Letters to a Sympathetic Reader

A snowy day and ten pounds of vegetarian meatballs…

Dear Sympathetic Reader,

There are few views so delightfully wintery as those from my den window out into a glittering RL village. (Noting: my neighbor’s house once graced the cover of a magazine on Victorian houses—her view back did not however…we’re working on it…slowly :)).

It’s a good day for many reasons: the view, the quiet, the fact that I’m on my last couple days of holiday break, and the email I just received from my son’s daycare’s dining services that I can purchase their vegetarian meatballs for him…10lb boxes at a time—luckily they are his favorite food…ever.

Of course he is just 17 months old and rolling, but still…he has had many many meatballs—ones we have tried to substitute for these, which came off of his daycare menu a month ago (see http://alexachang.tumblr.com/post/12890898942/where-did-all-the-soy-meatballs-go). Ones combined with feta, spinach, basil etc…all consumed ex..cru..ciat..ing…ly…slowly, speedily pushed aside, or dramatically dropped from the heights of his highchair — his eyes not on the foodstuff, but on us, asking, taunting, wondering: “where are my favorite meatballs?” He prefers none to these, which apparently have eggplant as the surprise ingredient.

Of course hopefully his taste doesn’t have a sudden change…or I may be eating these for a while.

The question that has now been put forth, however, is negotiating space in the freezer. My colleague has a dedicated freezer for storage. It seems to make sense, just where to fit the item? I already am thinking twice on a purchase of a counterspace-devouring food processor (though nut-based pates are hounding my thoughts for recipe of the day!) Still, what to do. Could a standard-size refrigerator and freezer actually only hold enough food for two persons, that an addition of a baby could require an overhaul? Will it necessitate more than the dumping of a the odd crust of bread growing ice crystals or the freezer-hogging two spoonfuls of sorbet left in that otherwise empty container?

We’ll soon see as the 10lb box comes to make welcome residence.

Yours,

AKC

C is for (vegan) cookie.

Dear Sympathetic Reader,

Vegan cookies are their own animal. Had to learn that.

As I am a vegan convert rather than born and raised, my brain is wired to think to look to the recipes I’ve always gone to for direction to sate my hunger for cookies—the trance-enducing hunger that rears its head from time to time like a wave in much the same manner as I suspect Homer Simpson’s grumbling midsection forces him into zombie-like quests for donuts… “Need…to…eat…cookies…”

Meanwhile here’s the rub — substitutions are not equal. Vegan butter does not equal dairy butter. Neither cornstarch and water, nor applesauce, no matter how hard you try to convince me, will ever equal the consistency of egg. This came from a bit of trial and error that started not a bit of mocking in the kitchen by those who doubted the existence of the moist, delicious vegan cookie.

In fact, at one point, after an unfortunate series of baking fiascos consisting of a cookie that rose to great heights and tasted like bland bread, and another recipe which seemed to melt, spread and harden into taffy, I felt that I may be at a loss. In fact, memories of horrible vegan bakery purchases at the health food store at the corner, including a chocolate bar with the consistency of taffy and the taste of plastic, came into mind. How could something that looked so decadent taste so similar to my husband’s infamous case of “flour cookies,” in which he had supposedly “purposely forgotten” to add any sugar. Could it be the inside joke of this particular health food store to create the most sumptious-looking treats they could that also tasted the worst one could possibly imagine? I could envision e-ville-moustached bakers laughing in the back room: “Ha! Suckers!”

Well, those were my thoughts for a moment until they were erased by remembering the many delicious vegan cookies I’ve had at bakeries both in NYC and upstate including at Body & Soul at Union Square farmers’ market, Vegan Creations at Troy farmers’ market (http://dishanddirt.blogspot.com/2006/08/at-farmers-market-vegan-creations.html), and even at the NYC chain Birdbath Build A Green Bakery (http://www.yelp.com/biz/birdbath-build-a-green-bakery-new-york). Ones which made me wonder if “regular cookies” could even match at how good they were. And that was the problem. I was thinking of “regular” and, well, the opposite, a place which I positioned vegan cookies to exist…the island of misfit cookies.

