Confession.

I cohabitate—mostly peacefully—with a household of omnivores, so this is the rarest of outbursts, but in the interests of integrity and full disclosure, I’m showing the bad with the good. This is me. I sometimes make bad choices, but I always apologise.

I followed a link to a ravelry forum thread discussing a certain potential customer searching for a vegan and environmentally-friendly yarn, which excluded her choices to almost none. The thread, begun with frustration, followed through with mockery and hostility, which I felt (mistakenly, in hindsight, which makes me hang my head in shame) was directed towards veganism in general, and vegan knitters in particular.

It was one of those anonymous internet conversations designed to bond members of the discussion over misinformed and disproportionate comments about an absent and universally-maligned outsider. On behalf of all of vegankind I was offended—and worse, I acted out of those feelings, and posted something I shouldn’t have.

In that moment I was too tired to be another silent martyr, belted by bigotry, expected to exercise superhuman restraint in order to keep the peace with those who rip flesh from bones over polite conversation.

I was tired of having to be the bigger person, to endure wildly offensive and insensitive accusations with patience and reason, to be the levelheaded one stepping away from the computer, not able to discuss just how hurt or offended or worn-down I sometimes feel at the sheer violence of the omnivore/ former vegetarian/ self-proclaimed cheese addict.

I’m sorry, ravelry poster, for commenting out of stupidity, pain, and weariness. But vegans are human too.

I heart Mulder.

I love to snack on raw sunflower seeds, and not just in an I-heart-Mulder way (although who doesn’t?), but had never really used the chewy, moreish seeds in baking before, turning first to walnuts and almonds as my go-to crunch and protein providers.

Featured here in a chewy, barely sweetened, date-studded loaf, they add their toothsome texture and nutritional generosity to great effect.

Gently seasoned with ground cinnamon and ginger, flecked with tea-soaked dates and natural almond meal, shaped into a rustic and deeply furrowed loaf, this teatime or breakfast treat is packed with goodness and wholesome plenty.

Chewy Date Loaf
2 C Wholemeal self-raising flour
1 C White (unbleached) self-raising flour
1 C almond meal
1 T baking powder
pinch salt
1 T cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 C raw sunflower seeds
1/2 C walnuts
1 C dried dates
1 C black tea
1 C soy milk
1/2 C raw sugar
1/2 C canola oil
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 200 C. Lightly grease two small loaf tins.
In small bowl, soak dates in tea.
In large bowl, combine flours, almond meal, baking powder, salt, spices, seeds and nuts.
To tea mixture, add soy milk, sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir to combine.
Fold wet ingredients into dry, mixing until just combined.
Pour batter evenly into loaf tins and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked in centre. Allow to sit for 5 minutes in tin, then turn onto wire rack to finish cooling. Makes two loaves.

Muffin in hand.

I had a craving for a hearty, wholesome muffin full of fruit, nuts and seeds that I could have for breakfast. This muffin, while light and tender (see that crumb in my hand? That’s how tender.), contains orange rind and juice, organic natural (with the skin on…is there a technical term for that?) almond meal, and poppy seeds.

Based partly on my go-to muffin mix recipe, and partly on the Lemon Poppyseed muffin recipe from Vegan Brunch (full of inspiration for a breakfast obsessive like me), I subbed wholemeal flour for half of the white stuff, and almond meal for another quarter of it. Used less sugar and much less oil than the VB recipe, ’cause that’s the way I like my muffins.

Have a wonderful weekend—hope yours is full of grand adventures!

Couscous-stuffed capsicum with tempeh chili.

I don’t know why I had never made stuffed capsicums before—super easy!
I used turmeric-spiced couscous with sauteed onion, garlic and mushrooms, and a handful of crunchy sprouted lentils for the filling (lightning-fast to prepare), and after half an hour in a 180 C oven they were done!

I found the filling to be a little bland, as I’m used to soaking my couscous in richly-flavoured vegetable stock, but this mildness complemented the spicier serving partner nicely (more VWAV tempeh chili, spicier and more tomatoey than the last batch).

The dish was an omni crowdpleaser and satisfied the most sensitive of sibling tastebuds. I can foresee many more of these in my future!

A few honest scraps.

Mirella, funky Glaswegian vegan over at Be My Playground? has sweetly nominated this blog for an Honest Scrap award.

The object of the award/ meme is to post ten scraps of information about yourself and then pass the award on to seven other bloggers.

The scraps:

1. I don’t deal with compliments well. I am learning to be more gracious and simply accept them as they come my way, but I have strong internal compulsions to tone down or laugh them off with a self-depracating joke or two. I’m not entirely sure why I do this, but it seems to be about deflecting attention away from myself (which makes me nervous) and defusing any possibility of envy or animosity.

