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Vegetarian
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| Express-Times Photo |
| Danielle Konya at Vegan Treats |
You've seen them wrapped in cellophane, their names scrawled with the specials on menu chalkboards, "We have vegan desserts!" From the Royal Tavern on Passyunk Ave. to Milkboy Cafe in Ardmore, Danielle Konya's Vegan Treats have been "making people happy for 10 years."
Danielle's Vegan Treats retail bakery opened last year in Bethlehem, inspiring veggies from afar to make the trek just to bow down before the woman and her doughnuts. We caught up with the mistress of cruelty-free cake for a chat about eating your way toward justice.
Meal Ticket: How did you get your Vegan Treats into Philadelphia restaurants like the Royal Tavern?
Danielle Konya: I feel very fortunate that my foray into vegan baking actually began in Philadelphia and then flourished with word of mouth. I have found that when you work extremely hard and have passion the size of Texas, people hear about it and want in. I wanted to make cruelty-free desserts that look fantastic and taste even better. When I started this bakery, I set out to do the impossible � change the way people view what it means to be vegan and make an alternative that's better than its egg- and dairy-filled nemesis. After a decade pursuit against animal injustice, I feel like I'm working toward a foreseeable goal every day now which makes me work even harder. We're always excited when we get such loyal, dedicated clients like the Royal Tavern.
MT: What are the biggest challenges of vegan baking? How do you adapt to baking without classic texture-builders, like eggs and butter?
DK: The second question is easy. I've never had to adapt to baking without eggs or butter because to be honest, I wouldn't even know how. I have never in my life baked a non-vegan cake. It's a classic question for the vegan cook or baker. How does it work? There are some very good, and getting even better replacements for just about everything in the animal product world. It's just a matter of playing the chemist and figuring out the right combinations. But if you've tried the treats, there's no difference.
The challenges have surpassed trying to make the products taste the exact same as their counter part in the non-vegan realm. I feel like the past 10 years I have been really mastering that. My main goal was always trying to produce the best product possible in appearance and taste, but now it's the challenge of the message. In addition to always dedicating myself to produce every counterpart in the dessert world from complicated truffles to fluffy doughnuts to creamy cheesecakes and wedding cakes, I want people to understand why. Why eating vegan equates to saving rain forests, and ultimately over 100 lives per year. That people start with treats, and move to researching why they're eating what they're eating and what a huge impact it makes.
It began as treats, but it moved into something much bigger, infusing my life's goal with an easy introduction: sweets!
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| Photo l Mike Panic |
| A variety of vegan cheesecakes |
MT: Are there many vegans in the Bethlehem area? It seems that your customers are more than willing to travel to your bakery and fill up an ice-chest of Peanut Butter Bombes!
DK: Many vegans everywhere, and growing!
I am fortunate to have very dedicated customers, as well. Yes, I have seen many ice chests. People travel hundreds of miles (and even thousands) to come to the bakery. People have camped out, freaked out, gotten on their knees bowing ... it's incredible. The uniqueness and quality of my treats draw people in. I'm proud to own a company that possesses so much energy and captivates a national audience all through dessert. It's a labor of love that continues to exceed my expectations every single day.
MT: What is your dream for your business?
DK: My dream is to change the way people think about their food choices one slice of cake at a time. Opening people's eyes to the dramatic impact eating a vegan diet makes on wildlife, rain forest, other living beings. The whole reason why I am doing what I am doing, trying to expand, always challenging myself to push the company to higher levels is all for the animals. Just last night I was driving home from NYC and it was almost 2 a.m. and I passed a cattle truck on the highway. I tried to look away but of course couldn't. Packed in by the dozens, scared, confused ... I looked down at the temperature gauge and it was a chilling 31 degrees. I felt sick that in 2009 we are still a human race blind to the other species of animals that inhabit this planet and what a disgrace we have been in respecting these life forms. It is my goal to make a small difference in the fight for animal injustice.
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| Photo l Mike Panic |
| The famous Peanut Butter Bombes |
Vegan Treats, 1444 Linden St., Bethlehem 610-861-7660, vegantreats.com; info@vegantreats.com
The blog Philly Vegan Life has a fairly complete list of caf�s and restaurants that sell Vegan Treats. See it HERE.
Interesting Q&A. I've had her baked goods-they're pretty tasty. But I'm still not 100 percent sure I want my baker to be "playing chemist."