The solution was not substitution, but to rethink the frameworks of what cookie dough was, a shifting of “I’m baking this cookie I know and know what to expect,” to “I’m baking a cookie and I don’t know what a cookie is…yet.”

The result of this lesson was the realization that neither butter and egg nor their substitutes are required in a cookie at all. In fact, I have found that when the substitutes are missing in the recipe, that the results are the richest, moistest delicious batches. Take for instance a recent Peanut (or Walnut) chocolate chip cookie, which at its base was almost 50 percent peanut butter (1 cup) and 50-or-so percent the other items of peanuts (handful/can also put in crushed almonds or walnuts ), semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips (handful), flour (1/2 cup), vanilla extract (2 tbsp), dash of soymilk (1/4 cup), baking soda (1/2tsp), baking powder(1/2tsp), salt (pinch)—to make 9 large-sized cookies. Another recipe called to grind up almonds and peanuts to create a base and no flour, butter or eggs.

Cookies with no flour, eggs or butter? Yes. And as an added benefit, it also made for great salmonella-free bowl-licking. Sweet.

Here are some books that might be helpful, but online is a trove of many cookie recipe blogs.

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cookies-Invade-Your-Cookie/dp/160094048X

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cookie-Connoisseur-Delicious-Recipes/dp/161608121X

It really only takes half an hour to make cookies from scratch to finish when in a pinch. But I thought I’d share the piece of news that my college friend (thank you, thank you!) gifted me a truckload of divvies for the holidays (http://www.divvies.com/)…which my husband and I are happily plowing through quite efficiently. Perhaps even little Oscar will get a taste for dessert…molasses ginger vegan treat anyone? Something that even a toddler in midst of his “no, no, no” binge can’t refuse. (Yes, he is still stuck there).

Happy Holiday Baking!

Yours,
AKC

Where did all the soy meatballs go?

Dear Sympathetic Reader,

It’s a rare occasion that I get to drop off little Oscar at daycare. He loves his daycare. There are toys, other children/babies at varying states of mobility and drool control, and there are the soy meatballs. He dislikes the texture of meat, so the somewhat softer consistency of soy is perfect for his gap-toothed grin.

Whether or not it’s the fact that he’s hit the year of saying “No.” “no, no no.” One of his favorites in his newly stocked vocabulary list. (Mommy’s proud to add that he did say “All-i-ga-tor” the other day) He miraculously says “yes” to his soy meatballs at daycare. No other will do. I’ve tried them. The boy has taste. They are vastly superior to the ones from the market—seasoned and a little zip of heat even.

He liked them so much that he was even gifted a bag of them from his teachers, which we rationed slowly and gratefully until they were gobbled away (“gobble” is another word the boy has mastered with great relish…gobble, gobble…beam :) )

Then, I dropped him off at daycare yesterday, and got the news…the soy meatballs were now switched out for turkey meatballs! Apparently they needed to switch it out from their menu due to the fact that soy is not considered a meat (read protein) alternative for lunch. Hmmm. troubling. So I checked, and here it is in black and white…well, if you scroll all the way down to Appendix E.

http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/nutrition/cacfp/docs/creditfoods.pdf

How can this be that soy is not considered an alternative? By my count it’s far healthier (and vegan) and contains a fine dose of protein and calcium!

What to do?

Presently I plan to see if I can procure some soy meatballs from their kitchens…but there seems to be something wrong with this picture that sits untidily at the base of my stomach.

Yours,

AKC

When choices are slim…the non-vegan menu

Dear Sympathetic Reader,

I was offered steamed vegetables at a restaurant yesterday. The waitress perked up when she learned I was vegan and offered steamed vegetables on white rice…with a sauce. When I asked what kind of sauce, she smiled: “Eel.” Somehow, her excitement had temporarily transfered to me, with hopes that were quickly dashed by the word “eel” and thoughts of mushy greens on rice. Of course, things were only made worse by the fact that I was at Morimoto’s…appetizers went passing from one tablemate to the next with whispered exaggerations abuzz of the savory fantastical. Then there was me with my cold noodles and vegetarian make rolls. It wasn’t so pathetic however…I was at Morimoto’s afterall…the shizo leaf roll surprised with flavor…the squash, marinated with unexpected tangy sweetness.

