & Lee (1991), and Gibons (1998) have argued that the change in cranial capacity during the course of hominid evolution required dietary and developmental strategies that would sustain the cost of a large brain. Milton (1993) discusses the behavioural and physiological adaptations concerned with plant-eating, fruit-eating and meat-eating diets. The latter two diets require the development of mental skills such as memory for food locations and increased social co-operation for hunting and food sharing. The Australopithecine?s (judging by the size of their dentition) were herbivores and small brained. As the early hominids moved from plant eating to fruit and meat eating their teeth became smaller and the brains increased in size.

Comparative brain size is closely related to diet with leaf-eaters (folivores) having smaller brains with proportionally less neocortex in relation to body size than frugivores (fruit eaters). The guts of chimpanzees and gorillas are optimised for fruit eating and leaf eating respectively, the human gut is optimised for high energy diets (principally derived from eating meat)."

http://radio.weblogs.com/0107127/stories/2003/01/12/foodAndHumanEvolution.html

[Rotor Strike]

Mmmmm....MEAT! I'm wearing this shirt right now.

[Maytime]

My position on PETA is as follows:

[anythingrandom]

I've read something like this (below) in more than one scientific journal. I read Scientific American all the time. I know I've read something fairly recent, but I'll be dammed if I can find it. Give me a few minutes while I eat a raw steak, I'll be right back... ;)


"Diet: Foley & Lee (1991), and Gibons (1998) have argued that the change in cranial capacity during the course of hominid evolution required dietary and developmental strategies that would sustain the cost of a large brain. Milton (1993) discusses the behavioural and physiological adaptations concerned with plant-eating, fruit-eating and meat-eating diets. The latter two diets require the development of mental skills such as memory for food locations and increased social co-operation for hunting and food sharing. The Australopithecine?s (judging by the size of their dentition) were herbivores and small brained. As the early hominids moved from plant eating to fruit and meat eating their teeth became smaller and the brains increased in size.

Comparative brain size is closely related to diet with leaf-eaters (folivores) having smaller brains with proportionally less neocortex in relation to body size than frugivores (fruit eaters). The guts of chimpanzees and gorillas are optimised for fruit eating and leaf eating respectively, the human gut is optimised for high energy diets (principally derived from eating meat)."

http://radio.weblogs.com/0107127/stories/2003/01/12/foodAndHumanEvolution.html



Research has also shown that IQ can be boosted by intake of creatine - naturally found in musle tissue - demonstrating the possibility that primitive men who were good hunters were given additional advantages such as increased brain power. We are classified as "superpredators" for a reason.

On that note - a new vegan recipe. This one is a soup, and actually IS a soup unilke my pea stew. Hopefully Chef Penn smiles upon this one.


Sweet Potato, Pear, and Pepper Soup.

This doesn't taste like any of the tree ingredients listed in the title - as I've learned is the point of a soup. But wow, it is truly amazing. I first saw a recipe for this soup in a Kentucky Derby magazine, but I modified it after a few attempts.

4 shallots, minced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Lb Sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 Cups beef-flavored broth (for vegans, use regular broth if you're not.)
2 Cups chicken-flavored broth. (same note as above)

AND

2 pears, thinly chopped
1 Serrano Pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

AND

1/2 Cup cream and 1/4 cup milk

Optional -
Sweet corn to brown in butter or oil and add to the finished soup.
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (not ground)
1 Tbsp chili powder

1 - Saute the challots in the olive oil in the soup pot. Add the broth and potatoes to this pot, scrape the bottom, and simmer for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to puree.

2 - In another small pan - Saute the pears and chopped Serrano in the remainign olive oil. When these are slightly browned, add to the soup pot.

3 - Puree the contents of the soup pot and transfer back to the pot.

4 - Add the milk and cream, and the optional ingredients as you wish. Stir. If you add the chili powder or red pepper, stir and let the soup sit for another 30 minutes on the lowest heat possible. Salt and pepper each bowl to taste. Some recipes call for a dollop of sour cream in each bowl, I didn't like it. You may.

I added the chili powder and pepper to give it some extra kick. The serrano is great, but it's a bit soft for this much soup.

Hope you enjoy! Let me know if anyone tries this out.

[MVS2]

I've read something like this (below) in more than one scientific journal. I read Scientific American all the time. I know I've read something fairly recent, but I'll be dammed if I can find it. Give me a few minutes while I eat a raw steak, I'll be right back... ;)


"Diet: Foley & Lee (1991), and Gibons (1998) have argued that the change in cranial capacity during the course of hominid evolution required dietary and developmental strategies that would sustain the cost of a large brain. Milton (1993) discusses the behavioural and physiological adaptations concerned with plant-eating, fruit-eating and meat-eating diets. The latter two diets require the development of mental skills such as memory for food locations and increased social co-operation for hunting and food sharing. The Australopithecine?s (judging by the size of their dentition) were herbivores and small brained. As the early hominids moved from plant eating to fruit and meat eating their teeth became smaller and the brains increased in size.

Comparative brain size is closely related to diet with leaf-eaters (folivores) having smaller brains with proportionally less neocortex in relation to body size than frugivores (fruit eaters). The guts of chimpanzees and gorillas are optimised for fruit eating and leaf eating respectively, the human gut is optimised for high energy diets (principally derived from eating meat)."

http://radio.weblogs.com/0107127/stories/2003/01/12/foodAndHumanEvolution.html

Easily believable - I attempted a two week non-animal diet. No fish, meat, eggs, or butter, and I just was plain dumber for that time. Another side effect - dried out hair and skin.

[JJ_BPK]

I reely don't like Vegan,,,
I went there one time,,
and lost all my money,,
in the Slot Machines...
Bada Bing..
:cool:

My Doctor is all over my butt,, we are trying to get a handle on my BP AND lose some weight. It took two months to get the meds settled for the BP,, and I'm down 12 lbs, not the fastest, but I'm not going hungery..

As the misses has been successful using WW, we are counting points. I am allowed 31 points a day,, some days I'm good,, some days I'm a bad boy.

This week she made a veg soup with ZERO(0) points. 0 Points means I can have all I want.. It's a bit spicy, but makes a nice mid-afternoon snack,, also a bit gaseous.. :eek:

Almost Vegan Veg Soup...

3 12 oz cans diced tomato's with chopped Habanero peppers << moderate to HOT
3 lbs Zucchini, chunk chopped
3 large onions, chopped
1 lb frozen green beans
1 head of white cabbage, chopped
1 small can tomato paste
3 stalks of celery
1 teas spoon chillie power, garlic powder, cracked black pepper & cumin
xx chicken broth to cover & float the veg's

For the wussies: Beano - as required..

No salt added,, in this instance it is actually good,, I think it's the spices & peppers,, most times soup without salt is like eating grass clippers off the lawn... :(

I've copied RL's recipes and will let momma pick a couple...