They all play chemist, Joy. It's just a matter of not using synthetic chemicals. Vegan Treats is the BEST. Bethlehem is my hometown. If I lived there now I would probably be a barge because Vegan Treats is SO good. Now it's even more of a treat to go back because a trip to Vegan Treats is always included. Who needs animal products? No one!! Try Vegan Treats and you'll see.
best fucking deserts on the planet earth and romulan . I love the fact that Danielle has enought balls to play chemist . Rock on veganizzle
Go, Danielle! Vegan Treats rocks the house!
what is cooking/baking if not a form of playing chemist? the question is whether one presents it as scientific or not.
Vegan Treats are amazing!! This is a great article, thanks for giving us some insight into the mastermind behind these awesome desserts!!!
[...] - Vegan Treats founder Danielle Konya sharing what keeps her oven burning. To check out the whole interview, visit Citypaper.net! [...]
[...] Meal Ticket wrote a fantastic profile on Danielle Konya, the mastermind behind Bethlehem’s Vegan Treats, which has been serving Philadelphia for more than ten years with decadent veg-friendly desserts. I have been guilty of hoarding those famous peanut butter bommes in my apartment. So sue me! They’re delicious! [...]
Thanks for doing what you do, Danielle! You make the vegan world so much sweeter. :)
Joy, you Tight Ass... I think Konya was speaking in a joking, tongue in cheek manner..... She is an amazing person and her Discipline and Determination should be the envy of all Americans. The Treats are Phenomenal much like the Baker Herself.
[...] PREVIOUSLY ON MEAL TICKET: Vegan Sweetheart: Baker Danielle Konya [17Mar09] [...]
Cooking IS chemistry, dumbass. This happens to be organic chemistry. Baking of any kind requires mastery and the vegan creations at VT are masterful! I am one of those who has driven for hours to get to this place. I bought a bunch of cakes for my (meat-eating) family at Christmas and they were all gone in minutes! The chocolate glazed donuts are beyond amazing and the strawberry shortcake (with or without chocolate) is my most favorite dessert of all time!
[...] Philadelphia City Paper’s Meal Ticket section ran a great article and interview yesterday with Vegan Treats owner Danielle Konya and featured some of my photos. I feel so honored [...]
Wish there were more people like Danielle - just had my first taste of your cheesecakes at The Red Bamboo (my kids have raved about them - they attend college up in Boston - we are down in Houston) and hands down the best cheesecake!!! Keep baking for the animals - we think you are awesome.
[...] gets its 15-ish minutes of fame on the menu at award-winning Vegan Treats Bakery in Bethlehem (Felicia D chatted with the bakery’s Danielle Konya back in March �09). If Bethlehem seems like a hefty distance to travel for snacks, remember that you can look for [...]
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| Whole kumquats, and one in cross-section |
| Photo l Michael Persico |
Once called "the little gems of the citrus family," kumquats were reclassified in 1915 into the genus Fortunella, which includes six small Asiatic species. They differ from other citrus in that the skin is sweet and edible, concealing tart flesh. The best way to eat this little jewel is to pop the entire fruit in your mouth. A bite will reveal the layers of flavor: clean sourness after the slightly oily, spicy sweet skin. The most commonly sold kumquats in the U.S. go by the name Nagami, and are an excellent source of Vitamin C and fiber.
Florence Fabricant recently cataloged the development of a new seedless kumquat variant, which has been available in Japan for some time. Seedless kumquats for the U.S. market are now being grown in Panama, and can be purchased from baldorfood.com for $15 per 2 pounds.
Fabricant suggests simmering whole or halved kumquats in sugar syrup for cocktails, or blanching and slicing into salads.
Organic kumquats are available for $3.99 a box at Whole Foods, 929 South St., 215-733-9788, and 2001 Pennsylvania Ave., 215-557-0015
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| Doppelganger-Veggie Special |
The holy trifecta of hoagies in this town are produced at three shops in walking distance of one another in South Philly. The venerable Sarcone's also bakes the definitive sandwich bread, Primo Hoagies serves the west-of-Broad 'hoods, while the locals shun cheesesteaks for the fare at Chickie's Italian Deli. All three turn out classic Italian sandwiches stuffed with fresh-sliced meat and cheese dressed with olive oil. The least well-known of the three is Chickie's, at 10th and Federal, who despite winning a shelf full of awards for their sandwiches, remains in the long shadow cast by Sarcone's on Ninth St. Truly a shame, for Chickie's is the only vegetarian sandwich with the power to convince carnivores to forsake classic meat-laden combinations, in favor of something less piggy.
The Veggie Special is a layered creation of roasted peppers, broccoli rabe sautéed with garlic, baked eggplant and coarsely grated sharp provolone cheese stacked in a signature Sarcone's roll. The lily is gilded with a drizzle of olive oil, finishing the only veggie sandwich fit for the noble title "hoagie."
