As I sit here eating one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted, I am proud to say that it is 100% raw, 100% vegan, and 100% free of added sugar. Is this even possible? Two years ago, I would have incredulously asked, “How can something so simple and vegan instantly transport me to a carefree, summer state-of-mind?” I kid you not, though, The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” is playing through my head right now, and I am in heaven. This cake is that good. And it took me all of fifteen minutes to make (excluding the time it took to set in the freezer).
I am approaching the three-month mark of my vegan commitment, and one of the most important and inspiring lessons I have learned during these past three months is, contrary to common belief, making vegan food is easy...and the resulting dishes are delicious. As I transitioned to veganism, I gradually branched out my diet to include more raw, wholesome foods. Now, I crave fresh, crispy salads, and I even remember one swim workout this past winter during which all I could think about was tempeh. Vegan food is freaking delicious, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! Veganism has also made me more mindful of what I put into my body, and that intensified appreciation for nourishing food makes every dish I consume that much tastier. Two years ago, I had a limited, only moderately nutritious meal plan that basically repeated on a loop each week: mac n’ cheese, egg on toast, spaghetti with marinara, biscuits and scrambled eggs, smoothie, French toast, and a cheese & pepper burrito. I hated rice. I hated salad. I hated broccoli, beans, and carrots. Potatoes were gross, and I avoided tofu at all costs because it reminded me of jiggly white brain matter. Now, I eat all of those foods on a daily basis. I love them. I attribute this to being forced to eat them in Austria, where I did not want to be rude and turn down my host mom’s cooking. In Austria, I surprised myself by instantly falling in love with almost every vegetable I tried for the first time. All it took was a little open-mindedness and my desire to enjoy the vegetables, and I was hooked. You can put any vegan food on my plate now, and I can almost guarantee you that I will love it. I think it bears repeating: vegan food is freaking delicious, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! With that said, enjoy this recipe from The Queen of Delicious’s blog for a raw vegan strawberry cheesecake. I suggest using fresh strawberries (get out there to your local strawberry farms; they are closing up shop here in North Carolina!). Later this summer, I plan on experimenting with blueberries and peaches in the place of strawberries. Finally, here are some nutritional benefits of this recipe…
You won't regret it.
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Over the past few weeks, I have become increasingly interested in the practice of eating without utensils, where your fingers form the bridge between your food and your mouth. My family ate at Taste of Ethiopia, an Ethiopian restaurant in Greensboro, last week, and this was my first experience eating sans utensils in a public setting. A few months ago, I cooked an African peanut soup for my family that was served with homemade ugali. We grabbed handfuls of ugali dough from a bowl in the center of the table, formed little dough cups, and then filled the cups with the peanut soup. This experience felt extremely intimate, and I appreciated the textures and warmth of my food so much more than I would have if I had used a spoon. Of course, like most people, I grew up being chastised for messy hands after meals, and I have been conditioned to keep my fingers far away from food morsels for about eighteen years. But in many cultures, most notably to Americans, Indian culture, eating with your fingers is standard practice. Here are five pros of setting aside the fork, knife, and spoon, and using what we are all naturally gifted with instead:
1. When you eat with your hands, you are often forced to eat more slowly. Thus, you become more mindful of how much you are eating and can avoid overeating more easily. 2. It is difficult to eat with your hands and play on your phone at the same time. This demand for your attention will help you focus more on eating mindfully and appreciatively. 3. It is good for your digestive health! When your fingers come in contact with food, sensors in your fingers receive information concerning the food’s temperature and texture. This information is passed along to your brain, which then instructs your body to begin releasing digestive enzymes. 4. By allowing the healthy flora (bacteria) on our fingers to enter our mouths and bodies, we pave the way for a healthy gut microbiome. A gut full of healthy bacteria is necessary to proper digestive health. 5. More fun. Less dishes. Enough said :) I challenge each of you to try eating a dish you would normally eat with a spoon or fork with your fingers this week instead! You can grab some naan or bread to help you out. Enjoy! This week, I began to read Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang, an iconic 1975 adventure novel that calls for the protection of the American wilderness by following a group of four billboard-burning, bridge-blasting rebels who are determined to combat industrialization in Abbey’s beloved deserts and canyons.
