Let the baking begin

I do not bake. But when asked to cook a birthday dinner for my cousin who wants to taste a vegan meal, cake needs to be on the menu. Thus, this past week, I dusted off the baking pan and dusted the counters with flour as my first attempt at vegan baking began.

Originally the plan was to go out to celebrate at Herbivore, but with last minute changes and my cousin's need to stay home with the kid while his wife traveled, eating in made the most sense. He also wanted to learn how I cook vegan, and since I enjoy cooking, and sharing what I'm learning about a healthy animal-free diet, I would head to his place and cook his birthday dinner with him.

My cousin does not like a lot of kick in his spices, so I decided my mom's easy rice and bean recipe (featured last week on my blog) would be a perfect place to show him how simple and delicious a vegan meal could be. Along with tortillas, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and a simple Mexican veggie side dish of zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, and onions, I had a quick and easy menu plan.

It would be the dessert that would be a tricky. The question: Would I be able to bake a vegan chocolate cake?

For my cousin, I thought I'd give it a try. Through an online search I found an easy vegan chocolate cake recipe that would work for me. The recipe reviews called it dense, moist, and dark (my kind of cake), and with no oil in the recipe, using applesauce for moisture instead, the cake was fat-free (definitely my kind of cake). But most important, I had all the ingredients at home!

The original recipe however called for a bundt pan (which I didn't have), but one suggestion in the online review was to turn the cake into a lava cake by baking it in a 8x11 pan (which I do have). After the cake is baked, holes are inserted and filled with vegan chocolate pudding, which also doubles as frosting. Sounded pretty yummy, and so the baking began.

Everything was going well as I followed the recipe until I measured out the applesauce, which I had in my fridge. The recipe called for 1½ cups, and I had exactly 1 cup left. One of the other online reviews suggested adding chocolate soy milk to lighten the dense quality of the cake. Having no other jars of applesauce, I had no other options, thus, vegan-me (who does not bake) took a risk, added ½ cup of soy milk, and changed the recipe. Would the cake come out OK? I'd have to wait and see.

As the cake baked in the oven, I prepared the homemade vegan chocolate pudding. Smells of chocolate were filling the kitchen as I tasted the pudding as it cooled. Very very nice! When the timer went off and I opened the oven, the cake looked good and after a toothpick insert, I knew it was done. I poked holes for the chocolate lava flow, and in so doing, pulled out small chunks of cake.

As I put a piece in my mouth, my eyes widened. A smile crossed my face. My first vegan chocolate cake tasted pretty good. It was a proud moment. I finished pouring the pudding, and after letting it cool, I frosted the top, decorated it with sprinkles, and covered the top of the pan with saran wrap. The cake would wait in the fridge overnight, for the real taste test after dinner the next day.

The meal went well. And after happy birthday was sung, the candles blown out, and the cake cut, the reviews began. For my cousin's 3 year-old, there were no complaints as she gobbled up her piece, asking for more with chocolate encircling her mouth. For my cousin, he too enjoyed it.

For me, I was impressed with how dark and most the cake was. Though I added soy milk, the cake still maintained a dense texture which complemented the smooth pudding surprise inside. The pudding also added depth to the chocolate flavor, as the cake lacked the rich bittersweet taste I personally enjoy. Probably too much sugar. A bit of coffee might add that missing kick. My cousin's sister-in-law who also joined us for dinner agreed. Overall, I was really impressed by my first attempt at a vegan chocolate cake, and thus, for effort -- My grade: B+

I say I don't bake, but chances are good I will pull out the cake pan and attempt this again. And when I do, I will cut down the sugar, add a bit of coffee, and more cocoa. For those who really do bake, please send me your suggestions on how you would adapt the recipe. (see below)

My journey to create the "perfect" vegan chocolate cake has begun. Let the baking continue.

Family ties

One book I've nearly finished reading is Carol J. Adam's Living Among Meat Eaters. While an excellent resource (which I suggest), she however does not believe that being a vegetarian in a meat-eating family can work, as it requires a second-order (deep) change of the system. (See page 135).