2. I care too much about what people think of me. I find blogging a genuine challenge due to these first two traits, which is why I have tended away from writing anything too personal here. I guess one of my unconscious resolutions for 2010 was to come out of my shell a bit in this forum, expose myself a bit more and admit that, heck, I have opinions! I have things to say!

3. Two of my longtime passions, cooking and knitting, are traditionally non-vegan pursuits, and the history of each craft is deeply and emotionally tied to animal use. I love witnessing the reformation of these pursuits, being one of the compassionate voices simply by creating things I love using the sweet bounty of the plant world.

4. Green is my very favourite colour, and I sometimes wonder how much of my love for green foods (broccoli, pistachios, asparagus, celery, Granny Smiths, gherkins, grapes, olives, kiwi fruit, snow peas, avocado, mint) is influenced by the appeal I derive from their aesthetics.

5. I use words like ‘aesthetics’. I used to read a set of big, heavy, A-K and L-Z dictionaries for fun when I was younger. This fascination with words led me to the glorious field of linguistics, in which I studied an introductory unit in my first year at uni, and promptly changed degrees to study it further. I would love to go back to that line of study some day and finish that stale and languishing degree.

6. I attended a bible college for a year, a fact which often surprises people. I drew from that time a ferocious desire for integrity, expecting it of myself and others ever since. It seems to be a rare trait in this postmodern world, but when I come across an individual or organisation embodying this virtue, it makes my heart sing.

7. I get pissed off sometimes about the limited vegan dining options in this town, and dream of starting a plant-foods burger bar, but then remember just how much I love being able to cook for myself. I work out my frustrations in the kitchen, so I get to make exactly what I feel like without having to settle for some cook’s idea of what a vegetarian eats.

8. I rarely take photographs of things other than food or craft. I, along with my partner, recoil against the concept of recording events and/or relationships through static images, so there are only a handful of said images for which we have willingly posed together.

9. We are both way too stubborn for our own good.

10. I haven’t gotten the hang of Continental knitting. I feel it is the way of the future, as it seems like the most energy-efficient technique, but I’m too lazy to practice the technique in order to build up my speed. Maybe I’ll challenge myself to knit Continental for the Ravelympics.

This week’s inspiration:

Steph
Emily
Kylie
Celine
Susan
A-K
Alice

Inspired to greatness.

I’m swatching for my Ravelympics2010 project. If you haven’t heard of it, Ravelympics is the fibery way to get into the Winter Olympic spirit. Participants challenge themselves by starting and finishing projects (whether they be knit, crochet, spinning, weaving or finishing up old lingering projects) during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

I’m attempting to start and finish a sweater in the 17-day period (Eep!); a denim and cotton-striped pullover inspired by this energetic beauty of a sweater that Kittee made.

The pattern is Stripes!, a tutorial for a bottom-up seamless yoke sweater by Whitney of Whitknits, and I’m really impressed by the clear and specific instructions, the user-friendly explanations of why things are done rather than just telling the knitter what to do. I also like the clever use of short rows and the purl ridge yoke detail.

I read through the tutorial last night, figured out I’m way off gauge and will need to sit down and do some maths, and had to hold my itchy fingers back from casting on for reals. I’m very excited.

The denim yarn I’ve had in my stash since before going vegan, and had never found an inspiring-enough project to begin using it. A couple of half-hearted attempts were frogged, plans were laid and unmade, but nothing really took. I’m hoping this project, with the combination of stripes (!) and a challenge will contain enough momentum to get me over that denim-is-kind-of-annoying-to-knit-with hump and into Olympic gold.

Fiber crafters can participate in Olympic-themed events, gather in teams to cheer each other on and tally up their group successes, and just generally inspire the crafty world to greatness.

Baked potato bliss.

The sixty minute baking time, plus time spent preheating our oven—and home—in the middle of an Australian summer proved itself worthwhile from the first mouthful.

A baked potato is one of my favourite things in the world. In summer, lightly glazed with Nuttelex, then overloaded with mountains of tart-juicy coleslaw, they remind me of sunshine and worn-down footy ovals; country fairs and the trusty spud stand nestled between corn-on-the-cob and the Rotary Club sausage sizzle; cans of soft drink for a dollar.

In winter, cut open and laden with steaming chili: dark and smoky, made chewy with tempeh, or fire-engine red and peppered with kidney beans. I always make plenty for leftovers—just the thought of having foil-wrapped potatoes and chili at the ready for a hearty breakfast or after-work boost makes me a happy camper.

