For the past week I’ve been making my own meals from scratch, exclusively.  My budget got screwy in July, and I’m determined to recoop as much as I can back into my Savings this month.  This meal was by far the cheapest, and perhaps the tastiest.  Cajun by nature is a mixed bag.  For me the signatures tend to be green pepper, yellow onion and diced tomato for fresh ingredients.  With lots of random spicy goodness, and oddities thrown in.  For vegan (of course!) I use a lot of interesting beans.  Which is fun to work with.  I like cajun because it involves a lot of bravery. The core ingredients:

• 4-5 cloves fresh garlic
• green pepper
• medium yellow onion
• can dark kidney beans
• can diced tomatoes
• black eyed peas (made from dry)
• half some large green hot pepper (I pick what looks tasty)

Probably here in Baltimore that equals about $5 in ingredients and it made a TON of food.   I use a laundry list of basic spices in everything.  The base for this was chilli powder, supplemented with dry basil, cilantro, oregano, cayenne, crushed red pepper.  Also for savory added a pinch of cinnamon and all spice.  Always I make sure to balance the sugars, salts and acids.  Used raw sugar, table salt, a dab of balsamic vinegar, and squeezed in half an orange I had lying around.   I had made a large batch of brown rice on Sunday night, so that was already done. These days when I cook I don’t measure and don’t use recipes.  The whole process is very voodoo and I hope to someday be able to articulate how I go about making food.  I had not made cajun for awhile so this was a nice change of pace.  First I cut up the yellow onion, then peeled the garlic cloves, and slice off a hunk of hot pepper and threw it in the little hand held chopper.  Threw all that in the pan, and started cutting green pepper.  At which point I realized it might be wise to put in black eyed peas.  I threw them in a pot with some water, finished the pepper, and let the beans simmer for a half hour.  At this point I took a small bowl and started mixing the dry ingredients. I opened and rinsed the kidney beans, and drained the tomatoes, started the pan with veggies after adding some olive as the peas finished.   Let the onions and peppers soften and squeezed in some of the orange, and then threw in the kidney beans, and tomatoes, added the dry spices.  Then I drained the black eyed peas, and tossed them in.  I let it all simmer for a minute, then did a taste test.  At this point I added more orange, chilli powder, and the cinnamon and all spice.  Probably a few other things as well. Grabbed a literal handful of rice, scooped on some of the tasty cajun mix, and enjoyed.  As I have been walking a lot, I’ve been eating a lot.  Three small bowls tonight, and this will get me through a few lunches as well.  For $5-7 total, no joke.

My life has been a bit hellish, though I’m not going to bore you with that.  Instead I am going to tell you how I have remained vegan despite 8 days of illness, crazy work hours, and being out at all hours, and having a dysfunctional kitchen.

I must say I have become the expert at ordering out vegan food pretty much anywhere I go.  Somehow I also managed to coordinate a lunch with my parents and in-laws at a restaurant where everyone was happy.  I’ve had cheeseless pizza loaded with veggies, burritos, countless orders of french fries, loads of chana masala and other indian delicacies.  Along with dishes I don’t know the names of from the Yabba Pot, and lots of Thai.

When I’m on the run, which is often, I’ve been getting lots of Amy’s and other varieties of vegan instant food.  My new favorite is Amy’s line of burritos and hot pockets which are filling but come in little tiny boxes.  When I do have a moment to throw something together I’ve been making 10 minute salad with my food processor.  There are times when I just need an easy snack and those are the days when I go for the blue corn chips and salsa.

I’ve been in a survival mode, and those tend to be times when I have trouble eating at all.  A few weeks ago I was in very poor health, but I have quickly turned that around.  If I can manage to be a new vegan in these stressful times, then I think it is really possible for anyone.

Earthlings was produced by a group of ethical vegans.  The film examines five forms of human exploitation of animals: pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and vivisection.  It is a full length documentary, and it bears witness to the suffering of our fellow animals.

I’ve heard from some vegans, that vegans do not need to watch this film, since we are already aware of the suffering therein.  Though I encourage all vegans to watch it and bear witness to why we do the things we do, and know the the best extent that we can what is happening to animals.

After watching Earthlings in it’s entirety, I don’t know if I would show it to just anyone, and certainly without preparation for what they are going to witness.  I believe in showing an equal level of compassion to all sentient beings. However, I do see the film as an important tool that can illustrate this suffering to those who have never been able to understand it before.

If you have a high speed connection Earthlings is accessible to you on google video and  you tube.  Or you can be real .

Christmas is a special holiday for me and my family. We have reinvented it time and time again to the point where it has actually become a day of love and giving. My parents always try to get me the things I really want but would never buy for myself, and I try to do the same for them.

This year is hard, it is going to be my first vegan Christmas. Many of the typical girly items that I love and adore now have to be vegan. Including candles, lotions, bath gels, and other smelly things. I want to give my family some choice, while ensuring that I won’t get things that I would scowl at and then discard.