The Monkey Wrench Gang is only the second Edward Abbey book I have opened, the first being Desert Solitaire. I read Desert Solitaire one year ago, and it is quite possibly my favorite book I have ever read. Here’s why. Originally published in 1968, Desert Solitaire was Edward Abbey’s answer to the rise of automobile tourism in our national parks, traffic that he believed corrupts the pristineness of nature and humans’ ability to truly appreciate and be one with wilderness. Desert Solitaire largely documents Abbey’s experiences as a park ranger in what was then known as Arches National Monument (now known as Arches National Park). Simultaneously hilarious and tragic, persuasive and brutally realistic, Desert Solitaire contains, in over three hundred eloquently-worded pages, Abbey’s ruminations on the relationship between humans and nature. It makes you feel savagely human. It makes you want to leave your cluttered house and cluttered life and walk out into the middle of the desert, take refuge in a vast nothingness, and let everything superfluous and wasteful be stripped away. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Desert Solitaire was Abbey’s passionate challenges toward what he referred to as the “domestic routine.” He demanded readers to observe the monotony, irony, and self-imposed suffering in their lives. As seen throughout the book, Abbey was nothing if not spontaneous, and this freedom he practiced to say and do what he wanted, when he wanted, where he wanted, with whom he wanted, and for whichever reasons he wanted is a well of inspiration to readers. I finished the novel feeling empowered to fight for what I believe in...but also empowered to take a step back and lose myself in a desert for an indeterminate amount of time. I strongly encourage each of you to pick up the book at your local library or bookstore. It is a decision you will not regret! October is one of my favorite months because it marks the beginning of pumpkin season, when pumpkin pie and pumpkin cupcakes fill my Pinterest feed and I try as many delicious, pumpkin-themed recipes as possible. Pumpkin granola, pumpkin pasta sauce, pumpkin bread... you name it, and I’ll make it!
Since we live in America, the land of canned and processed foods, we can bake and cook with pumpkin any time of the year. When I lived in Austria, I was astonished to find that not every place is like this; I wanted to cook a classic American pumpkin pie for my host family, and the only place I could find canned pumpkin was in an American specialty store in Salzburg. I do wish that it were as hard to find canned pumpkin, standard sandwich bread, and out-of-season fruit in America as it is in Austria; this would require us to use fresh, local ingredients rather than the processed, energy-inefficient products we see on our grocery store shelves. This said, if (like me) you want an occasional pumpkiny treat, try to opt for an organic, BPA-free can of pumpkin puree or make your own puree from a whole pumpkin by following these easy directions (really, it’s incredibly easy and not labor-intensive!)! “And what should I do with that pumpkin puree?” you ask. Make a smoothie. Most of us would not associate pumpkins with smoothies, but live on the edge, be a little daring, and try something new. This smoothie is full of potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and dietary fiber. It tastes like a dessert, but it can be eaten any time of the day! Creamy Pumpkin Smoothie Serves: 2-3 Time: 5 minutes Ingredients:
The Oxford Dictionary defines greed as an “intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” But did you know that greed can be an intense desire for experiences? Did you know that many wonderful and compassionate people struggle with greed every day? And how should we deal with greed once we know it lives within us?
I realized a few weeks ago that I house an intense greed for experiences; I say “yes” to more opportunities than I can sanely and healthily engage in. This tendency to overcommit was particularly noticeable last summer; I spent all of my school “break” organizing fundraisers and travelling (Vermont, Governor’s School, the beach, the mountains, New York City, and Washington, D.C.), and I slept in my own bed only thirteen nights. I lived out of my suitcase, and, as a result, my summer was full of stress. I found it difficult to live in the moment, and by the time August rolled around, I was breaking down in tears nearly every day, resenting the activities which I had been so excited about only three months prior. I immediately made a promise to myself to not agree to so many activities the next summer (a promise which, I admit, I may not have upheld…), but it would be several more months before I realized a root cause of my duhkha (human suffering and discomfort caused by desire and attachment) was greed. I am now finally in the process of treating that greed. A famous story from Buddhist teachings relates how the demon Mara tempted the Buddha with desire in the form of beautiful women (in addition to visions inviting anger and doubt) and how the Buddha responded to such visions: with honest observation and loving kindness. Observing Mara’s tempting antics, the Buddha would say, “I see you, Mara,” and invite him in for tea. After being served tea by the Buddha himself, Mara would leave his abode, unsuccessful in his quest to corrupt the great teacher. Likewise, we can calmly observe and act upon our human tendency to channel greed by identifying it, treating it with loving kindness and forgiveness, and waiting for it to pass. This process can be much more difficult than it initially seems. We live in a capitalistic society that espouses the notion that desire is pure; we are cultivated to be loyal consumers from a very early age and we indulge our impulses frequently and excessively (buying mass-produced clothing produced in sweatshops, overeating, etc.). It takes true self-awareness to realize the presence of our greed and its contribution to our duhkha, and it takes a considerable amount of humility and love to realize that greed is natural and can be kept in check if we are unashamed of its existence. When we invite greed in for tea, we come closer to loving ourselves and others with our whole hearts for their whole beings. When you recognize greed in your life, be honest, patient, and kind. Greed does not make you a bad person, nor does it indicate that you have poor morals; greed is a sign that you are human, and it is an opportunity for improvement. As a follow-up to my last post, 10 Surprisingly Vegan Foods, I thought I would share with you some food that vegans CANNOT eat. If you are looking to adhere to a vegan diet, it is important to look at the ingredients list for every processed food you take off the shelf. It is surprising, and terrifying, how extensively animal products have infiltrated our food supply.