Any other baked spud fans out there?

Back to basics

The cliched notion of veg*ns living on tofu alone can be a pervasive one, a situation that is not improved by the number of vegan recipes that rely heavily on soy-based replacements for meat or dairy, using the ‘fu as the go-to ingredient for creating creaminess and substance. While I’ve harped on enough about my lack of fondness for soybean curd, I think depending on any one substance to form the basis of every meal should make anyone nervous.

Before going vegan, I used to add cows’ milk to my tea, coffee, cereal and in baking. At first, I substituted soy milk for the dairy in each of these situations, experimenting with different brands and amounts to try and simulate my former milk-based experiences. Then, I tried taking my tea black—and, later, my coffee too. Gradually I realised that milkless tea and coffee were the familiar and comforting beverages I was used to, simply without that creaminess to soften the edges.

The longer I’ve been vegan, the less I’ve craved creaminess in general. There are occasions when creaminess is precisely what’s called for, however, and lately I’ve been looking to less processed foods such as avocado, ground nuts/ seeds, and pureed legumes to supply the richness that tofu traditionally provides.

These corn cakes were adapted from a Yellow Rose recipe, substituting pureed garbanzo beans and vegetable stock for the tofu and soy milk.

Chickpea Corn Cakes

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 T jalapeno peppers, sliced
1 T lemon juice
1/2 C vegetable stock
1/2 C wholemeal flour
1/2 C cornmeal
1 t baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 C corn kernels
1 T oil, for frying

Combine chickpeas, jalapenos, lemon juice and stock in blender, mixing until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Stir in chickpea mixture. Fold in corn kernels.
Cook as for any other pancakes. Makes 6-8, depending on chosen size.

Inspiration
I’ve found these creative vegans to be great sources of inspiration when it comes to substituting natural foods for processed products:

Susan of the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen is a wealth of creative ideas for creating healthful food. Her blog is my first stop when searching for recipes.

Celine runs Have cake, will travel; co-authored this exhaustive and clever cookbook, and occasionally demonstrates her fabulous accent and cooking skillz on Everyday Dish. Her blog is full of clever recipes and wit.

Hannah, super-talented teen prodigy, blogs at BitterSweet, taking swoon-worthy photographs of gloriously photogenic creations that are always creative and clever. She wrote a book! And she knits and crochets! I particularly love her use of natural foods for colouring Check out her fascinating experiment with beets here.

It’s all about the tofu.

Anyone who knows my eating habits will tell you that I’m not the biggest tofu fan. I have total and utter respect for the soybean in all its forms, and I use soy milk in baking on a daily basis, but I’m certainly no ‘fu junkie. Give me legumes in their unadulterated state, dry or cooked, and I’ll be your best bud, but there’s just something about the squeaky texture and distinctive tang of bean curd that rubs me the wrong way. Having said that, there are two very good reasons for a tofu-indifferent like myself to be talking about the white stuff: Tofu Guru and the Soybean Socks.

Brittany, the eponymous tofu guru, hosts a gorgeously photogenic, indie music-fuelled vegan cooking show packed to the brim with clever, cute and awesomeness. She’s got a brand new episode! Go look!

There’s been plenty of soybean love over at the Vegan Sock Knitalong on ravelry. You can feast your eyes, be regaled by tales of the progress and pitfalls, or pick up the pom-poms and cheer us on here.

In front of a busy blender

I recently pooled some Christmas and birthday money and invested in a decent blender, something I’d been thinking about for some time. As it is well and truly summer here, my brain buzzed with the prospect of concocting smoothies, dips and sauces for heat-free breakfasts and dinners.

First up, I made a savoury cashew cream as described by the Sexy Vegan here, without any real plans for it except to try out the new toy. In the name of science and all that. Turns out, leftover tempeh chili layered with sliced potatoes and cashew cream (seasoned with smidgens of lemon juice, wholegrain mustard, nutritional yeast, salt & pepper) make a damned fine potato bake.

But here’s what’s making me happy today: a sweet, simple onion dip. I chopped three large yellow onions and sauteed them on a gentle heat in a splash of rice bran oil (maybe a tablespoon?) until they were translucent, soft, and sweet-smelling as opposed to sulfurous. When cool, I blended them with a drained and rinsed can of cannelini beans and stirred in pinches of salt & cracked pepper. I could have cooked dry beans from scratch, I suppose, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having dip for dinner, which is most importantly minimising time in front of the stove.

There is literally nothing more to this recipe than that, and it makes the creamiest, sweetest, most addictive onion dip I’ve ever tasted. Enjoy.