I’m also highly considering putting my foot down and making Christmas dinner entirely vegan. While my family is awesome, and my parents are really progressive people, even with them things like that get dicey.

In my head I am pleading with the world that this will be the hardest holiday season for me, and that after this my wonderful family will just know what to do. I have high hopes given my family’s track record with adjusting to my lifestyle that is the way things will play out. Though for the moment it means juggling some hard politics.

This is how I make everything from mochas to chai in my own home. I still go to my favorite independently run coffee shops, and I recommend that you do to. They need your business. However, you need an excuse to cut those excursions to Starbucks out of your life. They are union busting assholes.

Necessary Supplies:

• An Espresso maker with a steamer (can be found easily for around $40)
• A plain old coffee maker or french press
• Tons of soy milk, I recommend keeping a stock of plain and vanilla
• Raw sugar
• Espresso blend with a fine grind
• Your favorite blend of chai teabags
• cocoa powder, or vegan chocolate syrup
• your favorite coffee

If you don’t care about steaming the milk, you can find espresso pots that will make espresso on the stove top. We have one of that we use when we go camping. Also for regular coffee there is the option to use a french press.

College Dorm Tip: If you’re allowed to have a microwave in your room, boil water in the microwave to put in a french press to make coffee.

Definitions of the famous cafe drinks:

Cafe Latte: One to two shots of espresso, and filled the rest of the way with steamed milk. A good latte often has a small cap of foam.

Cappuccino: One to two shots of espresso which comprises 1/3 of the drink, then there is 1/3 milk and 1/3 foam. However, it isn’t unusual to see one that is comprised mostly of foam.

Cafe Mocha: One to two shots of espresso, which is then mixed with chocolate (if using cocoa add sugar), then the rest of the drink is filled with steamed milk, and a cap of foam.

Chai Latte: Chai is somewhat mysterious, however at home I can make a decent chai latte out of a 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup brewed chai tea, steamed milk, and sugar.

Steaming: One thing I’ve learned from working at cafes is that every stem wand is different. Also the various home steamers all work a bit differently. One trick that I have found that is fairly universal is bobbing the cup until the tip of the steam wand is slightly submerged and then just on the surface. I also tilt the the mug slightly and keep the wand towards the edge.

Espresso: Good espresso should be mixed with milk immediately, and be well tamped (compressed).  If you do a good job you’ll see a little layer of crema which is a reddish brown foam.  If at all possible steam the milk first, or at the same time as the espresso is being brewed.

At the radical coffeehouse near me soy milk is often preferred over dairy, even by dairy drinkers.  Steamed cow milk easily scalds, and smells nasty, it also often overwhelms the flavor of the espresso, and chai.  There is a rumor that soy milk is difficult to foam, but it’s a myth.  Soy milk just requires a different feel.  Cafe drinks no longer need to be shrouded in mystery, you can easily make them at home.

Last night I came home from work feeling ill. I had barely eaten all day, and was in dire need of some wholesome nourishment. I wanted soup, and my pantry was getting a bit mangy. Also, I should add that I had never made soup before. Less than a day later I had made two awesome soups, both taking at most 15 minutes of prep, and maybe a half hour total cook time.

I am no kitchen genius, so how did this all occur?

First, I almost always have a few staples in my cabinets. I keep in stock a very large spice collection which I have built from the basic basil and oregano to cardamon and a spices from a wide variety of cuisines. I’m no spice picking genius either, but I leave the story of the spice rack for some other time. Anyways, I also almost always have yellow onion and garlic. In the pantry I have things like lentils, rice and various pastas and grains. There are also the canned goods like black beans, chick peas, and diced tomatoes.

When I decided that I wanted soup I immediately turned to my Quick Fix Vegetarian cookbook, but it failed me. I had the makings of several soups, but I was either lacking a few key ingredients, or I didn’t like the seasoning. I ended up recombining four recipes from Robertson’s book plus some of my own crazy ideas into the following two recipes.

Curry Chickpea and Lentil Soup

• 1 smallish yellow onion
•  2-3 whole cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• cumin to taste
• ground coriander to taste
• 1 cup washed and picked red lentils
• 1 15 ounce can chick peas
• 1 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable broth (from paste)
• 1 cup water

I chopped the onion in my handy and aggression relieving Ikea chopper, threw it in a pot big enough for the soup with the garlic with a tad of olive oil and sauteed on medium-high for about five minutes. Meanwhile I got out my spices and opened and drained my cans, and washed the lentils.

I have crappy McCormick curry powder right now, so I threw that in and the lentils, canned goods, and added four cups warm water and melted in my veggie bouillon paste. I love using the paste because it taste better, and doesn’t come in cumbersome packaging or need to be pre-made. I always have some in the fridge.

