Buy a cute shirt, and help me realize my dream!

At a party recently, a friend was telling me about a recent conversation she had with her mom where she was discussing how she was feeling stagnant about her life and what she was doing with it. Her mom gave her some great advice - she said, "This is it. This is your life. This is the only chance you're going to get." Her mom went on to say that she better begin to make active choices for her own happiness, rather than wait for life to happen to her. My friend has since then taken her life's course into her own hands and has begun living more purposefully as a result.

It got me thinking - I love food. I love animals. Why not spend time working to combine my two loves for a greater purpose? And food activism was the lightbulb that went off in my head. 

I have a dream one day that has been in my heart for a while now- to open a vegan cupcake shop and a small farm animal sanctuary, and to have this place be a source of peace and love for all who enter its doors. I have a dream of being able to work to spread the good news of what a vegan lifestyle can do for your life.  I have a dream of being able to work for a cause so much greater than myself.

So, here is a step in the right direction, I hope. I have decided to take a vegan baking intensive in February - a series of classes that would culminate with a certificate of completion. The only thing standing in my way? The cost of the course, which is twelve hundred and forty bucks. 

The solution? I've created a tee-shirt shop: http://www.kissmyvegan.spreadshirt.com. All you have to do is purchase a tee-shirt, and $5 of your purchase goes directly towards my tuition for the intensive. I designed the shirts myself, and frankly, I'm really stoked about them!


Thank you so much everyone for your endless support - I couldn't do it without you. Even if you can't purchase a shirt, the fact that you're following this blog means the world to me.  In a way, your support is already helping me realize my dream. And that's pretty awesome.

Food for Thought

The computer dilemma is over, thankfully! We finally bid farewell to our elderly, virus-filled computer and bought ourselves a classy new mac notebook. One of my favorite things about the mac is that it barely takes up any space - which leaves a bit of breathing room in the computer area.

I've had a lot on my mind lately. A week without a working computer has been a bittersweet experience.  While I've had a chance to catch up on some important reading - specifically Gene Baur's Farm Sanctuary and Ingrid Newkirk's Making Kind Choices- I've also been without the daily chance to blog about my new findings.  As rusty as I feel, however, I will forge ahead with blogging, because tonight, I'm in a mood to share. 

I've been meditating a lot on the idea of change and how difficult a practice it is for so many people. It seems that fear is greatly attached to change - the idea that by bringing change into your life, your daily existence will be that much more chaotic and ultimately scarier.  And I get that. I used to be a person who was comfortable with exactly where I was and with how I lived my life. Change wasn't something that ever entered my mind, especially when it came to food, because no other option existed for me. I was taught as a child that by consuming animal products, my bones would be strong, my heart would be healthy, and I would be eating a well-balanced diet. And I believed in all of that. Somehow, despite being the animal lover I've always been, I whole-heartedly accepted ignoring the notion that the food on my plate once had a face. I was taught and fully accepted that pigs were pork and ham, chickens were nuggets and buffalo wings, cows were burgers and steak, and turkeys were a natural (and necessary) part of Thanksgiving dinner. The idea - that the same animals who involuntarily sacrificed their livelihood for me were in fact living, breathing individuals with personalities all their own - was a notion I never entertained. Because no one told me I should. 

What's the difference between my adorable kitties

and these piglets?

It's simple really - a lifetime of consistently living one way can easily prevent a person from ever opening themselves up to the alternative, especially when that alternative is not right 

in front of them. 

The greatest part of my journey into veganism has been that my eyes have opened up to a world much larger than my tiny Brooklyn apartment. One day last year, I finally realized that I was a part of something much bigger - that buy purchasing certain foods, by eating at certain places, I was directly contributing to a world of suffering and abuse. Lately, Steve and I have been discussing ways to explain veganism to people from the perspective of someone who hasn't always lived in such a way - acting as a "beginner vegan," if you will.  And it makes sense that if during a conversation, you mention that you live a lifestyle that is totally different from the norm, people will question your character, if only for a moment. It's usually when I explain that I once regularly ate meat - and that I was once as much in the dark about factory farming as the next person - that people begin to listen a little more. 

I've had a handful of experiences lately where the people I talk to will say that they are just not in a place to want to change their lifestyle. Some have even been honest enough with me to admit that they won't change because they want to be able to keep eating the way they like to. It got me thinking: what would it take to change? Or more importantly, what will it take? Because our world desperately needs this kind of change, whether we're up for the challenge or not. Our health as a species depends on it. 

