raw convenience foods vs. soy effects/junk food vegans

[Guest guest]

The other aspect to a mainstream vegetarian/vegan diet is that it depends

on row crops (corn, wheat, soybeans) which are harvested by combine, and

which kill millions of small mammals. Fruits, nuts, and some seeds (like

sesame) are harvested in a much more humane way (of course nothing is

perfect, I'm sure a tree shaker probably runs over a squirrel now and

then) than row crops.

 

Also, to imply that raw foodists don't or can't make convenience foods (or

junk foods) like cheez or fake meats just as tasty as their cooked

counterparts is ignorant and shows a lack of imagination. I will challenge

you, or anyone on this list to a public blind taste test, any time, any

where. My flyer on making raw cheez from my classes is pasted at the

bottom below. BRING IT! JP

 

> 2) The comment from the raw fooder that there are too many junk food

> vegans and that vegans should be about health, etc. bugs me. I'm not

> vegan for the health benefits, and 90% of the vegans I know are the same.

> It's a nice side effect, but I'm vegan because I don't want to contribute

> to the torture/killing of animals, and to the horrible environmental

> effects of the meat/dairy industries. I like my food to taste good, I

> like treats, and I like fake meat because there are many meat-based dishes

> that I enjoyed, which I can now have without the actual meat. If I based

> my diet solely on health after the meatless aspect, I would not enjoy my

> food nearly as much and I might be tempted to return to a non-vegan diet.

> There is already a perception among omnivores that vegans eat nothing but

> salad and wierd sprouts and tasteless stuff, which contributes to

> prejudice against us and an unwillingness on the part of the omnis to try

> vegan foods. I think a lot more people would become vegan if they knew

> they could still eat their favorite foods without harming the animals. So

> I disagree that there are too many junk food vegans.

 

> BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEEZ!

I. Why make (i.e. ferment) and eat raw seed or nut cheez?

1. fermented foods can be stored longer (preferably in the fridge); cheez,

like cheese, can get moldy after some weeks; enjoy until that happens!

2. when made with rejuvelac, or esp. probiotics, it is...

a. much easier to digest/breakdown

b. more easily absorbed (e.g. calcium in sesame is bioavailable), creates

B12 vegans need

c. helpful in restoring balance to our intestinal bacteria (bring back

that fire!)

d. an extender of expensive probiotics, (e.g. 1 capsule can make weeks

worth of seed and nut cheese); Udo Erasmus claims that 99%+ of probiotics

consumed outside of mealtime are destroyed, but only 90% when taken with

food, so why not make food with probiotics?

e. MORE FLAVORFUL!! Think of all the fermented foods that are traditional

among different ethnic groups, kimchi in Korea (spicy fermented cabbage),

sauerkraut in Germany/Poland (also a fermented cabbage... coincidence? I

don't think so), kass in Russia, coconut toddy in Africa, etc.

 

II. How to make it? Look to the techniques from dairy cheesemaking but

KNOW THE DIFFERENCES!

1. Rennet is used to coagulate milk but does NOT work on seeds/nuts, so we

can easily make dips and even hard crumbly bits of cheez, but we need to

figure out a way to make a hard slicable cheez without it- many thickeners

are not raw, and to use a fungus as in tempeh to bind it might take many

weeks/months per batch

2. cheesemaking has evolved to include starter cultures like streptococcus

thermophilus, enzymes like lipase, other flavor enhancers and ripeners,

some may work on seeds and nuts while other may not- I encourage you to

experiment and share your results! See links below

3. meanwhile, a simple method for good results: soak seeds or nuts in

enough pure water (preferable with as little chlorine as possible, so at

least use filtered tap water if not spring or distilled) to cover them in

a very clean bowl (good hygiene!), add the probiotic you wish to use (open

capsule, pour in the contents and stir), warm to temperature optimal for

probiotic (should be around 98-106 deg. F for most, not under 70 deg. F)

