Perfect vegan pancakes

I must be some kind of moron if I can't even manage to make decent pancakes that don't fall apart on the stove. I'm still trying to get the knack of vegan baking; everything tastes good, but the pitfall is texture. For these, I adapted a recipe I found online. It's taken me about 5 batches to get them just right, but I finally did and thought I'd share it in case anyone needs a good recipe for pancakes that works.

1 cup+ flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (or melted margarine, if you like)
2 Tbsp sugar

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add milk and oil and stir until blended. The + in front of the flour is there because you may have to add a bit more flour if it seems too runny. I've found that the key to perfectly textured pancakes is all in the consistency of the batter; it should be relatively stiff, but thin enough to drip slowly off a spoon. Another tip: a non-stick pan is invaluable here. And of course, feel free to add any kind of fruit, spices, nuts, chocolate chips, etc...that you like. But there's the basics to get you started. Happy baking!

Check those labels, guys...

While staying in a hotel over Thanksgiving, I was making a cup of coffee one morning. I should preface this by saying that a vegan thanksgiving in Holland, Michigan is not at all an easy task. If I hadn't brought most of my own food it would have been a disaster. It was almost unbelievingly hard to find vegan margarine- not one brand, besides earth balance, was dairy free- and I had to go to multiple stores to find what I needed. So, I guess I was in dairy country up there. However, even I was surprised when I opened up the little coffee kit in my room. I was happy to see that they included "Non-dairy creamer" because I don't usually enjoy black coffee. However, being the everlasting compulsive label reader that I am, I flipped over the packet and scanned the ingredient list. There, at the bottom, were these little words: 'Contains milk'. Cheeky bastard. I like my coffee black, anyway.

Thank you, Mr. Steiner!

Upon opening my copy of the New York Times today, I leisurely browsed through it before reaching the Opinion page. I took a bite of my toast and glanced down at the first paragraph. It started like this: "Lately more people have begun to express an interest in where the meat they eat comes from and how it was raised. Were the animals humanely treated? Did they have a good quality of life before the death that turned them into someone's dinner? Some of these questions, which reach a fever pitch in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, pertain to the ways in which animals are treated. (Did your turkey get to live outdoors?) Others focus on the question of how eating the animals in question will affect the consumer's health and well-being. (Was it given hormones and antibiotics?)" Oh great, I thought. Just what we need, another plug for happy meat. I read more: "None of these questions, however, make any consideration of whether it is wrong to kill animals for human consumption." TADA!! And with that he sets the tone for the rest of the article. I almost couldn't believe my eyes. FINALLY, the Times has the guts to print something in favor of ethical veganism; he was not a conscientious omnivore, or a flexitarian, or a flexi-vegan, but a flesh and blood vegan! If you haven't already, I highly recommend you go on the Time's website and read the entire article. It encompasses everything that ethical veganism stands for. And it's something I never thought I'd see in popular media for a long, long time. The author, Gary Steiner, philosophy teacher at Bucknell University, has written several books on the topics of animal rights, and is also my new hero. : )
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/opinion/22steiner.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1258913803-iaUyNWQ5fjNvnK8vhiAiVw

