|
I am thrilled to be able to contribute a column in the Community News! I am sad to see Hope’s column, Vegan Bites, end and hope to be able to continue to explore vegan and vegetarian lifestyle issues with the Co-op community as Hope did.
I would like to take you back to the era during which I started my vegetarian journey. Circa 1987, Portland, Maine. Ronald Reagan was president, there was no internet, and Boca Burgers had not been invented. It was a bleak time for a budding vegetarian such as I saw myself at the time. My saving grace was a small co-op that I used to wander around in, learning about foods I had never heard before: sea kelp, oat flour, nutritional yeast, and beans! I had never know there were so many kinds, there were a dozen kinds in the bulk section in stately oak barrels with shiny metal scoops hanging on the side by twine. At the time to me it was an exotic array of sensual wonders, endless possibilities and discoveries. As I taught myself to cook I began to see my diet differently. Instead of thinking “I don’t eat meat” I started thinking “I do eat bulgar burgers! I do eat beans! I do eat plants! I am a plant eater!” I realized that saying “yes!” to plants instead of “no!” to meat put my mind in a different space, opening myself to the amazing power of saying “yes” to healthy food. What is a vegetarian diet? I believe that most people would say a vegetarian diet is one that it is meatless. Beyond that the definition is up for grabs, there are many sub-categories of vegetarianism; pescatarianism (no to meat, yes to fish) vegetarianism (no to meat, yes to dairy and eggs), veganism (no to all animal products) and the latest term coined, flexitarian (yes to vegetarian food, an occasional yes to meat). I am in wonder at the human need to use labels, no doubt useful to human evolution, to par down and contain the massive amounts of information we receive every minute of our lives into one efficient little word. I myself find labels don’t often meet my need for flexibility and choice. Our language is static, but our bodies, how we live our lives and the choices we make are constantly shifting with the potential to recreate ourselves lying within every moment. Right now I am eating as many plant products as I see fit in any given moment. I aim for “vegan” but if I want to eat a lovely bit of cheese I do. Same goes if I want a pat of butter on a steaming ear of fresh corn. My favorite recipes are ones that are inclusive and fun to eat. Inclusive meaning they are designed to work with either dairy or non-dairy ingredients. The fun part means a high yummy factor. I chose a time to make Berry Peachy Cobbler when I could be alone, sans children, so I could have a relaxing (versus an exciting) time with the preparation. I wanted to be able to think pleasant thoughts while I made the dessert. I started off by washing my hands and listening for the sound of the Universe. Om. There it is, ready to go. I had not ever used Spectrum, a butter substitute made from canola oil needed to make the biscuit topping. It did not taste like butter as the label claimed, but it was easy to work with. Making the topping with my hands was a delightful experience, the flour felt cool and soft, like a kind of clean dirt, and the mixture quickly turned crumbly. It was quite different than how I usually make crumbly things that turn into crusts, which is to use a pastry cutter to work in the butter, which can be quite rigorous. The end result was a luscious dessert (if I do say so myself), served best warm. One of the samplers had a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it. I enjoyed it without. I hope you will choose to say “yes!” to this yummy veganesque dessert! Berry Peachy Cobbler Filling
5 peaches peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries
¼ cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves Biscuit Topping 5 tablespoons softened butter or Spectrum Spread
2 cups flour plus some for rolling out
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ cup milk or vanilla soy milk Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring filling ingredients to a boil in large saucepan, then turn down to a simmer until the filling becomes thick. Spoon filling into an 8x8 pan and spread evenly. Using your hands pinch the Spectrum or butter and flour together until crumbly. Mix in the sugar and baking powder. Slowly add choice of milk to form a soft dough. Knead a few times on floured surface, then roll it out to an 8x8 size. With a cookie cutter or glass cut 8 biscuits and lay them slightly overlapping on the fruit filling, using scraps of leftover dough to fill uncovered spots. Bake for 20 minutes until topping is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. |
