Moscow Food Co-op Recipes

Vegan Bites:
Great Reasons to Be Vegan

by Hope Matthews, illustrated by Joseph Stengal; from the February 2007 newsletter

Usually I am not the kind of person to stick my ideologies in other people’s faces. People do all sorts of things that seem incomprehensible (to me), yet I try to keep an open mind. However, ever since becoming vegetarian in my teens, I’ve learned that most people are often obnoxiously curious about my choice to not eat animal flesh. Why are you a vegetarian? How do you get enough protein? Aren’t people meant to eat animals? Why don’t you eat fish- it isn’t meat? If you were starving, would you eat an animal?

By the way, if I were starving I’d eat raw cow with a side of tree bark, but isn’t that beside the point? Most people don’t eat grubs, but if they were lost in the woods for a week or two those squirmy things would start looking pretty appetizing. So, here are lots of great reasons to be vegan and vegetarian, or eat less animal flesh for everyone out there who has ever been curious, or who is considering vegetarianism.

1. Vegetarians are better kissers. No stinky turkey grease on these puckers!
2. It’s better for the environment. Animal agriculture is an inefficient way of supplying food, as it requires more water, land and fertilizer than directly producing food for humans.
3. Lactose Intolerance. It is estimated that 70 percent of the world’s population are lactose intolerant. Just because you aren’t today, doesn’t mean you won’t be tomorrow. Just as some infants demonstrate a milk allergy that may disappear as they grow older, many folks become dairy sensitive as they grow older.
4. No animal injected hormones and antibiotics. There is a correlation between the early onset of puberty in girls and cow milk. Quite a few people are also allergic to chicken meat and other animal meat from animals that have been fed hormones and antibiotics.
5. Better for your health. Consumption of animal fats and proteins, as well as cows’ milk, are linked to obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes…the list goes on and on.
6. Practicing kindness. Animals’ lives (even those considered “free-range”) are cut short when their production supply declines. Even in the Co-op I overheard a free-range chicken farmer discuss killing her chickens as soon as they stopped laying eggs. What happened to feeling a sense of gratefulness for these living beings that supplied this person’s food? A male chick may suffer an even worse fate than his egg-producing mama. Males may be killed at birth by suffocation, crushing, gassing or decapitation, as they are unneeded. Need I say veal? Could anything be more cruel or disgusting? The male calf is sold within days of birth, starved and deprived of movement, then sold and slaughtered for its meat. On another note, just because you are eating organic or free-range meat, doesn’t mean that the animals have not been mutilated without painkillers, sent to the same slaughterhouses as animals from factory farms, or are not kept in dirty, disease-ridden sheds. Be sure to know where your meat has come from if you choose to partake.
7. Save the fish. The American journal, Science, reports that the fish population has declined to such an extent that supplies could be eliminated in less than 50 years.
8. There are tons of sources for protein. Nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, tempeh, tofu, seitan, quinoa, bulgar, and so much more.
   Resources for this article include www.vegan.org, BBC news online, www.vrg.org, and www.godairyfree.org.

Groovy Like Granola
My version of granola, sans oats & honey. Makes 1 serving

1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 oz. clover sprouts (or other favorite sprouts)
1/2 apple, chopped
1 T sunflower seeds (sprouted, if desired)
1/4 cup raisins
1 T almonds (sprouted, if desired)
1/2 cup soy or rice milk
Just mix everything together and voila- instant breakfast!

Double G’s New Year’s Sauerkraut
My Grandmother’s sauerkraut- don’t let the ketchup put you off, this is very good.

2 27 oz. cans of sauerkraut
1 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
3 heaping T brown sugar
1 small onion, minced
2 Granny Smith apples, sliced

A very easy recipe. Don’t drain the sauerkraut or peel the apples (just remove the core and slice any way you like), all of the ingredients are ready to go. Just mix them together, place in a large glass baking dish, and cover with tinfoil. Cook at 350 degrees for several hours. Delicious! Tastes great with mashed potatoes, peas, steamed broccoli, and vegan macaroni and cheese.

Vegan Mac and Cheese
I listed my personal macaroni and cheese recipe before, but here is a vegan version that I found on www.allrecipes.com. It is highly rated on this site.

1 (8 ounce) package uncooked elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup cashews
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/3 cups water
Salt to taste
1/3 cup canola oil
4 ounces roasted red peppers, drained
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Transfer to a medium baking dish. Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender and lightly browned. Gently mix with the macaroni. In a blender or food processor, mix cashews, lemon juice, water, and salt. Gradually blend in canola oil, roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend until smooth. Thoroughly mix with the macaroni and onions. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes, and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted.

Return to Resource List

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.