Easter is upon us

We didn’t really know what we were going to do this Easter. Maybe we would stay home, go to the cabin, go to the city... We were waiting to hear back from my husband’s kids. So we didn’t really know what we were doing, but hey, we’re on vacation right now so no big deal. We’re flexible. We can go with the flow. Easter is not a huge event in our house but we do enjoy the opportunity to get together with family and share a meal. What is that meal? Well, typically a turkey or a ham or if there’s a lot of people, both. This year, it turns out we are staying home and people are coming to us and we are cooking a turkey.

Our family, like many families, are strong purveyors of tradition. At Easter, you eat turkey or ham. A lentil and spelt berry salad is probably not going to go over very well in this situation. And I’m not trying to change the world by being an ethical omnivore, I’m trying to change myself. So I wouldn’t dream of trying to serve up “hippie” food when mashed potatoes and gravy are the required side dishes.

This brings me to somewhat of a dilemma:
-Is it okay for me to consume unethical food that was purchased before I began being an ethical omnivore?
-Is it still okay for me to prepare food that is not ethical, even if I don’t plan to eat it?

I don’t have access to an ethically raised turkey for this celebration. Although, I’m working on it for future events. However, I do have 2 turkeys in the freezer that were acquired long before I ever decided to be an ethical omnivore. One I won in a draw at our local grocery store back at Thanksgiving. The other was a freebie that I got for spending over $250 at Superstore down in Whitehorse. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I live in a pretty isolated place so I tend to stock up on food when I’m in the city. That extends to meat as well. Currently in my freezer in addition to the turkeys I have pork chops, ribs, chicken breast, bacon, shrimp, veal stock, moose lasagne (homemade but with commercially produced cheese). Also, in my pantry I have canned tuna, salmon, crab, beef and chicken broth, soups. What am I going to do with this stuff? Letting food go to waste seems like an even bigger insult to the poor animals that suffered to make this food.

I thought about donating the canned goods to the local food bank until my husband reminded me that he would be happy to use them up for me. I can’t donate perishable goods. I don’t really want to cook or consume these things if I can help it but if I don’t they will just get freezer burnt and thrown out. I am the principal cook in my house.

So, I have to suck it up and realize that I’m in a period of transition and that the transition time is going to last until I can rid my house of unethical products. I must not let this food go to waste. Whether I choose to eat the products or not, I can at least ensure that they do not go to waste. 