While I know my family is still trying to adjust to my new food choices, I am thankful that I have not experienced the resistance and pressure she describes in the book, and prepares veg folk to endure when at home. I have been very encouraged these past months by the openness of my parents, especially my mom, to my vegan diet.

When I am with my parents, we typically eat out. But last month, I was home for the holidays, and the plan one night for dinner was to eat in. My mom had found a vegetarian recipe in a magazine she wanted to try. She had purchased all the ingredients, but when I arrived home, she had not begun to cook. She was waiting for me before she started to see if there was something in the dish that I couldn't eat, or if there was something special needed. As I looked over the recipe and explained to her that I would not want the cheese, she suggested that it may be best for me to prepare the dish as she watched and fixed something on the side with meat for my dad.

Though she didn't say it, this would have been her first attempt at cooking a "vegan dish" and I think she wanted to make sure it was right for me. Thus, at her urging to cook, I followed the rice and beans recipe she had cut out from a magazine, using the ingredients she had set out, substituting spices to make it less spicy so she and my dad could also enjoy it, and fixing the dish in her large frying pan. Unfortunately, the dish didn't turn out all that great as she wanted me to use her leftover rice. (The original recipe didn't specify.) Though it had good flavor, the texture was mushy and unappealing.

Attending a conference this week, I visited my parent's place for dinner. The minute I stepped into the kitchen, my mom wanted me to try the rice and beans dish she had made. She adapted the published recipe I had attempted a few weeks back, and was very excited about the results. It turned out great, and I could tell she was proud of it. I was proud of her! With her changes, using a rice cooker rather than a large frying pan, it was still very tasty, but this time, had excellent consistency, and was "press the button" easy. How cool is that! My mom's a genius.

Though I have a collection of vegan recipes I've wanted to post on this blog, in honor of my meat-eating mom, who respects my food decisions enough to work with a recipe and create a dish that I can enjoy, I've decided that her quick and easy rice cooker Rice and Beans will be the first recipe I post. Enjoy!

What's a vegan to do?

I feel slightly devious, but what's a vegan to do?

I am visiting my sister and her family in Southern California. My sister and brother-in-law were to be at a party tonight, but because he is not feeling well, he stayed at home with me, my nephew, and one of my nieces while my sister headed to the party with the youngest of the three.

She fixed dinner before heading out - a pasta casserole with sausage topped with cheese, bread sticks, and an assortment of raw veggies. While the kids and their dad ate what mom prepared, I enjoyed leftover Indian saag tofu (a vegan version of my favorite Indian dish, saag paneer which I made earlier this week).

While my 7 year-old nephew began his meal devouring the fresh cut yellow bell peppers, my 5 year-old niece enjoyed her bread stick before tackling her raw carrots. When it came time to eat the casserole, both picked at it.

My brother-in-law made it very clear that he wanted both of his children to eat everything that was on their plate. My nephew wanting to get back to his legos finished the casserole, and ended his meal with the bread stick. My niece however continued to pick at the only thing left on her plate, the casserole. And as she picked, she picked out the sausage, much to the chagrin of her father.
- "Dear, I want you to eat everything, including your meat."
- "Daddy, I don't like the meat," she replied.
- "I want you to eat your meat."

As he walked back into the kitchen, that was that. As we cleaned around her, my niece continued to pick and sit there, and eventually she was alone.

My brother-in-law received a call from a friend who needed some medicine for their sick infant. Though he wasn't feeling well, he said he would drop it off. His last request before heading out the door = "I want you to finish everything on your plate. I want you to eat your meat."

An hour after dinner started, my niece was still at the table picking the meat out of her casserole. In between my lego creating with my nephew, I checked on her, and saw her neat little pile of meat grow. What to do?
- If I feed her (which I have done since she was a baby), she would eat everything, including the meat she did not want. Vegan-me would not feel comfortable doing that.
- If I let it slide and dismiss her from the table, I would undermine my brother-in-law's parental role and his desire for his daughter (who has never liked meat) to eat meat.