It's no surprise that eating meat severely increases your chances of countless diseases, and that factory farming is one of the largest causes of global warming. In essence, it's no surprise that by supporting cruelty, we suffer as a result.

When did it get to the point that we stopped seeing animals as living beings and started seeing them as a bottom line? How did we allow ourselves to become so de-sensitized to their pain, all for food we don't even need? 

(A daily reminder in my home to remain vegan.)

If you have made it to this point in the post, thank you for opening your hearts and minds and reading this. I know it's a lot to swallow (no pun intended), but I wouldn't say it if it wasn't absolutely necessary. We're reaching a point on Earth where precious resources are being destroyed, where human beings are dying more frequently from preventable diseases, and where torture is occurring in our own towns. I know it's a scary thing to think about, and I know that it might make you uncomfortable. But you know what? Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe we need some uncomfortable emotions to exist within, so that we can grow. 

All I know is that I want my parents around long enough to see their grandchildren born. I want my children to live in a world where they don't have to carry the burden of fixing our mistakes.  I want them to live in a world that is not dying, but flourishing.  If the act of change could allow for the damage of the world to heal so that future generations could enjoy it, wouldn't you change today?

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

- Charles Darwin

There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.

- Winston Churchill

A quick thought as you go through your day...

The Dalai Lama looked at the moon shining in the night sky and said, "Isn't it beautiful up there!" Everyone sighed and agreed. "Ah, but we don't live on the moon," he said.

"Our job is to make it beautiful down here."

(This was a quote I found at the beginning of Ingrid Newkirk's amazing book Making Kind Choices. Ingrid - who happens to be the co-founder and president of PETA - has written a beautiful and compelling guide to help you make compassionate choices in every part your daily life. If you are looking to find simple and easy ways to be more generous to the world around you, I highly recommend this book as a great place to start.)

Reasons to Smile.

It's been a hellish couple of days. A virus has basically killed my dearly loved seven-year old computer, and I haven't been able to blog since. It's been torture - mostly because I've had so many awesome things happen in the vegan/animal advocacy world this week and have been unable to blog about them. The result? I have to put my 2009 Vegan Mofo Challenge on hold until I've got a new computer. In the meantime, I've decided that on the days when I'm busier than I want to be, I'll post "Reason to Smile" lists (I've posted a few in these in the past). They make me happy, they're quick and easy to write, and they are a short and sweet way to communicate some lovely news in my life.

So, here are today's "Reasons to Smile":

1) My best friend has gone vegetarian and couldn't be happier with the change.

2) Steve has been vegan for almost a month now, and I am so proud of him. He's even become a bit of an activist himself!

3) Steve and I are hosting our first Thanksgiving married at our Brooklyn home this year. Best part? We're serving a 100% vegan Thanksgiving meal!

4) I volunteered at my second Farm Sanctuary event this past weekend, and I'm really happy that I've been able to add this element of work to my life.

5) I'm getting married in four weeks.

6). I've changed the layout of my kitchen so that I actually have counter space (a small victory, but I like to think an important one).

7) I ate the BEST vegan pumpkin cheesecake of my life last week (courtesy of Red Bamboo in the West Village).

8) I just discovered that Woody Harrelson is a raw vegan, and then I got to watch him kick some undead butt in "Zombieland" on Sunday. Sweet.

9) It's October, so I'm allowed to sprinkle pumpkin pie spice over just about anything now.

10) I live in a place where I have the freedom and ability to fight for causes close to my heart, and eat food I love.

** And a bonus: I love living vegan. Pure and simple. It rocks. **

Pumpkin scent is in the air, Johnny Mathis's on the radio, I'm in pajamas baking. What's new?

With one babysitting family away, leaving my mornings and early afternoons way too free, I've established a temporary new living habit this week:

Go to www.pandora.com, turn on my favorite online Christmas station (usually with Johnny Mathis crooning a song - he's one of my favorites), listen to hours of Christmas music, remain in pj's until I am forced out of them, bake desserts. Repeat.

This would all be great if it was, say, December. But nope, we just started the lovely autumn month of October. But this is not a surprise for our Brooklyn household - even Steve is used to this by now.