Why I went vegan

Now we come to the question, why? Well, for me, all it took was to watch the video "meet your meat" and I never wanted to touch a hot dog again. But let's back up a bit first. All my life, I've been a lover of animals. I've never been able to have a pet because of allergies, which was devastating to me as a child, but I managed to make some animal friends nonetheless through my friends and neighbors. I adored all things furry and cute, be they puppies or the mice that frequented our home(needless to say, my mother was never quite as thrilled as I was to be the host to these little hungry guests). I never thought much about the animals that I ate, nor the products that come from them, and when I did I quickly pushed aside any nagging doubts I had by saying to myself that it was a necessary evil. And anyway, I'm sure they live quite well and have happy lives before they become our dinner. And so it was for the first 18 years of my life. Then, about a year ago, I was in the car with my dad and through his usual radio flipping we came across a spokesperson for PETA on NPR talking about slaughterhouses. Knowing that I had considered vegetarianism (briefly) once before, my dad hurriedly tried to skip over her to some oldies, but I insisted we listen. She was describing the conditions of the average slaughterhouse, and saying how it was unacceptable for these animals to be treated this way. She also mentioned how strange it was that people care so much about the well-being of their companion animals, but are so easy to ignore the suffering of those that end up on their plates. Wow, did that get me thinking! I wondered, what was the difference between those sweet brown eyes of my friend's dog, and those of a cow's, or pig's? All of them feel pain, have wants and needs, and resist death. As soon as I got home, I went on PETA's website and watched their "meet your meat" documentary about the lives of livestock animals used for meat, dairy, and egg farming. Instead of describing it, my best advice is to watch it for yourself. I realized that there was absolutely no rationale sufficient enough to justify the killing and abuse of these animals. Here is the simple truth: we do not need to eat animals to survive. We do so purely for reasons of taste. If that is the case, how are we any different from those who torture animals for amusement? If the best justification we have for the slaughter of animals is for our own pleasure, I don't think we really are. As for dairy cattle and egg-producing chickens, I discovered that as soon as their profitability expires (their cost of living exceeds their production value), they are sent to slaughter. In fact, most fast food meat originates from spent dairy cows. They are, in essence, economic comodities; disposable, expendable pieces of property. From a legal standpoint, their value is purely monetary. For my part, I believed that this was wrong. Now, this is just my reason for going vegan, and I'm sure every vegan has their own story to tell (unfortunately, since I do not know personally any other vegans, I can't give you any other accounts). But essentially, I think it's safe to say for all vegans that it boils down to this: Killing, harming, and using sentient beings is morally wrong, and supporting industries that utilize these practices by buying their products is simply unacceptable. Thus, we choose to adopt a lifestyle that eliminates as much animal exploitation as we can the only way we can- we go vegan.

What is a vegan?

Well, you can't get more obvious than that; what is a vegan? Today's discussion will center around exactly what vegans are and how they are defined by different groups of people, and is aimed mostly toward people who are curious about veganism and want to know more about it, or perhaps are thinking of becoming vegan themselves. Ok, let's see what Webster has to say on the subject: according merrian-webster.com, a vegan is "a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products; also : one who abstains from using animal products (as leather)". So basically we don't eat meat, eggs, cheese, milk, honey, etc, and don't buy other animal products such as leather shoes or wool sweaters. Anything that is or comes from an animal, in other words, is off limits. In general terms, this would be synonymous with "ethical vegan", which is someone who abstains from buying these products on moral grounds concerning the rights of animals. However, there are also dietary vegans who don't eat animal products due to reasons regarding their health. In these cases, such people would be perfectly fine with purchasing leather, silk, wool, and other animal products not designed for consumption. On the other side of the continuum, you have people who would extend the definition of veganism further to include (or rather, exclude) other forms of animal exploitation, such as animal testing. In these cases, such people reject the commonplace assumption that animals are essentially property and subject to the desires of human beings, and whenever possible avoid buying products tested on animals or those containing animal ingredients. The only exception to this rule would be the use of prescription drugs. In this case, there is no vegan alternative, as all drugs are required by the FDA to be tested on animals. Some vegans are a mixed bag; some don't eat animal products because they do not want to directly cause animal suffering, but are ok with buying some products with animal ingredients. Others vehemently oppose animal testing but are more lenient on certain dietary restrictions. So, the as you can see, the definition of veganism really depends on who you ask. As for me? You would probably put me in the "extreme" category of vegan, as I don't buy/consume anything that was made from or tested on animals, including food, clothing, and cosmetics. So, this concludes my very long-winded attempt at defining veganism, such as it is, and I have tried to be as thorough as possible. If I've left anything out, or if anyone would like to include anything, please feel free to let me know. Well, I hope this was informative and gave you more of a sense of this weirdo lifestyle that 1% of us on this planet choose to lead. Next, I'll talk about the whys of veganism, which I'm sorry to say is even more complicated but I promise you it will be much more interesting. Thanks for tuning in!
p.s. If you want to find out more about veganism, check out the links to the left and the podcasts at the bottom of this page.