We make no claims to improving upon Chickie's epic sandwich in this restaurant remix. The only compelling reason to even attempt the duplication is Chickie's short hours. Ever Italian, they close at 3:30 and are surely enjoying their evening long before the rest of us are freed from work.
Learn how to make this flavor phantasmagoria at home, after the jump.
Chickie's Italian Deli, 1014 Federal St., 215-462-8040
Chickie's Award-Winning Veggie Special Hoagie
Yield: 2 large sandwiches, enough for 2 very hungry people
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| Roasting peppers over a direct gas flame |
| All Photos l Mike Persico |
Go Get This:
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
4 ounces provolone cheese, coarsely grated
1 lb. broccoli rabe (one bunch)
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 large purple eggplant, sliced lengthwise
2 long Sarcone's hoagie rolls
salt and pepper, to taste
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil
Now Do This:
Roast the Peppers:
Place washed bell peppers over a medium-high flame directly on the burner of a gas stove or grill. Turn frequently with tongs until blackened all over and starting to collapse. This can also be done in a 450 degree oven.
Remove peppers to large paper grocery bag, and shake to loosen blackened skin. Peel away black skin. Do not rinse; rinsing will remove flavorful oils. Reserve.
Cook the broccoli rabe:
Cut an inch off each of the stem ends of broccoli rabe. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, and immerse broccoli rabe for three minutes. Remove and drain; shock with cold water. Remove to large colander to dry.
Add three tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to a large skillet and turn to coat. Heat over medium-high heat, then add sliced garlic when oil is hot and shimmering. Sauté garlic until lightly browned and softened, two minutes. Add drained broccoli rabe to pan and toss with tongs to coat in oil. Sauté for three minutes until tender. Reserve.
Broil the eggplant:
Preheat oven to broil. Arrange sliced eggplant on baking sheet and brush with olive oil on both sides. Season with salt. Broil at least six inches from the heat source for three minutes, then flip. Broil two more minutes, until eggplant is lightly browned and tender. Season with black pepper and hot red pepper flakes, to taste.
Assemble the sandwiches:
Slice the Sarcone's rolls lengthways, not all the way through. Layer the broiled eggplant, sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic, roasted peppers and coarsely ground provolone cheese in the roll. Dress with a sprinkle of extra-virgin olive oil, to taste.
Serve with a cold beer or cheap red wine, preferably outside on the porch on a nice day. Wait for sirens, kids shouting, SEPTA buses stuck on narrow streets with horns honking angrily, and you've got yourself a real South Philly sandwich experience happening.
That looks so good...I will give it a try thanks!
Oh man, Jill, your life will be so happier after you get down with this sammich. Enjoy, Chickie's Virgin!
[...] including Grace Tavern’s oyster po’boy, Table 31’s short rib burger and one of Felicia D.’s faves, the veggie hoagie from Chickie’s.We bugged Kessler for a sec to get more info on the [...]
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| All Photos l Michael Persico |
Molly Russakoff has been in the Italian Market for 25 years. 1010 S. Ninth Street was Molly's Bookstore until October 2008, when she decided the book business had become "untenable," and flipped her space on its head.
"It's quite a re-concept," Russakoff says, laughing. "I own the building, so whatever happens with me, happens here." Her new store, Bella Vista Natural Foods, is stocked with items more commonly found in places like Whole Foods. "I like to eat this way," she says, gesturing to the shelves stocked with organic coconut milk and bulk, chemical-free herbs, beans and grains. "These are the things you couldn't get in the market until now."
Indeed, though Ninth Street abounds with cheap produce, cheesemongers, homemade ravioli and quality butchers, natural and vegetarian foods have not yet made significant inroads. Russakoff's shop, though small, has the staples that vegetarians and vegans require. The freezer is stocked with Amy's organic veggie burgers and Tofutti pizza for convenience, and dry goods range from powdered egg replacer to chlorine-free diapers.
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| Blown-out Natural Meadows Farm eggs |
| Photo l Michael Persico |
The fridge is a repository of the fresh and local — Misty Creek cheddar goat cheese, Pequea Valley yogurt, Natural Meadows Farm eggs in a rainbow of colors. Russakoff shows off a carton of the olive green, sky blue, freckled brown and cream eggshells that she had blown the contents out of, all the better to display on the counter. "The first day we got these, I was practically running out in the street to show them to people," she says, with obvious delight. "I was like, just look at these!" The success of the eggs sped her realization that there is a void in this South Philly market.