See, I'm obsessed with all things Christmas. Actually, the days between Thanksgiving and December to be exact. Even if I'm not actually in that time period, whenever the mood strikes me, I pretend that I am. I could go on for hours about why I love the holidays, but to sum it up in three words: family, food, and comfort. And love too. (Okay, that's four words.) These things all enter the world a little more when the holidays roll around, it seems, so when I am feeling like I need those elements in my life, I turn up the holiday songs, get in the kitchen, and start dreaming.

Now, this will probably not be last time I talk about Christmas. I may randomly post about it in May when I feel the spirit come upon me. So, be warned.

The good thing about Christmas music for me, no matter what time of year? I am very productive while listening to it. I had two events to prepare desserts for: the upcoming Farm Sanctuary's bake sale today and a dear friend's birthday party, so I thought I'd make some delicious pumpkin treats. And I don't think I would have been able to do it without the holiday tunage. So, I guess it's okay to have a little quirk like my Christmas obsession, if it helps get the job done.

Look how productive...

And voilah! Pumpkin desserts abound...

Pumpkin spiced cupcakes...

And chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

Every dessert has a story. And if these desserts could talk, they wouldn't. They'd probably be humming to "Sleigh Ride" right along with me.

Happy Holidays in October, people. Call your mom and/or dad and tell them you love them. Bake a lovely (vegan) dessert. Light a candle in your living room. Buy a pumpkin for your window sill. And dare to stay in your pj's just a little too long. You'll be surprised how delicious it can really be.

Holy Seitan Stroganoff, I'm Gettin' Hitched!

Wow- that's the corniest title for a blog post I've ever created. But the reality is that I've got two things on my mind right now:

1) My impending November nuptials to this guy

and

2) the Seitan Mushroom Stroganoff I made last night.

The fact is, both Steve and the Stroganoff have a lot in common. Both begin with the lovely letter S. Both are unbelievably comforting. Both took some risk and a leap of faith for me to become involved with. Both are deliciously satisfying. Both remind me of home and family. And both are vegan (yes, Steve finally made the transition to becoming vegan. I am so proud of him!).

But sadly, only one of these loves will be taking my hand in marriage come November. As much as I'd be overjoyed to devote myself to Seitan Stroganoff for the rest of my life (which I guess in theory I could), the world of vegan food is too vast and too yummy to only focus on this one delectable, yet singular dish.

So, I choose to devote today's post to Seitan Stroganoff, a dish that speaks to my heart and stomach so beautifully.

Yesterday, I was in the mood for comfort food - I think between the crazy wedding planning and the immediate fall weather we've been having in Brooklyn, it makes a lot of sense to crave something warm and homey. After brainstorming a bit, I had the idea to create my own Seitan Stroganoff, but I had no recipe to base it own. Oh sure, I know there are plenty of vegan stroganoff recipes out there - I just wanted to try and figure it out on my own (in honor of my month-long Vegan Mofo III Challenge). I picked up a few ingredients, experimented with them in my kitchen, and the result was a creamy comfort food which is perfect for autumn.

My inspiration for the sauce came from Bryanna Clark Grogan's marinade for her Breast of Tofu. If you like traditional American cooking, check this domestic southern goddess out. She rules.

Seitan Mushroom Stroganoff

Ingredients for the Seitan and Mushrooms:

1 package WestSoy Vegetarian Stir Fry Strips,
pulled apart into chunks

2-3 c. baby portabella or cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp. Pastry flour
(un-bleached, all-purpose flour works great too)

2 tbsp. organic, expeller-pressed canola oil

Ingredients for the Sauce:

1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. mushroom soy sauce
(regular soy sauce can work too)

1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes

2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. onion powder

3 tbsp. Earth Balance Margarine

3 tbsp. Pastry Flour, 
whisked with 1-2 tbsp. cold water

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium-sized pan on medium heat. Add seitan chunks and cook about 5-7 minutes, or until good and browned.  Once browned, sprinkle 2 tbsp. flour onto seitan and toss in pan to coat. Add mushrooms, toss with seitan and cook for 1 minute.

2. While seitan is cooking, mix water, soy sauce, spices, and nutritional yeast in a bowl. Pour wet mix over seitan and mushrooms. Allow to cook on high-heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add margarine in small slices to the pan, and cook until margarine melts. Stir in the flour-water mixture slowly and continuously to thicken. Be careful not to dump the whole mixture in too quickly, or the stroganoff will become way too stiff. Once the stroganoff resembles a creamy, gravy-like texture, it's ready. I topped the dish with more nutiritional yeast, because I'm a huge fan of the stuff. Totally up to you.