Compassionate Cooks' Vegetarian Food for Thought Newsletter - December 5, 2007

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"info" Dec 5, 2007 4:09 PM ebbrewpunx Compassionate Cooks' Vegetarian Food for Thought Newsletter - December 5, 2007

 

 

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: COMPASSIONATE COOKS NEWSLETTERDecember 5, 2007

(If you're having trouble reading this newsletter, you can always view it online. A new newsletter design is coming!)

Events & Announcements!Food LoreCompassionate Cooks GiftsRecommendations Podcast Cooking ClassRecipes Essay: This I Know Our Fabulous Sponsors Sponsor this Newsletter

 

 

 

 

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

SPECIAL OFFER: ORDER SIGNED COPIES OF THE JOY OF VEGAN BAKING!

After many requests for signed copies of the Joy of Vegan Baking from people all over, I am finally offering this option. For those who would like to buy directly from Compassionate Cooks, I am thrilled to be able to provide you with a signed copy of the book. Thanks for asking!

COOKBOOK REVIEWSPlease enjoy reading some recent reviews of the cookbook:

VegCooking.com"The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is by far one of the best vegan cookbooks I've come across. There are culinary treasures to be found inside the book."

VegFamily.com"Whatever your sweet tooth desires, it's sure to be found in this book. A well-designed book full of pictures, tips, and suggestions to make your baking experience a success, this is a great collection of desserts."

 

 

 

 

Jam-filled Oat Bran Muffins (page 46)

 

 

 

FOOD LORE

CRANBERRIESCranberries are a tart, bright red berry. A winter holiday favorite, cranberries are packed with healthful antioxidants.

HISTORY: In addition to being used as a food, Native Americans used cranberries decoratively (as a source of red dye) and medicinally, to help stop bleeding and as an antibiotic. Cranberries began being commercially cultivated in the United States in the early 1800s.

CHOOSING AND STORING: Choose fresh, plump cranberries that are a deep red in color and firm to the touch. Deeper red cranberries are more highly concentrated with beneficial properties. Fresh cranberries can be kept in the refrigerator for several months or frozen for longer periods of time.

PREPARING: To use fresh cranberries, wash them just prior to use by placing them in a strainer and rinsing them gently under cool water. Frozen cranberries can be put directly into cooked recipes without thawing – this will ensure maximum flavor. For recipes that don’t require cooking, thaw frozen cranberries and drain them before adding them to the recipe.

RECIPES: Add them to your salads, or scoop some onto your plate for a naturally sweet treat. Try the Cranberry Nut Bread in The Joy of Vegan Baking.

(Some content from The Cranberry Institute, WHfoods.com, and Wikipedia.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMPASSIONATE COOKS GIFTS

ORDER THE JOY OF VEGAN BAKING COOKBOOKOur just-released cookbook is in stores now - both online and offline.

DVD DISCOUNT FOR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy our fun, upbeat DVD to learn the basic skills and resources for eating healthful plant-based meals. Purchase DVD with discount.

"BE KIND TO ANIMALS" GIFTS! Spread compassion with our "Be Kind to Animals" gifts. Speak for animals without saying a word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

I'm thrilled I can finally point you directly to the products that I recommend - whether it's my favorite food processor & kitchen tools , the books that changed my life, my recommended cookbooks, or pantry items - in all my classes.

Eternal Treblinka: A beautifully written and adeptly researched book that examines the origins of human supremacy over animals and finds the parallels in the systematic exploitation and killing of the victims of the holocaust during World War II. A must-read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PODCAST The Practical Aspects of Being Vegan Now that I'm vegan, what do I do with my leather couch, my leather shoes, and my wool sweaters? What should I do with the meat and other animal-based products in my kitchen? How do I know about animal-derived ingredients on food labels? Can I still call myself "vegan" if I eat something like honey? These are some of the questions that arise for people who find themselves newly conscious of animal suffering and who don't want to participate in it. And these are also some of the issues that deter people who may be interested in "becoming vegan" but who think it would be too difficult or who think they have to live up to some kind of "vegan perfection." Join me as I address these concerns and offer some suggestions for the practical aspects of living a compassionate lifestyle.

 

*If you'd like to receive email alerts when I post new podcasts, you can easily sign up for this service here. Each episode addresses a different issue, question, and myth related to veganism/animal rights.