"The original plan was just to sell packaged foods," says Molly. "But people really want fresh, local food. We're in the process of shifting our focus to local produce. It's fun to deal with farmers and small producers, instead of giant book distributors." As Southeastern PA emerges from the cold, dark winter, Russakoff will be filling her store with produce from surrounding farms. Plans are in the works for a sandwich counter and juice bar in the back of the store, and Russakoff is mulling over the possibility of turning the place into a co-op.
Russakoff's devotion to the Buy Fresh, Buy Local ethos is clear. One of her neighbors had mentioned that his backyard fig tree produces more fruit than he knows what to do with, and invited Molly to gather the figs when they come in. "Can you see it?" She says, with a gleam in her eye. "South Philly figs this summer — talk about local produce!"
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| Kombucha, organic milk and mushrooms |
| Photo l Michael Persico |
Bella Vista Natural Foods, 1010 S. Ninth St., 215-923-3367; Open Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
[...] closed to make way for a home-schooling center. After this brief foray failed to materialize, the space blossomed into Bella Vista Natural Foods, selling fresh produce, herbs, and tofutti. But, with the organic coconut milk flowing like water, [...]
Yesterday, I broke my weeklong meat fast in dramatic fashion.
First, it behooves me to point out that on my drive to work, this is what I got stuck behind on Bainbridge for about eight blocks:
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Follow the white rabbit.
More meat porn after the jump.
First, Felicia D. and I got some lunch at Amada.
I ate ham and white bean soup:
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
And some assorted charcuterie:
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
And a skirt steak sandwich:
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Then I felt really great for awhile.
I started to get hungry again around 8 p.m., so I went to one of my all-time favorite places, one that I hadn't been to in a long, long time — Popeye's, y'all. Four-piece dinner, spicy, with a biscuit and a side of rice and beans. (You know they have a Twitter?):
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
God I love Popeye's.
I know what you're thinking — how could I possibly follow up a lunch at a low-brow hole in the wall like Amada with a meal at the temple of haute cuisine that is the Popeye's at Broad and Catharine?
Tomorrow, I'm cashing in on my Week Without Meat prize — a big-ass steak! — with a dinner at Table 31. I'm thinking 24-ounce Porterhouse. Stay tuned.
Hi Drew, Love your article. We look forward to satisfying your meat craving!!! Kindly, Lauren O'Dorisio Table 31 Director of Sales/Marketing
Yeah man, how could you? Popeye's? Really? Really? The skirt steak sandwich looks positively unreal. I gotta get me one of those.
Yes, Popeye's.
I think that I will personally have to stop by CP's offices and officially revoke your credentials, with alacrity and force! Wait, you just came off of Meatless Week - you get a pass. This time. How was the steak?
I abstained from meat for a week. Read why here.
The Week Without Meat is over. I am still alive. I even learned a few things. I ate meat for lunch today and I felt like a champion after (pics of what I scarfed are coming tomorrow).
My main revelation, however, has been that I should probably stop eating fatty meat with such unmitigated frequency. My self-prescribed fast solidified what I already knew — I love meat and I'm never going to stop eating it (sorry, Erik!) — but it's also helped me realize that there are plenty of meals I can occasionally make that are both healthy and easy to pull off.
As I mentioned yesterday, I decided to test out some recipes from Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby's Horizons: New Vegan Cuisine for dinner last night. I've have this tome in my cookbook pile awhile now, but never attempted to make anything out of it because I found it a little intimidating. But after a great meal there on Saturday, I built up the courage to flip through and pick out a few things. While some of their recipes are involved, the two I chose were extremely straightforward and produced some nice results. Learn how to make Seitan Beef, Barley & Ale Soup and Garlic Green Beans with Marcona Almonds & Vegan Tarragon Butter after the jump.
Seitan Beef, Barley & Ale Soup (from Horizons: New Vegan Cuisine)
Yields 6 to 10 servings as an appetizer or 4 to 6 servings as an entrée
Go Get This:
2 quarts vegetable stock
4 cups seitan, chopped
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup dark ale (I ended up using Flying Fish's Imperial Espresso Porter)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons margarine (I used butter)
1 cup dried wild mushroom blend
2 cups pre-cooked barley (prepare according to package)
Optional garnishes: Chopped chives for garnish (I used scallions); truffle oil; baguette slices
Then Do This:
1. In a large pot, simmer all ingredients, except the barley, for 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the barley and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Top bowls with any or all of the optional garnishes.
Garlic Green Beans with Marcona Almonds & Vegan Tarragon Butter (from Horizons: New Vegan Cuisine)
Yields 4 to 6 servings
Go Get This:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 pound French beans or green beans, ends trimmed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons margarine, softened (I used butter)
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Spanish Marcona almonds, chopped or crushed
Then Do This:
1. In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium heat until it ripples.
2. Add the garlic and immediately put the string beans on top.
3. When the garlic starts to brown (after 1 to 2 minutes), add hte water and cover the skillet.
4. Steam the beams until the desired tenderness — some people like their green beans crunchy, while some prefer theirs a bit more tender.
