FNB Feed the masses, Feed your creativity

Yo, this is Mung Bean reporting from Seattle, WA. This will be my home-base for a while, but it does not mean Vegan Vagrants is not alive and well. I am still a Humboldt-ien at heart and like many causes, eating creatively is something bigger than you or I. It is a movement of eating that is based on place, availability, and ethics--the goal is to wander from convention and those of us involved in this project manage to make it happen every day.

Part of being a vagrant eater is also to ally with others on our journey. We are not alone, and although it can seem that way at times, the point is to make a home every where you go. Lately, I've been working in cahoots with Food Not Bombs and I consider it to be a close ally in this movement for good, ethical food. It is a similar but unique way of practicing our commitment to creative cooking AND to serve to others with what is made available onto us via dumpstering, donation, or leftovers! Many people mistakenly refer to FNB as a "group" but anyone can be a part of it. If you don't have peeps around you sportin' the "power to the carrot" sign, you could make it happen! Below are links to more info about Seattle FNB... read it and then replicate again and again!

http://seattlefnb.blogspot.com/
http://www.scn.org/foodnotbombs/

Flyer for a recent FNB benefit:

E.Coli Madness

Article and short video from NYtimes about E.Coli and hamburgers.
Prepare yourself to be haunted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html
(Article was posted on Oct. 3, 2009)

Excerpt from the article:
"The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria.

Using a combination of sources — a practice followed by most large producers of fresh and packaged hamburger — allowed Cargill to spend about 25 percent less than it would have for cuts of whole meat.

Those low-grade ingredients are cut from areas of the cow that are more likely to have had contact with feces, which carries E. coli, industry research shows...

Many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli, according to officials at two large grinding companies. Slaughterhouses fear that one grinder’s discovery of E. coli will set off a recall of ingredients they sold to others."

Vegan Gyozas

So this recipe is from a while ago, so I might have a little trouble remembering all that was in this thing. BUT. it was mighty delicious, so here we go.

Vegan Gyoz-asssss!
1 pkg ravioli/dumpling wrapper skins (you could also make this yourself, but if you decide to purchase, make sure you read the ingredients! some have egg in it)
1/2 head of red cabbage
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
hunk of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2-3 carrots, shredded
4-5 shitake mushrooms, minced (make sure you soak for at least a few hours if they're dried)
plentiful dashes of sesame oil
few good shakes of grounded white pepper
OPTIONAL green onions, chopped

Once you've got all these ingredients down, all you gots to do is mix them up in a big bowl and make sure the pieces are pretty chopped up. If you have the option, using a food processor will make things go much faster. The next step is to gather materials and friends to have a gyoza wrapping party! Make sure you have a bowl of water for sealing the gyozas, a couple of spoons for scooping the filling, and a large sized platter to house the wrapped gyozas. There are many ways to wrap a gyoza, but I think the main things to look for are good amounts of filling (try to squeeze out some of the liquid with your spoon otherwise the dough might get soggy) and making sure they are fully-sealed. Don't worry if the first few tear, you'll get better at it eventually!

After the gyozas are wrapped (you can also do this simultaneously while other people continue to wrap), you have two options. Gyozas can be eaten fried (pot-sticker-style) or steamed/boiled. To fry: heat up a pan with oil and arrange gyozas in the pan so they do not stick to each other. When they begin to brown, carefully pour in a couple tablespoons of water into the pan and cover with a lid until all the water has been evaporated. Place on paper towels to drain.
To steam/boil: heat up a pot of water (or stock if you are planning to boil). Add gyozas to a steam basket (you should probably line the basket with lettuce or paper) and steam up to 5 minutes or until they look ready. To boil, just drop the gyozas into the boiling water and scoop them out when they begin to float (if your gyozas are punctured, consider using the other two methods, otherwise the filling will all leak out).

To enjoy, dip in pre-made gyoza sauce or make one yourself. One of my favorites is a mix of vinegar, soy sauce (or Bragg's), chili oil, slivers of fresh ginger, a squirt of citrus, and cilantro.

Tada! Gyozas may sound like a lot of work, but they're really fun and quick if you can convince your friends to help and make it a party!

