I'm a Quorn Fed Girl

All of my crazy blogging is paying off! About a month or so ago, a nice representative from Quorn sent me an e-mail. They wanted to know if I'd try a sample of their new vegan burgers. Huh? How did they hear about me? Mercy For Animals on Twitter. NOTE: there are images on their site of suffering animals, so you might not want to click on the link if you are not comfortable with seeing those images.

So tweeting really pays off! So does signing petitions and sending e-mails. About two weeks prior to the letter, I had signed a survey and sent Quorn a letter telling them that it was silly for them to not veganize their stuff. In my pregan days, that line was my absolute fave. So please, never underestimate the power of writing!

I will give any Foodbuzz Featured Publishers a warning: don't change the format of your blog without the appropriate FB tags. D'oh! Or should I say, "Dough!" I had the most hits I've ever had in four years and it didn't count because each US impression didn't have the ad on it. My error, seriously. Not that I made a million bucks doing that, but I do donate that money to a food bank, so I was a little sad. If you would like to donate to my local food bank, you can do so at Mother Hubbard's Cupboard website.
These don't really taste like any other commercial patty I've tried. They are soy free, so you soy allergy peeps can rejoice. I was slightly apprehensive when I stuck the burger in my toaster oven. A smell that reminded me of my elementary school cafeteria permeated my house. You know, that scent of mystery meat? Yeah.
Then I made it into a reuben, took a bite, and smiled. When the sauerkraut, vegan 1,000 island, avocado, and pumpernickel danced with the patty I was really pleased. The new Quorn burger would be good for grilling, is suitable for the toaster oven, and would probably really rock fried-(what doesn't taste better fried?) You probably shouldn't eat it plain, but that's the case with most vegan burgers commercial or homemade. I mean, how many people do you know eat a plain patty? Usually a small contingent of weirdos, that's who. No condiment people, hear me now: I narrow my eyes in your direction.

Since I can't find these locally, I don't know what they retail for in the supermarkets. I will say if I had to pick a commercial burger, I would lean towards this one. Now--if they'd just get on it about their chick'n line....

So, if you'd like to win a coupon for a FREE box of these, send me a comment on this entry about a popular vegetarian item on the market that can be made vegan. Will you contact that company and rattle their cage? You totally should. I'll pick an entry on St. Patty's day-(get it, patty?) and snail mail you the coupon.

Thanks!

I have no beef with lentils

I'm so in love with Snobby Joes from Veganomicon, they are on my regular menu rotation. Woah, that made me sound like I'm all organized n' shit, and have planned menus. I don't. I just sit around watching TV and will say to myself, "You know what you haven't had in a while, Jen? Snobby Joes." From there it's a short mission to forage for the pantry staples to make this dish. If you want to make it even faster, prep your lentils the night before and just throw everything together. Dinner in less than 30 minutes, readers. Seriously, I use lentils in just about everything. It is my go-to in lieu of ground beef.

Something else I think about when I'm lounging around watching my stories on the teevee is how much I love to read inspirational articles. Funny, right? Thinking about reading when watching television. I am a hoot.

When I just need to be reminded why I do what I do, is this article by Vegan Outreach. Unlike other angry, agitated, and acronym filled organizations, VO is all about small steps and working towards an actual goal instead of living in an unreasonable all-or-nothing paradigm. Moving in a direction that spares animals, even in a slow motion is better than never doing anything. Don't forget that! Example: my SUPERomni spouse that grew up eating pigs with his cows told me that he wanted to go pescatarian, for himself. Not because anything I've done or said--just because he's tired of the flesh world.

Now some would say that isn't good enough. I say a big fat WRONG! Will he ever go all the way and shout Viva La Vegan from the rooftops? I have no idea. I mean, I'd love to hear him say that, but no one has to be me but me--and at the end of the day I want to know that I've given people the dignity to be themselves, even if I don't completely agree with what they do. Lord knows not everyone agrees with me and I'm still loved.

What I do think is amazing is that he is completely open to doing something positive like this. I'm so proud of him. I'd like to take credit for this, but I can't. He made the decision to do what is real and right for him, to find his own truth. All I can do is continue to cook really good vegan meals for him and just be a good example. Let this be your mantra: something is better than nothing.

Not masa-ing around: tamale pancakes

Oh what a terrible pun. Here's a shot of me from my Compassionate Eating class at church. I've had the honor of teaching 6-8 congregants the mental, physical, spiritual, and ethical advantage of eating a plant based diet. The results have been amazing! People are really jazzed about the class and have been trying more and more vegan dishes at home.

We had the following for dinner the other night:
Tamale Pancakes

Who wants to spend hours filling corn husks with masa dough? I want to get right to eatin' so I created a pancakey version of this for your enjoyment. The toppings are really up to you!

pancake batter you'll need
3 c. masa harina for tamales
3 c. water
1/3 canola oil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder

Mix dry with wet thoroughly and set aside. It won't be batter, and it won't be dough. Get your toppings prepared!

Lentil Topping

• 1 c. lentils
• 4 c. water
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 t. cumin
• 1 t. habanero hot sauce
• 2 t. chili powder
• 1/2 t. paprika
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. cayenne (optional)
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cheddar daiya cheese (optional, throw in at end)

Cook lentils-(this takes about 20 minutes), then saute them with a little olive oil and the other ingredients. Keep the heat low and cook for a good 15-20 mins. You can add onion if you want to, but I didn't. I made the dish a little neutral spice-wise because I have varying shades of people who do/don't like hot dishes. This is essentially my go to recipe for vegan taco meat.

Guacamole!

• 2 avocados
• pinch salt
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Smash everything together. C'mon, it's guacamole for cryin' out loud!

You can also have the following toppings:

• jalapenos
• refried beans
• fresh cilantro
• finely chopped green apple, YES apple! This is nice if you make your toppings spicy, it's good for coolin' off.

Get a griddle or skillet ready to cook on medium heat. Using 1/3 c, measure out the masa dough/batter and spread out a little with a wooden spoon. Cook one side for about 4 minutes, then flip again for another 4. you want them to be slightly crispy. So I guess this is more of a tostada pancake? Who cares. It's forking amazing.

For dessert we had chocolate chip cookies using Abuelita chunks! I wasn't wild about the turn out, but the students loved them! I thought they tasted more like muffin tops.

I used the following recipe:

• 1 c AP flour
• 1 c ww pastry flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 c. sucanat
• 1/2 c. applesauce
• 1/3 c. canola oil
• 3 T ground flax seeds
  
• 1 c. vegan yogurt + 1/3 c. warm water, whisked
• 1 circle Abuelita cocoa, chopped into chunks-(this will be messy and grainy!)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry with wet ingredients and dollop large spoonfulls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. These will get fluffy! Bake for about 10 minutes. Let them cool completely, then eat. They will be muffin-toppy and cinnamon chocolatey. Again, I wasn't wild about them, but 6 against one says differently!