5. When done to your liking, transfer the beans to a mixing bowl, and add the margarine (or butter), tarragon, salt and pepper.
6. Toss until the margarine (or butter) melts, and then garnish with the almonds.
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| Photos | Drew Lazor | |
I’m abstaining from meat for a week. Read why here.
For Day 6's dinner, I decided to go all the way out — Horizons, y'all. Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby's much-celebrated vegan eatery, which opened in 2006 near Seventh and South, has definitely been on my The Week Without Meat hit list from the beginning. The second-to-last evening of my veg challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity to splurge a little. I'm glad I did.
The lady and I pulled up seats at the ground-floor bar and got busy. Clockwise from top left — seitan reuben sliders (I'm a Jewish deli addict, so these were killer); grilled seitan with yukon mash, horseradish cream sauce and red pepper tapenade (heartily American in the best possible way); Jacoby's super-creamy saffron creme brulee with pistachio biscotti; and Catalan tempeh with braised lentils and a smoked eggplant-stuffed pepper. I dug everything we ordered, but I'll admit that I'm not accustomed to the consistency of tempeh — this was my first time having it, and I was somewhat flummoxed by the inherent textural characteristics of the soybean-based superfood. I'll give it another shot down the line, but for now I think seitan is my number one not-meat girl.
Tonight, I'll be trying my hand at two recipes from their 2007 cookbook, Horizons: New Vegan Cuisine, for my Super Bowl dinner — seitan beef, barley and ale soup and garlic green beans with Marcona almonds and tarragon butter*. How badly will I screw this up? Find out tomorrow.
Also: When shopping for ingredients at Whole Foods earlier, I couldn't resist tossing a packet of uncured bacon into the cart. Will I be frying up a big-ass pile at 12:01 a.m.? Check back manana for the answer.
* The recipe calls for vegan butter, but I think I'm going to rock the real stuff.
Tonight, Drew, skip Capital in favor of Barclay. Consistently the best steaks I've had in town.
Turns out I'm not going out for the steak dinner until Wednesday night, but I am going to start eating meat like ASAP. I think Table 31 has become the settled-upon destination.
Horizon's is fantastic. I think I had dreams about that eggplant stuffed pepper.
[...] an organic veg restaurant in Hollywood that’d been recommended to me by quite a few people. My first experience with tempeh left something to be desired, so I decided to give the stuff another shot here by ordering “Vivas Las Pasta,” a [...]
I’m abstaining from meat for a week. Read why here.
Yesterday, I mentioned that I planned to spend my Saturday watching a bunch of gruesome PETA videos and reading a bunch of literature to give a fair shake to the personal politics side of the vegan/vegetarian question. But consuming a bunch of tasty meat substitutes in the past 24 hours has put me in a surprisingly good mood, so now I think I'm going to save all that fun for Super Bowl Sunday. Woo.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
For dinner yesterday, I dropped by Govinda's, which I'd never been to despite it being a short walk from my apartment. (Likely explanation for this: They do not have meat.) I explained earlier this week that my objective is not to drastically alter my normal habits for the better — as much as I probably should do that, the realistic plan these past few days has been to eat as normally as possible (sans meat) and document the ensuing mental anguish. As such, I was pleased by Gov's recognizable grilly options. After shouldering my way through a sea of really skinny UArts kids with crappy band patches sewed on their jackets, I got myself a kofta sub (fake meatballs, real mozz and marinara) and a side of deep-fried fake chicken nuggets. While I found that the one-of-a-kind texture of the kofta balls grew more and more haunting with each bite, that's more of a "me" than a "them" issue. The nuggets, though? They're killing it with the nuggets. Slight stringiness notwithstanding, they were crispy, chewy and satisfying. You could definitely trick an absentminded/slightly drunk carnivore with these things.
For lunch earlier today, I ate a few Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patties on a roll. These are also excellent!
I refuse to apologize for loading up on the phony stuff on the second-to-last day of The Week Without Meat. I know that this really isn't the truest way to experience a beneficial vegetarian diet, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the feeling of biting into something meaty. My girlfriend, the sadistic orchestrator of this entire endeavor, bought me a sack of green beans at the store earlier. I am considering eating them later.
It's been interesting, but I think I'm ready for it to be over. I've felt kinda slow this entire week, and I've witnessed the eyes of more than a few coworkers and friends glaze over as I've feebly stumbled over words while trying to explain something. Is this purely psychosomatic? Most likely. But it's still weird and frustrating. Gimme a fat burger and I will speak extemporaneously for 72 hours.