But today was a good day…a colleague presented me with a Babycakes cupcake. Dense chocolate cake with a pleasing nutty aftertaste and the butter-y-cream-iest non-buttercream icing to dip and glide fingertips to lips upon. It was as if the cupcake had to overcompensate with flavorful goodness for its vegan state of being. Its efforts were much appreciated. (http://www.babycakesnyc.com/)

Presently, I’m hoping to soon decide that fixation on food options can and should be set aside. Hopefully it will take less and less time to convince myself before each mealtime choice that it will be an obstacle. Perhaps I’ll graduate to see it as something else…a choice between this perennial favorite and that comfort food with the background fact that they happen to be vegan. Hopefully soon.

Yours,

AKC

Newly vegan — day one

Dear Sympathetic Reader,

This post is a bit belated for its title, as “day one” occurred five days ago. However, its timing doesn’t take away from the feeling of day-one-ness.

The decision of becoming vegan came after a short term relationship with semi-vegetarianism — I was vegetarian in the city and ate whatever my husband cooked in the country (my two homes), trying not to force my choice onto someone else, and also understanding that he was the chef at our home.

But after viewing yet one more documentary, this time about the life cycle of high heeled shoes from 12 hour calf to New York shoe fanatics’ homes, and delving into further research, I abandoned my Jeckll and Hyde existence and sought to give vegan life something more than just a try.

“It won’t last,” were the immediate battle cries from some, as if I was suddenly in opposition to something fundamental to the natural course of things. But strangely it wasn’t whether it would last or not that plagued me. At present, I see an egg or egg product and think of the grinding up of male chicks, I see a dairy product or boots and think of the calves being taken away after less than a day from their mothers to their untimely and inhumane ends. These are the things that happen even on organic farms. Whether it would last or not, it seemed that this was not really the most important point…it was whether or not these images would fade one day for me…to know what I know now and one day no longer have a reaction to it—to act on it—but instead to be apathetic or forgetful…that is what worries me now.

Perhaps it was my near death experience of almost having my blood drained from me, losing consciousness this past year (an experience that quickly helps you to lose any romantic notions of vampires). This definitely set me to see things a bit differently when viewing a documentary that followed calves being drained of their blood from a tube clamped to their jugular to help keep their skins intact for luxury shoes. Everyone must find their own way for their decisions and this was just part of the reason for mine.

I’ve been given a slew of information from one work colleague, which has helped me find that I can eat certain chocolates, including my favorite marzipan Ritter Sport bars (thank you!) and that Newman’s Own cream filled cookies are vegan (yes! maybe I CAN do this!). But, the most interesting of things she mentioned was that her partner was supportive of her choice to be vegan.

I didn’t want to pose the question to my husband. Perhaps it was a fear of imposing myself on his turf: the kitchen. I have always been grateful to his amazing kitchen creations and especially after a long day of work or taking care of the baby after daycare. Did I really want to throw a wrench in the works? But, no, I couldn’t go on being vegan in the city and not in the country. It made no sense after all and the topic had to be broached. And when it was, at first he seemed like, “OK, sure.” I felt some doubt seep out, but perhaps it was my own doubt reflecting back on myself. But then later that night he surprised me and said that he would try to become vegan as well with the caveate that he might lapse at times. It was reassuring and I was surprised at how much so.

So on passed that imagined hurdle and onto other questions: what will this mean to my baby’s future diet? Would it matter if he never tasted a pulled pork sandwich? Or was it selfish to choose for him? I have had my share of meat and diary as a restaurant reviewer and food writer. But then again, the choice isn’t about food, perhaps it is rather more about life and respect for it. Food and taste can be expanded into realms yet untasted that are vegan—for example like the potato-based creamy horseradish dip we had at the farmer’s market this weekend.

Also, what options are there if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to spend at the local co-op or farmer’s market? How do you cook from the local Pricechopper grocer’s? I’m not yet a week in, I’m just hopeful that it will last. The phrase comes to mind: “We’ll see.”

Yours, AKC