Though I love and respect my brother-in-law, I decided to intervene before he returned, and let my niece finish up the vegetarian meal she created by picking out the meat. I pushed aside all the rest of the meat, and separated out the noodles and sauce. "You don't have to eat the meat," I told her. "Just eat the noodles and you'll be done." And in a minute, she was ready to play.

During her 5 years of life, my niece has never liked eating meat, and she is not alone. ABC news reported this summer that an increasing number of young people are choosing a vegetarian diet, and research is showing that it is a healthy diet for growing kids.

Dr. Amy Joy Lanou in the Houston Chronicle (June 25, 2007) writes

According to the American Dietetics Association, there is no need to introduce any meats, eggs or dairy products into an infant, toddler or child's diet. Well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets not only provide all the nutrients necessary to support growth, they also promote good health in childhood and start disease prevention early.
Just think about the advantages of raising a child on a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains & legumes. Limiting or avoiding consumption of fish sticks & tuna sandwiches reduces mercury consumption and the resulting risk of cognitive and behavioral problems. Choosing nondairy milks such as rice, soy or oat milk significantly lowers consumption of saturated fat and growth hormones given to cows to increase milk production. Substituting vegan sausage for bacon or pork sausage increases healthy fiber & sidesteps fattening & artery-clogging animal fats.
That all sounds pretty darn responsible to me.

Sounds pretty responsible to me, too. So, I undermined my brother-in-law tonight. But when my niece doesn't want to eat the dead animal flesh on her plate, it's the only responsible thing a vegan can really do.
.

A new Thanksgiving tradition

Families have their traditions during the holidays, and for my mom's side of the family, our tradition is (in a word): POTLUCK.

With 48 people when everyone gathers, there is often quite a spread. But with only 3 vegetarians and vegan-me, we are out numbered, and at times "out eaten" by the meat-eaters. Such was the situation last Thanksgiving.

While we had each brought a dish last year, one of my vegetarian cousins waited until the end of the line to get food and ended up with a fairly sparse dinner plate. The vegetarian entrées had been devoured by the carnivores in our family! So much for seconds for the rest of us.

To prevent this from happening again, I thought about putting signs next to our vegetarian dishes this year. With creative juices flowing, my first round of signs included masterpieces like:
• "Do not eat. This has no meat."
• "Last year we starved, eat the dead turkey you carved."
• "No animals were killed or exploited in the preparation of this dish."

Not the best PR tactic to share the values of a plant-based diet with my family. Thus, my second round signs were more positive.
• "Life is sweet when you don't eat meat."
• "It's really good. Try it, you should."

Positive signs, however, seemed to defeat the purpose of ensuring enough food to feed those in my family who have chosen to not eat meat, and in my case, to not eat animal products. Because my third round sign - "vegetarian entrée" - simply seemed too boring, I knew a new approach was needed.

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all God has given, yet it is also a time of sharing. Rather than hoard what we have and say, "You can't eat this", Thanksgiving should be a time to share the bounty of our blessings. There is a bounty in non-meat dishes, and there is a blessing I've discovered as a vegan. I want to share these with my family. Thus, rather than "make signs" this Thanksgiving, I decided instead to "make extra".

I made an extra-large vegan pasta primavera casserole; and I brought extra loaves of whole grain bread, and an extra salad with almonds, sunflower seeds, and soy dressing, to off set the salad my aunt was bringing, which I assumed (and assumed correctly) would be Caesar.

My vegetarian cousins were also thinking along the same lines as myself for each of them also decided to "make extra". Each brought a vegetarian dish and an extra vegan dish for me. (How thoughtful they are!) Thus, along with my dishes, our vegetarian spread included a vegetarian lasagna, vegan coconut curry, millet, scalloped potatoes, and vegan pesto pasta salad (along with miscellaneous non-meat sides my other relatives brought). It was more than enough food and all quite yummy, as more people in my family are discovering the joy in eating meatless dishes.

Rather than running out of food and being famished this Thanksgiving, we shared the blessings of non-meat entrees with our family and everyone feasted. More importantly we added a vegetarian twist to our family potluck tradition. Our new tradition: MAKE EXTRA!