I plan on offering some insightful coherent thoughts on my temporary veg status come Day 7, but today I just can't shake my meat fixation. With this in mind, I wanted to ask y'all: Where should I make the girl take me for the steak dinner I'm about to win? Capital Grille was my initial thought, but I want to weigh all my options. Let's hear it in the comments.
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| random-good-stuff.com |
Capital Grill is always an excellent meal, but there's no prime rib, which is my personal favorite cut.
Whenever I've gone off the meat for an extended period of time, I find that first meat meal unpleasant.
If you really want to stick it to Mich, Fogo de Chao, just for the pure vomiting excess.
PETA kills 85% of all animals they "save". They claim they are forced to kill viable animals because it is impossible to do much due to their limited budget (30mil annually). Yet PETA calls the slaughter of livestock MURDER and compares it to the Holocaust. In comparison their neighbors the Norfolk SPCA saves 73% of all animals they take in with a annual budget a fraction of a fraction of PETA. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk claims: "A rat is a dog is a boy". If a boy = a dog and animal "MURDER" is a acceptable practice by PETA standards, then is the killing of unwanted children acceptable? Apparently so according to PETA's logic. PETA is against all animal medical research. Good luck living past 40 without modern medicine. If you support this then please refuse all medical treatment for you and your child since modern medicine was founded on the sacrifices of animal testing. PETAs leadership uses insulin which was tested on animals. PETA does not consider this hypocritical by any means. How convenient of them. PETA's tax records show donations and loans made to convicted homegrown terrorist Rodney Coronado. PETA also contributed to his legal defense fund. Rodney has confessed in public lectures of firebombing private property in the name of ALF (Animal Liberation Front). PETA leadership calls this terrorist a "fine upstanding young man". Rodney has gone to college campuses to teach students to build home made firebombs. PETA is no better than Al Qaeda, just more media savvy.
I’m abstaining from meat for a week. Read why here.
Sorry for missing yesterday's update — it's been an extremely busy couple of days, but I can confidently say that I am still holding it down.
I'm still thinking about meat a lot, though.
On Wednesday night, I whipped up a recipe for tofu and black bean tacos submitted by Meal Ticket reader Christine. "Try this and I promise it won't seem like you're NOT purposely avoiding meat," she wrote. Despite having to shell out a pretty penny for cumin and ground coriander (didn't have these spices on hand), I was extremely pleased with the results — the recipe was easy to pull off and quite satisfying, with the hearty texture of the crumbled seasoned tofu and black beans filling me right up. And though the recipe didn't call for explicitly, I had a blast squeezing the excess water out of the extra-firm protein blocks with my bare hands. (I decided to do this after hearing several home cooks gripe about the inherent sogginess of the stuff.) The move definitely contributed to the overall thumbs-up texture of the meat replacement. Thank you, Christine!
For lunch on Thursday, I hit up Rouge, where talented and kind chef Matt Zagorski asked my girlfriend and I if we wanted to sample a cross-section of items from his new Petite Additions small-plates lunch menu. (Felicia D. wrote about it on Tuesday.) Any other day, I told him, I would be ripping through awesome-sounding items like his mini Rouge burger and roasted half quail with carnivorous gusto — but this week, unfortunately, was not conducive to such indulgence. I opted instead for a sick endive salad and a nice little polenta dish. I think I did a terrible job of explaining to Zagorski that I was also eschewing seafood, though, which made it all the more torturous when he blessed us with a mid-course of tuna tartare and a smoked salmon BLT (sans the bacon). The girl, a pescetarian, was happy to step in and help, making a sizeable dent in both plated proteins while I nibbled on the teeny pumpernickel top of the BLT. Life is so hard. I also drank two beers.
Dinner last night saw me dropping by El Fuego at 21st and Chestnut and scarfing down a vegetarian quesadilla while I drank some more beers. (It's coping, OK?) I also had a serving of guacamole, as several TWWM readers have been telling me that hearty fatty stuff like this will help me both stay full and maintain a shiny, lustrous coat. Wait that's border collies.