HONORIFICACOBBLER (or how we learned to stop worrying and love leftovers)

Straight what up to the peeps up on da' inturweb. Dis be PhiltheFood. So me and my besties Lychee and SesameSteve were all illmatic in our boy Dustone's kitchen da otha night and we was like, "Yo we got nothing to make 'cept fo these slightly bruised, bargain apples from da CO-OP, this bowl of day-old oatmeal and deez ramnants of almonds and pecans." So we was like,

"Yo let's make a cobbler son!" THEN we was like all yummied wence we gourged oursleves wit it.

It's easy to do just follow these steps. It's really just good stuffs in a glass dish. Hurr is what we did but it can be done with any fruity/nutty leftovers you have around.

ON TOP OF DA' HONORIFICACOBBLER-

-TOPPING: 2 handfuls of steel-cut oats (or leftover oatmeal), 1/2 c. of brown sugar and an assorted amalgamation of any other nut, fruit or delicious spice you have and like. We used cranberries, nutmeg, cinnamon, pecans and almonds. Put on topping after... (see below)

INSIDE DA' HONORIFICACOBBLER-

-THINLY SLICED BARGAIN APPLES (laid in stacks on slightly oiled glass pan, almost to the rim, sprinkled lightly with cinnamon/brown sugar/nutmeg if you wish)

-BANANA'S & DAY OLD OATMEAL (spread on in the middle after stacking apples halfway then more apples then more b&o on top if you wish, banana's are optional - like we say in or neighborhood if you got it, flaunt it...on top of cobbler...or something like that)

-NICE WATER (pour water in pan up to oatmeal line)

BAKING DA' HONORIFICACOBBLER-

Bake on 350 degrees for 45 min. then on 375 degrees for another 20 min. or so.

word.

power to the communes!

Chocolate Banana Xibalba Cake

The other night I watched Darren Aronfsky’s film The Fountain for the first time. I do not have much to say about it except that if you haven’t seen this film already, you should, everyone should. Life’s fatal flaw is death, or is it? I feel that when confronted with death, life becomes beautiful, fuller and more cherished. And this is what I stand for, the appreciation and respect of all life. Well, this night of The Fountain, we ate a fine Vegan Pesto Pizza, compliments of Phil, the Director of V.V. To top off the night, after looking over different recipes, a Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake was made. The cake seemed to hold me in its rich velvety chocolate arms and rock me in to a state of compliancy only the female womb has mastered. But enough of the dramatics! Bake Away!

*Hyperlinks throughout recipe are alternatives to stated ingredients. Check em out!

Chocolate Banana Xibalba Cake of Life

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 Minutes

Overnight Wait? : Yes

Difficulty: Easy

Remember! Experiment with this recipe and find your own inspirations. Add or take away different ingredients, use whatever is in your pantry!

Tools:

• Oven/ Stove
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Wooden Spoon
• Small storage Container (1 Pint)
• Large 10’’ Serving Plate
• Small Sauce Pan (1 Quart)
• Medium Sized Mixing Bowl (3 Quarts)
• Small Sized Mixing Bowl (1 Pint)
• 9’’ Round Pan or 8’’ Square Pan

Chocolate Cake Ingredients

☐ Pre-Heat Oven to 375° F or 190.56° C

☐ 1 ½ Flour (You can also use Amaranth, Arrowroot, Brown Rice, or Buckwheat Flour)

☐ ½ C. Cocoa Powder

☐ 1 C. Sugar (You can also use Date Sugar [grind up dates], Stevia [Approximately 1 tsp. of Stevia = 1 C. of Sugar], or Maple Syrup)

☐ 1 C. Chocolate Chips

☐ 2 tsp. Baking Soda

☐ ½ tsp. Salt

☐ 1 C. Water

☐ ½ C. Canola Oil (Any oil will work)

☐ 2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

☐ 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

☐ 2 Bananas or Strawberries or Raspberries or Almonds, Sliced

Chocolate Cake Recipe

1. Pre-heat oven to 375° F
2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt into medium sized bowl. Mix ingredients well.
3. In small bowl whisk together water, oil, and vanilla.
4. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Once mixture is smooth, stirring quickly, add vinegar.
6. Whisk in chocolate chips.
7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until you are able to stick a fork in the middle of the cake and the fork comes out clean. Baking times vary so don’t worry too much about sticking to this recipe.
8. Place a large plate over cake pan and flip cake onto plate. Let cake cool overnight in refrigerator.
9. Cut cake in half, making two layers. Place top layer aside.
10. Spread frosting over bottom layer. Place banana slices on top of bottom layer of cake.
11. Replace the top layer of cake and repeat step 10.
12. Watch The Fountain and enjoy the chocolaty goodness while you are blown away…