The Vegan's Dilemma

Yesterday, my dad and I drove down to Champaign-Urbana to have a look at the University of Illinois. I'm currently taking classes at a community college in River Grove, and I'm hoping to transfer next fall to a four year university. So, as always, I'm faced with the dilemma of traveling as a vegan. Breakfasts are usually ok wherever I go, as there's almost always the obligatory bowl of oatmeal and fruit cup on the menu of every local diner. Lunches and dinners, however, are usually a little trickier, or at least a little blander. I usually get stuck with either the plain pasta with marinara sauce or the grilled chicken salad minus the chicken, which usually means a bowl of iceberg lettuce and a lone tomato on top(I'm always amazed at how difficult it is to find even a VEGETARIAN salad anymore, let alone vegan). However, as we were going to a University, one that prides itself on its ever-increasingly diverse student body, I was confident that I would find plenty of delicious vegan food in their cafeterias, as well as in their many local restaurants. No such luck. The first night we arrived and tried to get something to eat, we ended up eating at a taco bell after driving around for a good 45 minutes trying to find somewhere I could eat (my heart goes out to my poor dad, who was just as hungry as I was, but abstained from eating until I could find something). But maybe the on-campus options would prove to be more fruitful. Next day, after several long presentations and a campus tour, I was pretty hungry, so we wandered over to one of the residence hall cafeterias, which we were told was the best in regards to variety. I pick up my tray and walk up hopefully to the buffet, my eyes searching for vegan mac n cheese, seitan burgers, and tofu stir fries. Hmm...lentils and spinach? Ok, I guess I'll try that. Roasted cauliflower...ok sure, but I need something to fill me up (and something yummy, perhaps?). Oh....vegetarian chilli. Now, I can't complain about the chilli, it was delicious. But it was the ONLY vegan option they had that could qualify as a meal. Now, when I go to college, it would be really nice if I could eat. Even better, I'd like to eat a variety of foods that taste all right. Ideally, I would absolutely love to have a nutritionally sound diet that didn't leave me nutrient deprived. Here's my fear: I am left to eat bland vegetables every night supplemented with protein bars and the occasional vegan entrée of vegetable soup. If that's the case, I'm going to have to get myself an apartment with my own kitchen so I can cook for myself. OK, maybe I'm just spoiled on Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, with their barbecue tofu steak sandwiches and vegan triple chocolate cake. I just don't want to my college years to be remembered by four years of hunger pains and tasteless food. But then again, I guess that would make it the same as everybody else's, wouldn't it?

First post: Happy World Vegan Day!

So, it's post no 1 on Confessions of a Vegan. Today's confession? Well, first I just want to say happy belated vegan day everyone! I actually just found out that there was a vegan day a few days ago, so I didn't get a chance to celebrate (and it's too bad, it would've been a great excuse to make some pumpkin pie with that vegan whipped cream I've been dying to try out). Oh well, we always have Thanksgiving to look forward to, right? And, as we all know, the best part about the holidays is the guilt-free pigging out (if you'll pardon the expression). Of course, for a vegan, it's also the time of year when we are subjected to the most flagrant advertising of the all-you-can-eat meat festival. It's turkey, ham, and roast beef for everyone!! It's a time that most people celebrate by, tragically, slaughtering animals, and can be especially difficult for those of us who are the lone veggies amongst the omnivorous mob of our families. But, I think it can also be a great opportunity to educate people about veganism, that is if you're willing to risk hearing the odd "but you eat egg whites, right?". I've been struggling lately to walk that ever so delicate line between pacifism and obnoxious ranting when discussing animal ethics, especially at the dinner table. But it's my first Thanksgiving as a vegan, and I'm going to remain optimistic. So....after much deliberation, I think it's going to be the stuffed squash with a vegan pot pie! Yummy! Not forgetting the marshmallow yams, of course. Well, happy Thanksgiving all!