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| Erik Marcus of vegan.com |
The other day, I promised a recap of my chat with Erik Marcus of the vegan.com blog, who reached out to me to share some tips and tricks for my temporary veg conversion. Here's what I learned:
- Marcus' book, The Ultimate Vegan Guide, helps people make a smooth transition to veganism. One of the biggest concepts he discusses is what he calls "crowding, not cutting" — instead of making yourself miserable by thinking about all the stuff you can no longer eat, why not help yourself move past that by replacing them with foods you've never tried? “If you try to go vegetarian or vegan by cutting out the foods you like, you’re hosed," Marcus said. "Instead, you [should] make it a process of discovering new foods and going out of your way to try new things." The distinction here with TWWM is that I do, on occasion, hit up meat substitutes in real life, so they're not entirely foreign and exotic to me. I eat falafel regularly. I sometimes munch on tofu and seitan dishes. (The fake wings at El Camino Real, as one recent commenter pointed out, are bangin'.) I just don't eat this stuff nearly as much as meat and seafood stuff. I am going to make it a point tonight and over this weekend, however, to branch out and sample some meat substitutes I don't really mess with all that often. People keep telling me about the kofta sub (fake meatballs) at Govinda's, and many have also preached the gospel of Quorn to me. Any thoughts, commenters?
- I expressed to Marcus that one of my chief complaints about TWWM is that I often don't feel very full after eating my vegetarian meals. He felt as though it was a matter of perception. "I don't hear that as a complaint from people who have been vegan for awhile," he told me. "As a former meat eater, [I can say that] your perception of 'full' changes. Once you internalize that the objective is not to be filled up, [and] stopping short of that is actually better thing for your body, [it will help] change your default mindset." This definitely makes sense, but I feel as though achieving such an understanding/mindset will be difficult for me, as I'm only doing this for seven days. I did, however, feel pretty satisfied after Wednesday's tofu taco adventure, so perhaps I just need to eat things with more notable protein content.
- Marcus urged me to take a look beyond just the eating aspect of vegan/vegetarianism and delve into some research on the motivations behind why people eat this way in the first place — controversial issues like the global impact of raising meat, animal cruelty, etc. I admit that have not focused enough on this side of the issue, but I agree that it is worth my while to give these viewpoints a fair shake. Do I think it will change or affect my relationship with meat? Honestly? No. But I am trying my best to keep an open mind. I will be doing some thinking and reading tonight and will return with impressions tomorrow.
You should watch this video as part of your research. It gives a nice overview of why someone would want to eat less meat, without being overly crude and disgusting. http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html It's by Mark Bittman, food journalist famous for his "How to Cook Everything" cookbook series.
[...] January 30th Meal Ticket• The Week Without Meat Day 6: Bacon wishes and pork cutlet dreams• The Week Without Meat Days 4-5: All this veggie confusion is causing me to drown in space an...• Rum Bar owner Adam Kanter's recipe for Admiral's Chicken• Ramos Gin Fizz, fresh or [...]
[...] If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Drew Lazor at the Philadelphia CityPaper is a confirmed carnivore who decided to blog about his week without meat. I stumbled upon his series when it began early last week, and invited him to give me a call. We talked for more than half an hour and he ended up blogging about my advice. [...]
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I'm abstaining from meat for a week. Read why here.
Last night, I checked out an advance screening of the spook flick The Uninvited. (Check the movies section online tomorrow for my review.) A little less than an hour in, there's a very inconsequential scene that features stars Elizabeth Banks and Emily Browning in a butcher shop. Banks' character chats with the butcher while he slices up giant hunks of gorgeously marbled beef with a cleaver. The portion of the scene lasts all of 20 seconds and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie, which deals in all sorts of scary apparitions and hallucinations and ghosts and betrayals and attractive sisters and murders and crawly dead moms.
I couldn't stop thinking about the steak.
"I wonder how Elizabeth Banks is going to prepare all that," I began wondering. "Is she gonna season them up and sear them in a pan, then finish them under a broiler? Maybe she's going to cook them on a charcoal grill? Oh man those steaks look so good. Their family lives on a lake, too, so I bet they could do a really nice surf and turf, with a side of ... "
You know something is wrong with you when find yourself fantasizing about red meat during a fucking horror movie.
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| Hello, you do not have meat in you. |
| Photo | Drew Lazor |
A few hours before the screening, I ate a sweet and sour vegetarian soup (tofu, egg, veggies, noodles, etc.) from Joe's down here in Old City. I found it quite tasty but ultimately unsatisfying. I wanted to put pork in it. My coworkers Neal and Holly sat across from me, scarfing down roast duck and shrimp wonton soup with great gusto. It took every fiber of my being to resist the urge to grab their heads and bang them together really hard like Moe does to Larry and Curly.
After I got home, I ate a wedge salad with bleu cheese dressing, some roasted garlic butter mushrooms and a helping of blackened green beans. All were delicious, but I couldn't help but shake the feeling that I was eating a bunch of side dishes and there was a void where the marquee star of my dinner should be. To cope, I walked to 7-Eleven and bought myself a Choco Taco. I nearly, nearly purchased a bag of pork rinds based on the logic that fried pig skin is not, in actuality, meat. I somehow managed to stop myself.
