Blogging Redux: Twitter made me Vegan

Today’s not only my coronation ceremony as Teacher of the Year 2011, but the second anniversary of my decision to “go vegan”.  (A quick vegan shout out to The Waterview Pavilion in Belmar – they did an excellent job creating a delicious vegan lunch for the only non-meat or fish eating Monmouth County TOTY.) I’m republishing a blog post I wrote on May 25, 2009 about how Twitter played a big part in my decision. Twitter was a cocktail party back then (as opposed to the frat kegger it’s heading towards), and I found many real people discussion their eating choices online.

So let’s revisit a more innocent time when cutting animal products from my diet was new and challenging…and peaches are back in season, so let’s try that cobbler!

Twitter made me Vegan.

I know, only a few posts ago when talking about @pleather and @veganfreak’s podcast, I said, “I’m not a vegan”.  I wasn’t when I wrote that although I was trying that NPR Vegan be4 6 idea.  Then I began following vegans like @vegan1 and @vegancook101, and twittering vegans like @ismithx, @eatconciously, @yovegan, and @stephendavis02 started sending me DMs of support as I tweeted about my thoughts on becoming vegan.

So as of today, I’ve been vegan for a week.  Not long at all, I know, but very eye opening.  No, I’m not going through my closet of shoes and handbags and discarding those made of leather, but I won’t buy new ones – found a GREAT non-leather bag for Sarah at Target that confirmed for me the existence of fashionable non-animal alternatives.  I’ll also admit that it wasn’t so much animal cruelty that “turned” me (I do acknowledge it and never wore fur cause I couldn’t look my dog in the face if I did), but the effects animal husbandry and harvesting has on the environment convinced me immediately.  Even the town of Ghent in Belgium is going vegetarian every Thursday to address this environmental impact, so if they can do it, so can I! (Yea, I learned that on Twitter too!)

I was very surprised at how many foods I consume have animal products in them.  Who knew there was a really nice health food store right around the corner from my big American supermarket?  Nature’s Corner carries all kinds of vegan food (cheese, milk, snacks, etc.) many of it local – got tofu from Pennsylvania this morning – and vegan lunches I can grab at the wonderful teacher lunch hour of 10:30 a.m.!

The real issue now is how will I adapt all my favorite recipes to my new vegan lifestyle?  More to the point, how will my children react?  I tried an experiment last Tuesday.  @vegancook101 tweeted this recipe and I thought I would adapt it.  I didn’t use whole wheat ziti (I used durham wheat ziti), I used a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, a 15 oz can tomato sauce with italian spices, added my own dried oregano, thyme, and basil along with onions and garlic to make the sauce.  I used soy crumbles for the “meat” and put vegan mozzarella on top rather than breadcrumbs.

I don’t have a picture of that meal (my bad), but here’s what happened.  It was a busy Tuesday night at our house. I tutor a student with Asberger’s Syndrome in Flash Animation at 7 on Tuesdays.  Sarah was filming a project for US History, and Joe was playing drums at his friend Nigel’s house (better there than here).  When Joe came home, he and I sat down to the ziti.  I asked him how he liked it; he said, “It’s really good.”  Then I broke the news about the non-meat meat.  OMG, you’d think I fed the kid poop!

Now, I have to show him the packages when I tell him it’s meat, milk or cheese.  In his defense, he’s 14 and, when I was pregnant with him, I practically lived on beef, even fantasized about steak at odd moments!  Sarah, on the other hand, liked it as did her friends.  She was a vegetarian for a number of years, so not a surprise.  Unfortunately, I was off tutoring by the time they tried it, but based on how little was left over for my lunch the next day, it was a success with them!

After that experience, I began thinking about how I would adapt favorite recipes to be vegan.  I love to cook and enjoy nothing more than waking up, planning meals for a day or two, going off to the store, then spending the day in the kitchen.  Helps with our busy schedule cooking ahead, and I do enjoy listening to NPR and trying new recipes on winter sunday afternoons.  This past saturday, I tried another recipe a tweeter posted (I forget who – apologies!) called Rustic Bread & Eggplant Lasagna.  Again, I substituted vegan mozzarella for the breadcrumbs and used the first fresh basil of the season to add some flavor.  Here’s 2 pics of the finished dish:

Peaches are also in season, so I adapted a peach cobbler from the Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts (p. 30).  The only substitution to make it vegan was margerine for butter – and Joe loved it!