 

 

 

 

COOKING CLASSES

DECEMBER 8th: HOLIDAY COOKING & BAKING Join us for our December class to help you make a holiday spread to warm your home and your belly. Two of the recipes are from the new Joy of Vegan Baking cookbook. ON THE MENU:*Savory Tofu Spread with Crostini*Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh with Pomegranate Sauce*Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Onions & Toasted Pistachios*Peanut Butter Cookies*Chocolate Bread Pudding

 

JANUARY 26th, 2008: HEALTHFUL RESOLUTIONS Though healthful vegetarian diets are naturally lower in calories and higher in fiber than meat- and dairy-based diets, our January class focused on those delicious dishes that are exceptionally low in fat and calories but high on flavor. ON THE MENU:*Kale and Nori Salad*Asian-inspired Lettuce Wraps*Yellow Split Pea Dal*“No Queso†Quesadillas*Homemade Hummus*Fabulous Fruit Smoothies

 

 

 

 

 

RECIPES

HOLIDAY RECIPE PACKETS! For recipes and menus for a holiday meal, check out any of the packets below, and don't forget that any of our Thanksgiving packets are also appropriate for the winter holidays.

Holiday I:Butternut Squash Soup, Caesar Salad with Oil-free Croutons, French Onion Pie, Sauteed Greens with Garlic & Lemon, Drop Biscuits with Fresh Rosemary

Holiday II: Mediterranean Red Lentil Pate, Tabouli, Hijiki & Olive Tapenade - tangy & tasty, Old-Fashioned Baked Apples, Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Holiday III: Elegant Crepes with Moroccan-flavored Seasonal Veggies, Toasted Quinoa Salad with Slivered Almonds, Shitake Mushroom & Walnut Pate, Roasted Beets with Orange Vinaigrette, Pecan Balls (aka Snowdrops, aka Russian Tea Cakes)

Holiday IV: Wll be available after Saturday's cooking class.

 

 

Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ESSAY - THIS I KNOW

I think the story each of us owns about how we "become vegan" is one of the most powerful things we can relate to someone else. Not only does it recount experiences other people can relate to, it also helps to keep us humble, reminding us that we, too, were once unaware. In honor of these sacred stories, this powerful process, I have started a website called The Joyful Vegan: Stories of Transformation, which features just that. I encourage you to send me your stories for inclusion and to read those that are posted on the site. Here's one of the many.

"I was a vegetarian for about 10 years before finally taking the vegan plunge this summer, and have always been proud of my choice not to eat animals. The notion of veganism was a niggling presence in the back of my mind, but I told myself that I “couldn’t†do it for all the standard reasons — it’s too hard, I couldn’t live without yogurt and cheese, I wouldn’t be able to go out to restaurants any more, eggs and milk don’t kill the animals, yadda yadda.

Listening to your podcast changed all that. It was in finally making the connection that the veal industry exists because of dairy that really clinched it for me. As a vegetarian, I had always felt that veal was one of the most reprehensible things you could eat, yet there I was supporting that very industry every time I put milk in my coffee.

Honestly, I don’t know why I never grasped that connection. After all, I grew up in a rural area and we actually had our own cow when I was a child. My parents would have the vet come around and artificially inseminate her — a process we knew she was none too fond of, because she would always try to hide when she heard the sound of his van coming down the driveway… which goes to show just how smart cows really are! The driveway was not visible from the paddock where our Moo and the other animals lived, yet she was able to make the connection between the sound of his engine and the nasty procedures that were done to her.

Clearly, Moo was a lot better at making connections that I was, considering I never made the link that she had to have babies in order to give milk. The more I think about it, the more it amazes me that I managed to get through forty years of life without considering the implications of what it would mean on a scale of mass production to have millions of cows constantly giving birth to calves that would be 50% male, and just what would happen to all those male calves.

Read the rest of the story....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hen rescued from a live market in NYC now living out her life at Farm Sanctuary

 

 

 

Lambs rescued from severe neglect and starvation, now thriving at Farm Sanctuary (Though they do feed them at the sanctuary, they still insisted on eating my hair!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU TO OUR NEWSLETTER SPONSORS!

 

 

 

VEGAN ESSENTIALS

With our cookbook fully stocked, VeganEssentials is a fabulous vegan-owned online store and retail shop located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Find everything from Companion Animal Supplies, Hair Care, and Cosmetics to Food & Sweets, Outdoor Wear, and Vitamins. "Vegan Essentials: Where compassionate meets convenience."

 

 

 

 

SPONSOR OUR NEWSLETTER!

Share your fabulous products or services with our readers. Check out our many advertising opportunities, including sponsorsing this newsletter.

 

 

 

 

Compassionate Cooks is dedicated to empowering people to make informed food choices and to debunking myths about vegetarianism through cooking classes, nutrition courses, podcasts, essays & articles, farmed animal sanctuary tours, lectures and workshops, a cooking DVD, and the new cookbook, The Joy of Vegan Baking.

 

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Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

Confucius