In my life as a meat eater, I typically skip breakfast. I eat lunch about 70 percent of the time, usually something small and random from a place around my office. (I sometimes skip if I'm really busy.) But for dinner, I always get down with a big, filling meal, with all sorts of accompaniments (yes, often veggies!) and a large portion of meat or seafood as the centerpiece. I realize that this is not the healthiest approach to eating, but shit, it's what I do.
This is why I'm approaching The Week Without Meat (TWWM) the same way — I'm not going to wake up and fix myself a sustainable veggie frittata every morning, because I would never wake up and make myself a bacon omelette. Most of my energy is going to be spent on either cooking or ordering one huge meal in the evening. That's why tonight, the plan is for me to attempt some of the awesome vegetarian recipes Meal Ticket readers have been sending in. If you've got anything to share, please do not hesitate to hit me up in the comments or at drew.lazor @ citypaper.net.
Other TWWM notes/thoughts:
- A little later today, I'm going to be speaking with Erik Marcus of vegan.com, who has promised to share with me some tips for making it through the rest of the week. Check back on Meal Ticket later for my recap.
- How the hell did I miss that my TWWM experiment is coinciding with NATIONAL MEAT WEEK? God is so, so, so cruel. More on this soon.
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| Valhalla, I'm coming. |
| bbqaddicts.com |
- I can't even begin to count how many people have sent me a link to the Bacon Explosion recipe on bbqaddicts.com. On behalf of myself and America, I would just like to say that I hope you all die of massive coronaries.
- "I know this is possibly the last thing you'd want to read while going meatless," writes Brendan of Sloth Street, "but I wanted to point you to my recap of the Amada whole roast suckling pig dinner." I appreciate it, man. In fact, I would like to thank you in person. Please e-mail me your home address. And your sleep schedule.
- I recently read a study that linked meat deprivation with thoughts of irrational violence perpetuated against kindly Internet folk. In this same dream, I killed a wild boar with a crude spear and was schooled by a village of rainforest people on the finer points of cooking animals on a spit. I was then married in an elaborate ceremony to the chief's daughter, whose name was Scrapple.
- ohmygodiwantmeatsobad
- I've been thinking. A pork rind — it's not meat! It's skin! So that totally doesn't count! Right? ANSWER ME NOW
Come on, friend, you need to be eating a balanced set of carbohydrates, fats, and protein of different sorts, regardless of what sources you're choosing for them (meat, dairy, egg, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, fruits, oils...). No wonder you are feeling unsatisfied! Hopefully Erik can straighten you out.
Keep the faith, my friend. I did laugh out loud at the latest post. My 17 year old son, who is in the peak of health, became a vegetarian July 2008. I have scoured cookbooks and the internet for recipes that include tofu and beans. These, along with eggs, lentils and nuts, are excellent sources of protein. You need protein for your body and to keep you satieated- probably not a real word ! Google protein and find a few good articles tha also list the protein content. That will help you stick with it. Also, allrecipes.com posts comments on their recipes. These are VERY helpful. Oh, by the way, God only seems cruel when you are very, very hungry. Although I applaud my sons choice- the meat industries are the biggest polluters on the planet- I will never go vegetarian completely. I do enjoy many of his recipes but come on- give up flame broiled Whoppers- I don't think so ! Good Luck January 2009
Oh Man... National Meat Week?! The Fates are laughing at you so hard right now.
one of my favorite things: the indonesian tofu soup at pagoda noodle house next to the ritz east in old city. if it sounds intimidating, it's not at all. it's salty and satisfying. i ask for it with vegetarian broth (to which they nod- i'm really not going to question it). in that broth there are deep-fried morsels of some sort of carbohydrate, julienned beans, bean sprouts, tofu pieces and a fried egg. i add hot oil and white pepper and it's delicious. try it while you're still vegetarian. also if you're really craving something with bite, try the seitan wings at el camino real. it's also one of my new favorite things. or the fried bean curd salad at rangoon. i think the point i'm trying to make is, deep-fry anything and it will be delicious and fill this meatless void right up for you.
Drew, This might get you through the Superbowl: http://urbanvegan.blogspot.com/2008/04/what-hell-is-scrapple-and-where-do-you.html Buy two.
Brynn: I love the seitan wings @ ECR. They are the faux truth. And I really concur with your opinion re: deep-frying. Thank you for understanding! B: Vrapple! I've really been meaning to try it. Felicia D. sung its praises on Meal Ticket not too long ago.
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