Tonite, I’m adapting our favorite Giada DeLaurentis dish: Salmon Baked in Foil. I substituted tofu for the fish and am currently marinating it in olive oil, fat free balsamic dressing, garlic (really, anything with garlic is good), oregano, thyme, basil, and lemon juice (see below):

I did find that Yankee Candles weigh the best when draining tofu!  Check back for an update on how this adaptation works out, as well as tomorrow’s attempt to tackle a true favorite – meatloaf!  Oh, and if you keep following my adventures in vegan cooking, you’ll discover that all my cooking utensils are very 60s/70s.  I learned to cook from my grandmother and those remind me of her kitchen.

Dining out with the Everyday Vegan

One of the most difficult aspects of being vegan is dining out. True, quite a few restaurants in our area at least try to include a vegan dish on their menu, but the majority of the time a vegan plays the game of 20 questions with the wait staff at most establishments.  I was actually served a plate of plain spaghetti, no sauce, one dry lump of pasta at a shore restaurant during a banquet when I told them I needed a vegan entree.  I even called ahead! So, the first piece of advice from the Everyday Vegan: avoid Doolan’s in Spring Lake.

Most people know how much I love Restaurant Plan B in Asbury Park, but they aren’t open on Mondays and wonderful as Jeffrey and his staff are, variety is the spice of life! Where else can a compassionate eater dine?

Chain Restaurants: People who work in places other than the classroom like to go out to lunch, and chain restaurants are convenient.

• Now that our favorite Indian buffet place is no more *sigh* @mswas and I generally meet for lunch at Chili’s. If you let your server know you are vegan and order the vegetarian fajitas, you’ll get a delicious vegan lunch with little effort on your part.
• My son is a big fan of TGIFriday’s (he makes up for my not eating meat by his huge teenage appetite), and on our first visit to their restaurant in Freehold, I told the server I was vegan.  Lucky me, this guy was vegetarian, and he shared his favorite dish with me.  Order the Bruschetta Chicken Pasta, hold the chicken and the cheese, add extra balsamic glaze and you have a very good vegan option!
• Finally, the New Jersey side of our family likes to dine at Carrabba’s.  Again, you have to tell your server you’re vegan, but every location I’ve dined at has gone out of their way to make a vegan entree for me that rivals those chosen by my omnivore relations.

Local Restaurants: Other than Restaurant Plan B, you do have quite a few options at the Jersey Shore.

• Putting aside the no-menu debacle of a few Mondays ago, Langosta Lounge on the boardwalk in Asbury can make a number of entrees vegan.  I would suggest the Soleado veggie roll (cucumber, avocado, red raddish inside wrapped in sweet potato) if you like sushi, and quite a few of their salads are easily made vegan.
• Klein’s in Belmar and Sumo in Wall also make excellent vegan sushi.
• The red sauce sans meat at Molinari’s in Neptune has long been a favorite of mine and placed atop a bowl of pasta (make sure you don’t get the fresh, it has egg), it’s delicious.  Molinari’s also made us garlic bread with margarine when we asked – very accommodating.
• Finally, Jose’s in Spring Lake can serve you a vegan meal but it took quite a bit of back and forth to figure this out! Both my kids love this place, and it reminds me of a local restaurant their Dad and I frequented in San Diego decades ago called Ye Olde Taco Shoppe (you can’t make this stuff up).  Ye Olde had Serge the waiter and that’s all that’s lacking in comparison at Jose’s.  They may use lard or animal fat in the refried beans, still not clear on that, but the black beans are vegan.  Order a black bean burrito or the vegetarian tacos without cheese and you’re good to go!  Also, their chips and salsa are incredible so don’t miss out on those either.

Diners and Bar Food: It wouldn’t be Jersey without diners and bars!