At this point I brought the heat up to high and added salt, fresh ground pepper, ground coriander and cumin to taste. This evened out the evil of the cheap curry powder. I let everything come to a boil, and then reduced to a simmer for about 20 minutes, adding water as needed after the first ten minutes.

Alternatives: Try wilting in some baby, or shredded spinach in the last five minutes or so, instead or with the chickpeas. Or whatever sounds good to you!

Wholesome Chili Black Bean Soup

• 1 smallish yellow onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
• dried basil to taste
• cayenne to taste
• 1 can rinsed black beans
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup quick cook barley
• 5 cups veggie broth (from paste)

Once again I used my handy dandy chopper on the onions, and then used my mincer on the garlic. Threw it into the pot I planned to make my soup in with a tad of olive oil on medium heat and covered for about five minutes. While waiting I drained, rinsed, and prepared my spices.

Then I added the chili powder and ground oregano, beans, tomatoes, 5 cups water which I mixed with bouillon paste then I threw in the barley and kicked the heat up to high while I was waiting for things to heat up I added cayenne to taste along with the basil. I let things cook for about 20 minutes lowering the mixture to a simmer once it began to boil.

Alternatives: If I had them on hand when making this soup I would have added some mushrooms and possibly some greens.

I finished off my day of soups with Vegan With a Vengeance Mexican Chocolate Rice Pudding.

This blog is going on hiatus because I am too busy living to write.  I am still vegan, and I am still passionate about my veganism.  I may be back in the spring.

At this point I rarely think about being vegan, it is what I am.  Label checking happens on it’s own, but not as often because I have a better sense of what I’m buying.  I’m getting the hang of ordering at restaurants, I can figure out how to cook anything in the microwave at work.   When I get hungry I know what snacks to get at the 7-11, I have an abundance of vegan cookies and chocolate in the house.  I drink my espresso with raw sugar when I run out of soy milk.  On a cold rainy tired night I have a secret stash of frozen ravioli for dinner.

I’m spending a lot less time wandering around looking lost at the super market, and know which stores will have which items.  Whole Foods shopping has been limited to a bare minimum.  Nearly everything I make for dinner is tasty.  This feels natural, it feels good, most importantly it feels right.  Which also leaves this blog in a lurch, as I am not constantly thinking of new vegan related topics, or if I do I now lack the energy to write about them.  I’m going to see how things play out the next couple of weeks, and post when I have the willpower.

Like everyone else, I hate Whole Foods, I had a mixed experience with them this week.  They were completely out of things like black beans, and in house soy (the only kind that comes in recyclable containers).  I went to the kiosk and told the woman behind the counter, she was very apologetic and told me there were major changes going on in the grocery department, but was otherwise ineffective.  I made it clear that I was thinking about no longer doing the bulk of my shopping there, and I was told to try again later.

Instead, I am probably going to place a bunch of bulk orders with my small really cool natural food store.  I think I am going to give up on recyclable soy milk containers, and kill the environment with my waste until I learn how to make my own soy.

Anyways, I want to order canned goods, that often contain refined sugar, the ones I order obviously wouldn’t.  I’d get a case of canned corn, and petite diced tomatoes.  Along with a couple pounds of raw sugar, bulgar wheat, quinoa, rice noodles, barley, a case of pure lemon juice, and pure lime juice.  I might also consider getting a new freezer for the basement and bulk ordering some Amy’s vegan meals.   Oh and several cases of Vitasoy.

I have another local resource for a lot of vegan cosmetics and body products, and everything else I should be able to get at my local grocer, except lemon grass, damn lemon grass!

However, my bathroom is supposed to get ripped to hell starting this coming Tuesday, to become beautiful within the next several weeks, so this may need to be a piecemeal thing.  I also have no idea how much of this she would be willing to order for me at once.  However I think it’s a grand idea.  Avoid Whole Foods, and patronize some local businesses.

I work in the healthcare field, one of the fringe benefits is drug luncheons where I get a nice free meal, and get to spend some quality time with coworkers.  I always of course ignore the lecture.  Most of these luncheons are small buffets that are brought to the workplace, usually these are not inclusive of my veganess.  However, the one I went to this week was at a restaurant and we could order whatever we wanted.  It was still risky that I would find something to eat, but I was in the mood for adventure and went anyways.

It was a quaint little Inn, and I was in luck a grilled vegetable sandwich, on bread that was likely to NOT contain honey was on the menu.  I ordered it with no cheese, and I made sure the waitress repeated it after me.  BUT when the meal came out, alas, there was melted cheese in it.  The waitress did what she should have done and took it back without a fuss, and was very apologetic.

My coworkers were also awesome about it.  I could have been treated like a complete freak, and instead they treated it like a standard affair.  Eating out still makes me paranoid though, and I spent most of the afternoon questioning the possible ingredients in my food.   When I eat food out it is rarely satisfying, and always has the potential to not actually be vegan.  I know that this is an aspect of my “newness” eventually I will be braver when placing orders, and have more confidence in picking out the elements that are not vegan.