but you can use rejuvelac, closer to room temp. but rejuvelac isn't

formulated/optimized for your digestion so it can vary more, although it

does have yeast and/or the fungus aspergillus oryzae (used in

miso/tamari/nama shoyu, but it works slowly); blend after 12 hours of

soaking (try to not use too high of a speed or go for too long as it can

shred the probiotic microorganisms), continue to let stand in

dehydrator/oven/warm place at around 98-106 deg. F heat for 2-3+ days,

stir and taste a couple times per day, remove when taste is sharp enough

(could be up to 7 days or more), THEN add salt and spices (salt and spice

deters fermentation for bacteria, but aids it for some fungi like the

aspergillus), re-blend, and refrigerate

 

III. what I made for this demo, using the Power-Dophilus probiotic

(lactobacillus acidophilus and rhamnosus, bifidobacterium longum and

lactis- $10 at Whole Foods, but use whatever probiotic you want, though I

recommend something with lactobacillus in it, and at least a couple more

strains that you would find in one of Udo's probiotics) fermented for 5-7

days

1. barley " sourcreme " : soaked (no probiotic, just a few ounces of

rejuvelac), sprouted, blended, sat at room temp for a few days; great as a

dressing with mushrooms, garlic, spices (dill, parsley, onion, etc.); I

STRONGLY encourage you to use barley, as it has a lot of selenium in it,

one of the only two of the top ten foods rich in selenium that is vegan

(brazil nuts are another)... see http://www.ucsd.tv/sira/

index.asp?detail=detail & showID=9235 & seriesID= & number= for a compelling

lecture on why esp. midwestern and east coast vegetarians and vegans tend

to be deficient in selenium

2. sunflower with a dash of mugi miso- result: bright but mild, buttery

like havarti, almost lemon-esque already, makes an excellent dressing with

garlic mustard, but good for dipping

3. sesame with a dash of mugi miso- result: bit like mozzeralla but

stronger, slightly challenging, good with some garlic and ginger for

either dressing or dipping

4. flax with a dash of mugi miso for 2 days only- result: I was afraid of

leaving this out to go rancid even though I did NOT blend the seeds before

they fermented; not the best taste, not cheesy, but good dressing with

mustard and ginger as flax is egglike

5. pumpkin- result: VERY funky, very challenging... so this is what was

mostly making my kitchen stink for a whole week, tame it with some strong

pepper and spices, my lindberger! I used it for a curry dip.

6. cashew- result: always a great taste, real smooth like havarti, but

piquant like parmesan

7. macademia with a dash of mugi miso- result: I'd made this before and it

was too sweet,

too much like a dessert creme cheese, this time, it got sharper like

crossed cheddar & brie

8. brazil with a dash of mugi miso- result: so buttery, mild, delicate,

good dipper

9. pine- result: sharp like a soft cheddar but real buttery

10. pistachio with a dash of mugi miso- result: between gouda and liver

pate, rich, buttery

11. walnut with a dash of mugi miso- result: slightly bitter, not

cheese-like, a nut creme with zing, goes well with tomato and herb, or in

a sweet dish like the cacaonut roll

12. hazelnut- result: rich, funky but mild taste, a good nut creme for a

sweet dish

13. almond with a dash of mugi miso- result: surpisingly this came out

with a sweet, almost cinnamon-like flavor, perfect for cacaonut roll;

fermentation often has pleasing surprises!

Udo's probiotics and info (Udo rules!):

http://www.udoerasmus.co m/products/probiotics.htm

cheesemaking guides (for experimentation):

http://www.ebs.hw.ac.uk/ SDA/cheese2.html

http://www.dairyconnecti on.com/culture-info.htm#guide1

Dom's rawsome seed and nut cheez webpage (incl. recipes for kefirlac,

yogurt and others):

http://users.chariot.net .au/~dna/vegmilk.html

" Blessed are the cheesemakers " - Monty Python