• Diner menus have everything so it’s not that difficult to find something vegan.  We like the Princess Maria Diner in Wall, and they have a very good vegetarian panini which made without cheese becomes vegan.  I also discovered that their lentil soup is made with a vegetable stock and is the perfect choice on a rainy spring afternoon.  Salads are always a good vegan option at the diner.
• I love Bond Street Bar in Asbury Park and if you’re vegan, you will too.  Their veggie burgers are vegan (no cheese) and the sweet potato fries are the most amazing bar food you will ever have.  Last summer they also offered a huge basket of edamame which you could get with olive oil and garlic rather than butter (or just steamed but you are in a bar after all).  The prices at Bond Street can’t be beat.  I’ll leave you to determine whether or not your alcohol is vegan, but if you have an iPhone, there’s an app for that!

Pizza: This menu option is tough.  When I decided to become vegan, I started making pizza at home, and it turned out quite well.  However, sometimes you just want to grab a slice on the go.

• Last summer when we were shooting our ProjectTwenty1 entry in Asbury Park, I ordered both vegan and non-vegan pizza from Crust and Crumble.  Of course, many of the non-vegans made fun of me and my soy cheese, but it was a yummy, gooey, messy alternative to traditional pizza and very reasonably priced.
• Pizza Fusion in Red Bank offers pizza with soy cheese and a large variety of toppings.  If you’re shopping downtown and just need a quick bite to eat, a stop at Pizza Fusion is your best vegan choice.
• A Jersey Shore tradition is pizza from Pete and Elda’s.  Now don’t get all excited, they don’t have vegan cheese so alas you can’t eat their pizza if you’re vegan.  However, they are very accommodating when asked to prepare a vegan pasta dish.  Trust me, when everyone wants Pete and Elda’s you don’t want to draw their ire by pointing out your food choices.  Go, enjoy, and maybe educate your fellow diners!

Fast / Quick Food: Yea, we’ve seen the movies, but sometimes you just have to stop at a fast food or casual dining spot. Chipotle is the “go to” option for most vegans; their vegetarian burrito without cheese is an awesome fast food choice.  At the shore, Surf Taco and Fins offer delicious tacos and burritos that are easily made vegan.  If you absolutely have to, Taco Bell’s bean burrito without cheese is vegan and believe it or not, McDonaldland cookies are vegan!

This Everyday Vegan hopes she helped her fellow compassionate eaters dine out a bit easier next time friends and family suggest a restaurant.  This is a very short list so please feel free to add to it in the comments section. I’d love to discover a new vegan dining experience as we head into summer!

Everyday Vegan presents … A Shepherd’s Birthday

@shoreflicks was right, that’s probably the first and last time that will ever be tweeted, more so because (at least for me) it’s true.  A discussion about yarn prompted that tweet, and let’s face it, if you read my blog or follow me on Twitter, you know about my new passion for knitting.  Much as I love art, I’m more about craft.  Before my kids were born, I completed all number of needlework projects, but you can’t take a year on an original needlework design when you’ve got two kids in diapers!  Now that my two are independent (or at least close to), I can relax once again with fiber.

Enough about me, where’s that Shepherd?  Tom Chenal, owner and shepherd at Summerhill Farm in Morganville, NJ, celebrated his 60th birthday this month in style.  Below is a picture of Tom and Fifi, one of the many lambs born this spring and an integral part of the celebration.

Fifi is the youngest of quadruplets, and her mother rejected her right after she was born.  According to the shepherd and his wife, Barbara, they were unsure the first few days if Fifi would survive.  They brought her into the house tried to bottle feed her commercial lamb’s milk.  Poor Fifi had a tough time at first but finally took to the bottle and is now a strapping one month old girl!

A couple of hours into the shepherd’s birthday party it was feeding time for Fifi.  Tom’s nephews took turns bottle feeding her in the kitchen as the festivities continued around her unabated.

Spilling out from the house, guests roamed the farm greeting the other lambs born this year, their mothers, and the llamas that now live next door.

The wool on these triplets is the same sported by mom; she’s brown and beige because her wool fades over time.

This everyday vegan recently learned to knit and can’t wait to make a few projects with Summerhill Farm wool. Wondering how a vegan can work with wool?  My choice to become vegan primarily rests on the treatment of animals with a strong preference to the use of grain to feed humans rather than cattle.  No animals I’ve ever met (including my own dog and cat) are treated as well as Tom’s sheep.  This shepherd sheers his own sheep so I know their wool is gently removed.  Once we get this wool cleaned, carded, and dyed, I want more than anything to spin it into yarn and start knitting!

