this entry is dedicated to my vegetarian and omnivore friends who have always wanted to help a fellow vegan out by cooking for them, but don't really know what to do. lots of pics, all repeats. why would you want to cook for a vegan? i dunno, out of the kindness of your heart, or perhaps the
lovable vegan you know-(cough, cough-hint-hint) might have had a life changing event take place-(the birth of a child, a sudden illness, or the death of a loved one) and might not be in a position to cook for themselves for a few weeks. one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me has been this very act, and
i've made a personal
commitment to bring hot dishes or tasty treats for those who need them during these life cycle events.
not everyone who reads this blog is vegan, and it is my hope to share the message by letting everyone know 1) being vegan ain't that hard, and 2) even if you don't wanna be vegan--cooking for a vegan in need isn't such a daunting task after all. if you've been called to duty to make something for a vegan, don't freak out. here are some handy dandy tips to keep you from losing your mind, and who knows--maybe you'll even try something and like it!
if you have some basic culinary skills,
vegan baking is one of the easiest things to do. pictured above are the banana date walnut scones from
veganomicon. you don't have to buy a vegan cookbook to get a recipe either, you can borrow a copy of a popular book from your public library, or conduct a google search for a recipe by typing "vegan_____recipe" and you'll get a ton of recipes or links to some good ones. recipe czar is nice and so is
vegweb.com you can even look at my blog or my other buddies blogs and get great recipes there! my favorite source is the
post punk kitchen.
if your
cookin' skills ain't that grand, you can always buy specialty foods in the natural foods section of your local grocery store or food co-op. pictured above is
kashi's sicilian veggie pizza, and it's completely vegan.
kashi has many frozen entrees that are pricey, but vegan if you don't know how to cook. most packaging contains a label that clearly states this. if you can't find it, just look at the ingredients. if it says it contains meat, fish, milk, eggs, or any animal by products, then it isn't vegan.
trader joe's has gone to great lengths to make sure that the food they sell is clearly labeled with specialty diets in mind. if you're puzzled, go to your local food co-op, find a
loveable hippy worker, say "
i'm cooking for a vegan and am clueless...help me find something!" and they'll totally hook you up. if you don't have a food co-op near by, you can always look at this link sponsored by PETA-(i can't believe
i'm plugging them, because they annoy me so) called
"i can't believe it's vegan!" and they list all of the popular brands of food that are accidentally vegan. note: a large portion of these prepared foods are chemically, but vegan.
again, if you lack the knack in the kitchen, you can always order a pizza with veggies, sauce, and no cheese. pictured above is a shot of me from my 36
th birthday eating a slice of pie from
max's place, which uses vegan cheese. many places do not, and to be perfectly honest--pizza is so much better without it. you might want to ask a place if they use milk or eggs in the crust if you're ordering a pie for a vegan.
the produce aisle is heaven for vegans. again, if you don't have the know how or the energy to cook--get a bag of baking potatoes, bake 'em all up, and bring them to your recouping vegan buddy with a complete array of vegan toppings: salsa, earth balance-(popular vegan margarine), guacamole,
tofutti sour supreme-(a vegan version of sour cream), and
bacos brand
fakin' bacon bits. most commercial imitation bacon bits are vegan, and made of soy unless the package says "100% bacon bits".
if you asked a vegan, "do you like stir fry?" most would answer, "does a bear shit in the woods?" you just can't go wrong here, either. pictured above is something i threw together at my friend
baucco's annual
mongolian bbq:
tempeh,
hoisin sauce, green peppers, red peppers,
zukes, and some broccoli. easy
peasy. if time is a constraint, go to your local
chinese eatery and get a veggie stir fry with some tofu added. watch out for things prepared in fish sauce. my buddy
chris says you can avoid this dilemma by telling the waitstaff you're
buddhist. who knew.
so there you go. next time you encounter an ailing vegan in need, you'll know what to do. thanks for reading and good luck.
i made not one, but two batches of seitan this weekend so i could have them handy for thanksgiving. i'm planning on making a vegan version of my late MIL's "thanksgiving casserole" which was an orgy of turkey, taters, stuffing, veggies, and gravy layered lovingly in a casserole dish, the stuff of midwesterners dreams. we all know this can be veganified with no problems, and i'm gonna so do it. the batch above is lord seitan's seitan's recipe, post oven. note: you have to click on his specific bio with the link to see the recipe. most seitan you can just boil and make, but i like to bake it at three-fiddy for about 20 minutes or so (flipping over every 10 minutes) to make it nice, chewy, and meat-like.
here's bianca's recipe from vegan crunk. because this is in her cookbook, i can't disclose the recipe. here are some seitanic strips right outta the oven. you can visit her awesome web site here.
again, we have lord seitan's recipe freshly boiled and cut into strips. i noticed it was much more fluffy and porous than crunk's recipe.
bianca's is much more dense and cuts into better strips.