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

☐ 2 C. Powdered Sugar (See alternatives to sugar above)

☐ 1 C. Cocoa Powder

☐ ½ C. Chocolate Chips

☐ ½ C. Almond Milk (You can also use Rice, Hemp, Oat, or Nut Milk)

☐ 1 tsp. Vegan Margarine (Optional) (You can also use Walnut, Olive, Canola, or Grape Seed Oil)

Chocolate Frosting Recipe

1. In small saucepan over low-medium heat combine almond milk and margarine, once ingredients are melted stir in chocolate chips.
2. With wooden spoon slowly add cocoa and powdered sugar, stirring constantly.
3. Once ingredients are combined turn off heat and let cool 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Pour into container and place in refrigerator for later use.
   

-Lauren

Best breakfast food ever: The CinnaMoi Roll

While cinnamon rolls may be a classic treat for many American families, it was not so for me. I grew up in the concrete jungles of LA (in a very Asian neighborhood might I add) and my first memories of cinnamon rolls were from a Cinnabon stand in the food court of my local mall... but after my first vegan attempt, I can proudly say "Nay! No more!" to corporation-manufactured memories... (at least in the case of cinnamon rolls for now).

Delectable CinnaMoi Rolls
1/2 cup of nut milk
4 tbs vegan margarine
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg replacer
1/4 cups warm water + 2 tsp yeast + 1 tsp sugar (wait until it gets foamy)
2 1/2 - 3 cups of flour

Filling
2 tbs margarine, melted
Handful of dried cranberries
nuts of your choice (I used an agave sweetened medley of nuts and seeds)
3 tbs sugar + 3 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp nutmeg

Icing
1/4 cup of vegan cream cheese
2 tbs maple syrup
powdered sugar (as needed to thicken)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients to make dough and put in a warm place for it to rise (about 30 minutes). Dust a flat surface with flour and roll out dough to a square/rectangle. Brush with melted margarine and sprinkle with spices, sugar, nuts, and dried cranberries. Roll carefully into a log shape and cut with a serrated knife. Oil baking pan, arrange rolls, and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Top with icing and if desired, brown sugar.

Serve warmmmmmm. They will fill your house with the best smell that will last for the whole day so you better make an extra batch to soothe the cravings.

Nut and seed milks

Growing up in a Chinese home and community has afforded me many perks and ideas for creating vegan alternatives. One of the most memorable (and pervasive) was being able to drink fresh soymilk everyday--by itself, in my cereal, with chinese doughnuts, sweetened or salty, hot or cold.

Salty Soy Milk

Sweet Soy Milk

Because so many of us Asians are lactose intolerant, I had the good fortune of being close to many Asian vendors that specialized in making fresh soymilk daily. On special occasions, my father would even make his own.

However, as I became more knowledgeable about soy and the effects of it being one of US's top four subsidized cash crops, I have shifted my focus from soy to nuts and seeds that are currently neglected as a milk alternative. Not only are soybeans destructive in the way that they are currently grown (rainforest destruction and soil depletion), but they are also likely to be from GM strains and is a growing source for food allergies.

For women, soy can be controversial. According to this article, women who grow up eating soy may actually prevent them from getting breast cancer, whereas it is the opposite for other women.
See Breast Cancer Article.

Thus, my easy recipe for non-soy milk using nuts and seeds! It is easy to make your own milk, and at $2.50-4.50 a carton, it can also be more cost effective.

THE RECIPE

The tools: Electric blender and hand-held strainer (This can be anything from a cheese cloth to a clean t-shirt. I used a hankerchief)

Ingredients:
Nuts - almonds, cashews, walnuts, coconut, etc...
Seeds - sunflower, flax, sesame, oats and more...
Sweeteners/flavorings - dates, honey, cinnamon, ginger, orange peel, fresh fruit, and just about anything...
Clean water
OPTIONAL: pinch of salt

Method:
Blend 1 cup of nuts/seeds and sweeteners/flavorings with 2-4 cups of water depending on how concentrated you want it until liquified. Strain with cloth and save pulp for later use. Store, refrigerate, drink, and be happy!