Assuming I can find a spinning class within an hour from my house…

Anyway, no birthday is complete without cake, and for this shepherd, it’s a peep cake! While not vegan, it is colorful, seasonal, and the shepherd’s favorite.

Everyday Vegan: Restaurant Plan B

Birthday parties can go either way, either fun and festive or dark and maudlin.  As we get older, the chance of the latter grows and the former may become forced or fueled more by drink than food.  When one of my favorite people and good friends, JVV, announced the date of her birthday fete this year, we all knew we’d go to Asbury.

Asbury’s become our first choice destination whether the night is planned or impromptu.  With more and more venues to choose from, how do you select the perfect place for large group of friends to spend a few hours relaxing and celebrating?  Some restaurants in the area have a specialized menu, others great locale, and a few entice with cheap drinks and bar fare.  When JVV ran into trouble finding a place that could seat and serve omnivores, vegans and those odd gluten free folks, she asked me to make a recommendation.

I chose Restaurant Plan B of course!

I discovered Plan B about two years ago when I organized the first AsburyPop event at Parlor Gallery just a few doors away.  Jeffrey Haveson, the owner, wandered into the gallery a few times when I was either planning the use of that space or freaking out that no one would show.  That Christmas, a group of teachers had a casual Christmas dinner there before one of our number went off on her (first) maternity leave.  I brought my parents there for brunch, my kids for buffet, and friends for dinner.  Last summer, Jeffrey turned the restaurant over to me and a good friend on the one day it’s closed so we could shoot scenes for our @projecttwenty1 film entry.

Restaurant Plan B has been good to me and came through once again for JVV!

“The food and atmosphere were excellent.  Jeffrey and the staff at Plan B did a great job of accommodating the needs of everyone in attendance at my party,” said JVV, the guest of honor.

The always delicious vegan options impressed diners once again.  I split the arugula salad sans cheese with another friend, thoroughly enjoyed the grilled curried tofu and cous cous, and relished my fruit crisp with vegan ice cream for dessert.  JVV enjoyed the Black Angus burger (always a favorite whenever I bring omnivore friends to dine), and the table was abuzz about the spaghetti squash, cranberry and cream cheese ravioli.  One diner even leaned over and asked me to see if the chef would share the recipe with us!

Another guest summed up the night for all of us:

“Plan B was the best overall experience I have had in a long, long time! The food was amazing, the atmosphere is homey chic, and the staff is amazingly friendly.”

Body Integration: This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

No.

I’m more of a “become one with my computers” kinda girl.  Correction: woman – haven’t been a girl for at least a decade.

Then I thought about a recent discussion I had on Twitter with @idesignstudios about going vegetarian and then vegan and pointing out that there are many restaurants that accommodate this lifestyle choice.  Being vegan is about respecting the bodies of other living things including the planet. If humanity wants to become a more “cohesive you”, we should start be reevaluating our eating habits.

Don’t worry, I won’t preach.  I will thank @Bryanxvx, my twitter inspiration for going vegan in the first place.  I’ll also point out that I started by following the “vegan before 6″ regimen I read about in The New York Times after hearing Times food writer Mark Bittman on a repeat of the Leonard Lopate show (I am, if nothing else, an NPR junkie).  He said, in essence, that increasing fruits and vegetables in your diet and decreasing processed foods is good for you, great for the environment.  Recycling isn’t going to cut it; we need to change the way we eat and live to make a real difference.

So I figured I’d give it a go.  Within a month I became vegan and have been so since May 20, 2009.  My children make fun of me, people always ask, “what do vegans eat” like there aren’t any alternatives to meat and dairy, everyone wanted to hear about my “vegan powers” after the Scott Pilgrim movie came out, and dining at restaurants can be tricky although so many in my area cater to an enlightened palate.

I also love to cook and see it as a challenge to turn non-vegan recipes into yummy vegan versions.  You’d be surprised how many recipes are already vegan.  I’m making Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree from epicurious on this rainy Sunday and it’s already vegan!  So be brave, help all the creatures living on this planet to enjoy being “alive and present” and contribute to ending many of humanity’s ills like hunger and access to clean water.

If you don’t believe me google it or start a conversation on Twitter!