Here are ten surprising foods that vegans must avoid. 1. Certain sauces and dressings. Caesar dressing and worcestershire sauce, among others, usually contain anchovy. However, Annie’s produces an excellent anchovy-free worcestershire sauce, and there are anchovy-free caesar dressings available. 2. Certain varieties of Planters’ peanuts. Believe it or not, many commonplace peanut brands incorporate gelatin into their products. Look for peanuts with their shells intact, or make sure that the shelled peanuts you buy are not mixed with gelatin. 3. Certain varieties of refried beans. Many refried beans contain lard, but vegan refried beans are available from brands like Rosarita, and I have heard they taste just as delicious. 4. Certain varieties of baked beans. Traditional baked beans contain bacon and pig products, but the same companies that put out those carnivorous cans put out vegan-friendly cans as well. For instance, Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans are vegan. 5. Certain veggie burgers. Many veggie burgers contain eggs due to their binding qualities, and restaurants often serve them up on buns that are brushed with egg whites to give them luster. When you ask for a veggie burger at a restaurant, make sure to inquire if it is indeed vegan. Some restaurants will even switch out the bun for you to transform a vegetarian burger into a vegan burgers. 6. Certain varieties of orange juice. Some of that omega-3 goodness boasted as a supplement in certain orange juices is actually derived from fish. For instance, Tropicana’s Heart Healthy Orange juice is non-vegetarian. The healthiest alternative is to juice your own oranges (juice loses its nutritional value the longer it sits in its carton, so fresh juice is the healthiest option!). 7. Certain guacamoles. Some guacamole, store-bought or made in-house at a restaurant, contains cheese. Make sure to read the ingredient list or ask for more information before buying. 8. Certain protein powders. Make sure the protein powder you buy is whey-free. Read this article for suggestions on vegan protein powder brands. 9. Certain varieties of potato chips. Some brands, like Grandma Utz’s Handcooked Potato Chips, are cooked in lard. Most chips are vegan, but check the ingredients list just in case! 10. Certain breads. When we thought I might be gluten-sensitive, we searched in vain for gluten-free, vegan bread. The truth is, many bread products, especially gluten-free ones, contain egg. For example, Udi’s uses egg whites in many of their products. Upon learning that I am vegan, many people have incredulously asked me how I survive. Images of raw carrots, beets, and lettuce doubtlessly run through their minds, and perhaps they even begin to envision me with rabbit ears and two wide, pearly white buck teeth. This post is going to dispel those connotations, and reveal the legitimate ease of being vegan, by introducing you to foods you had no idea are 100% animal-free. By no means are these all healthy options (how I wish buttercream frosting and apple pie were!), but they are nevertheless options if you are looking to decrease the amount of animal products in your diet and need to satisfy junk food cravings.
1. Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Buttercream Frosting. The absence of butter or cream in this product is indicative of how artificial it actually is, but hey, if you’re looking to frost a vegan cake and do not have time to make your own frosting, pick up a tub at any grocery store near you. 2. Smucker’s Marshmallow Flavored Spoonable Topping. While there are vegan marshmallows, they are often difficult to find. Smucker’s Marshmallow Flavored Spoonable Topping is gelatin-free and can satisfy your marshmallow cravings. 3. Jell-O Instant Pudding (Banana Cream, Chocolate, Lemon, Cookies ‘n Creme, and more). Surprisingly, this pudding is 100% vegan! 4. Clif Bars. I eat these when I go hiking or cycling and need fuel for peak performance. A lot of bars on the market contain whey (which is a milk byproduct) for added protein, but plant-based protein is out there! 5. Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. Vegetable oil lends these rolls their buttery taste, not butter itself. 6. Krispy Kreme Glazed Apple Pie. While Krispy Kreme’s donuts unfortunately contain eggs, their apple pies are 100% vegan. 7. Newman’s Own Light Italian Dressing. Although many dressings contain the emulsifier lecithin (which can come from eggs), Newman’s Own Light Italian, Regular Balsamic, and Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressings are vegan. 8. Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread. No butter, lactose, whey, or casein, and available in most grocery stores! 9. McCormick Bac’n Pieces. Vegans and non-vegans alike enjoy these on top of salads, with pasta, or with eggs...and they are made of soy, not pig! 10. Oreos. Perhaps the most famous accidentally-vegan food is the Oreo. A lot of high fructose corn syrup and sugar, but no milk or eggs! Contrary to common conception, veganism is far from a limiting diet. For me, the hardest part about following a vegan diet was doing my research, and discovering products like these was comforting and encouraging. Good luck! |
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