Save-the-Salmon Raw Cream CheeZ**

It's taken a while, but I think I've finally come to terms with my compulsion to buy massive amounts of certain products. The latest one has been sunflower seeds. In a way, I kind of appreciate the challenge of trying to figure out what to do with two bags and one container full of the same product... otherwise, I wouldn't come up with accidental but delicious recipes like this one.

Save-the-Salmon Raw Cream CheeZ**
1-2 cups of sunflower seeds soaked for at least one hour
1 red bell pepper
3 tsp lemon juice
3 tsp of any kind of vinegar (I used some of Steve's over fermented Kombucha)
fresh garlic (I used 1/2 of one fresh garlic shoot, but 2 garlic cloves should do it)
4-5 fresh basil leaves
1 tsp salt
pepper to your liking

OPTIONAL: I also added some almond pulp I had left-over from making almond milk earlier in the day

Blend in a processor until ingredients start to break down and becomes creamy. Serve on toasted bread, crackers, or bagel for a delicious snack or side dish.

** name of recipe courtesy of Steve

LINKS:
Indybay article
Klamath River
Sacred Land Film

ON AIR: Vegan Vagrants

DIY Muesli

Up to a few weeks ago, I was paying your typically over-priced amount of $4-5 per pound of muesli at the North Coast Co-Op, but I am proud to announce that as of now, I have finally switched over! Making muesli is amazingly easy and the best part about it is that it can be customized according to taste, allergens, and especially what's available in your pantry.

I've included my most recent muesli recipe here. It's not the best picture I've got, but hey, it was what I was having for breakfast.


MICHELLE'S MORNING MUESLI
2-3 lbs (4-6 cups) mixture of rolled barley, oats, rye, and kamut
2 cups of crispy rice
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of dried date pieces
1/4 cup of dried blueberries
1/2 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

Dry blend rolled grains in a food processor to a coarse texture (take care not to over-blend, otherwise it becomes flour). Repeat with almonds. Pour all ingredients into a bag or storage container and shake to mix. Add fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, and bananas are my favorite) and pour over rice or nut milk to serve. Enjoy!

WATCH IT: 30-days as an Animal Rights activist

From the creator of Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock puts the spotlight on animal rights, veganism, and activism.

Mediterranean Pizza with Cilantro Pesto

Greetings vegan-ites!

After having kicked myself over many un-photographed meals and dishes, I can't believe I managed to save the last piece of this wonderfully yummy pizza from its eventual destination (Steve's stomach) on this particular evening.

This is a simple yet deluxe example of how to fancy up an otherwise boring pizza by utilizing our best friend in the kitchen--our vagrant creativity! Topped with eggplant, zucchini, avocado, fried garlic, and Tofutti cream cheese over a cilantro pesto, you will never go back to marinara and mozzarella again!

PIZZA DOUGH
Store bought from Wildberries (flour, yeast, olive oil, salt)
but you can also make your own vegan pizza dough here

CILANTRO PESTO
generous handful of fresh cilantro, loosely chopped
3-5 strands of garlic chives or 1-2 garlic cloves or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c. pine nuts AKA pignolia
1 tsp vegan aoli or vegenaise
pinch of salt and pepper

Place all ingredients into food processor and process until it becomes a thick paste

TOPPINGS
1/2 eggplant, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 avocado, sliced
fried garlic (store-bought or DIY)
Nutritional yeast flakes
Dollops of Tofutti Cream Cheese

Roll out pizza dough into desired shape using a baking sheet, but as thin as possible without causing holes. Use a fork to press into the outer crust to keep the dough from retracting. Spread a generous amount of Cilantro Pesto onto the base. Add vegetables and Tofutti Cream Cheese, then top with nutritional yeast. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes; remove baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes. Crust should just begin to brown and have a crispy texture, but be careful not to burn.

Cut and enjoy! This pizza is absolutely one of the yummiest I've made so far... dare to be bold in your vagrant creations!