Easter dinner is starting to look like the last supper. Wasn’t the last supper when Jesus said good bye before going on to a different place, a better place? Easter is a celebration of his resurrection? Isn’t resurrection coming back from the dead or coming back to life? I hope I’m not being blasphemous but I can’t help but make the comparison of the story of Easter to my own life. In a sense, this Easter dinner will be like having a last dinner-that perhaps will include food that I will no longer eat in the future, saying good bye to my life as I know it, and embracing a better life. Kind of inspiring actually. 

~~~

So... Easter dinner, which kind of sprang out of nowhere this year, ended up being a marvelous meal. What made it stand out in my mind was that the unethical food at the table were items that we already had in our possession.

Here was our menu:
Roast Turkey- As mentioned before, it was acquired prior to decision to become an ethical omnivore.
Gravy- Contained turkey drippings and veal stock (already in the freezer).
Mashed Potatoes- I had considered using vegetable stock and vegan butter to whip these up but I had a container of whipping cream in the fridge that was about to expire. I didn’t want to waste.  So in it went.
Stuffing- Contained butter-our last cup. It went to excellent use.
Steamed Broccoli and Carrots- Tossed in vegan butter.
Power Salad with Tahini Lemon Dressing- All vegan, all ethical! Maybe you can serve “hippie” food... It was quite popular.
Apple Blueberry Crisp with Ice Cream- The crisp was vegan. The ice cream was already in the freezer.

I took a moment to thank these animals and enjoyed the meal. This time next year Easter dinner will hopefully be 100% ethical. I am well on my way to cleansing my house from products that represent cruelty. I’ll post recipes for the Power Salad and Crisp at a later date. Happy Easter!

So glad you came!

I had a fantastic week with my dear friend Marsha. She was a willing participant in recipe experimentation and shared with me some of her classics as well. So glad you came!


Sweet Potato Wontons
(from refresh)

This delicious snack was a hit. It’s a little labour intensive but extras can be frozen and brought out and cooked up for an easy appy. We ate them with Thai Sweet Chili sauce.

I bought regular wonton wrappers without realizing that they have eggs in them. I will have to keep my eyes open for ones that do not because I will definitely make this recipe again. The spicy filling is to die for! 

Filling ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp store bought yellow curry paste
2 tbsp tamari
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp raw sugar
1 sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 tbsp grated coconut
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) In a large frying pan, sweat onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
2) Add the yellow curry paste and cook for 1 minute.
3) In a small bowl, mix the tamari, sea salt, pepper and raw sugar. Add these to the frying pan and stir.
4) Add the sweet potato and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut, green onion and cilantro.

To assemble wontons:
1) Take a wonton wrapper, spoon a heaping teaspoon of filling into the centre (or slightly off-centre) of the wonton. 
2) Brush water around the edges and fold the wonton wrapper in half, pressing together the edges of the wonton. Seal the edges while pressing out as much air as possible from the mixture.
NOTE: The original recipe says to use flour and water to make a paste to seal the wontons. Because the wonton wrappers had flour on them I didn’t find the paste necessary. However, I did buy the wrong wrappers so you may need the paste if you’re using eggless wonton wrappers. Not sure!
3) Put on a tray lined with parchment paper until ready to fry. If you are not eating them right away, freeze on tray and then transfer to a resealable bag until ready to use.

Cooking the wontons:
We tried a few different ways.
-Deep frying the wontons- The wonton puffed right up and seemed to overtake the filling. They seemed too heavy.
-Baking the wontons- The wonton didn’t crisp up and had a strange, hard to chew texture.
-Pan-frying the wonton- The best option! They crisped up on the outside but didn’t get too big. We pan-fried them on medium heat with grapeseed oil, which took only moments as the insides are cooked and just have to heat up. When we took them out of freezer, we let them defrost a bit, pan-fried them and then finished them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-10 minutes. That was just to make sure that they were hot all the way through.

Ready to fry!

Ready to eat!

Cuban Chick Pea and Potato Soup 

(from refresh)

When I first made this soup, I felt like it was bland or missing something. I thought that maybe my taste buds were just adapting to meatless dishes. But then I realized that I was using a low-sodium broth and that I didn’t add nearly the salt the recipe called for because it seemed like too much. It was a classic case of under seasoning. So, I added more salt and two big squirts of Bragg’s sauce and it was good to go. This is a great soup. Marsha wasn’t a huge fan of the big chunks of potato but then she’s not a big fan of potato in general. In the future, she would just cut the potatoes into smaller chunks. My husband loved the big chunks of potato and thought it made the soup nice and hearty. He loves potatoes. To each their own!

Definitely, make this soup a day before you plan to eat it. It only gets better with age.

Also, for the fennel and cumin, I toasted them in a frying pan whole and then ground them in my spice grinder (aka coffee bean grinder that I have designated for spices) before adding them to the recipe. They were very fragrant and definitely enhanced the flavour.

The one last point about this soup is that I used a vegetable stock that I’ve never used before: Harvest Sun organic bouillon cubes, vegetable flavour. They are low sodium, vegan, gluten free and yeast free. I didn’t taste the stock before using it, I just threw in the cubes and added the requisite amount of water. That may or may not played a role in the overall result of the soup. 

Word to the wise: Check your seasonings & know your stock! That could be the difference in a soup being a hit or a disaster!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, diced
2 tsp cumin, ground
2 tsp fennel, ground
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 pinch cayenne
8 cups vegetable stock
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups cooked chick peas
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Bragg’s sauce to taste

Directions:
1) Sweat onions, celery and garlic in olive oil in large soup pot until soft.
2) Add peppers, cumin, fennel, thyme, paprika, sea salt, pepper and cayenne.
3) Stir and cook for a minute.
4) Add stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft.
5) Add chick peas and lemon juice. Heat through. 
6) Add parsley and stir.
7) Check seasonings!

Hearty Goodness!

Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Amazing salad dressing! This one is from Marsha. We had it on a kale salad with tomatoes, cucumber and peppers but it could easily be a caesar salad dressing replacement or work with any number of salads. Marsha also uses it as a spread on sandwiches. My mouth is watering just thinking of this great, easy dressing!

This recipe make almost a cup so you may want to half it. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup tahini
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
water, if needed

Directions:
1) Throw everything in a food processor and process until smooth. If it’s really thick you can add a tbsp or 2 of water. 

What are you?

I’ve begun to talk about my new eating habits with some of my friends and let them know what I’ve been up to. I have met with a few sceptics but mostly everyone thinks it great. They do have questions though. Some that I certainly don’t know the answer to! 

What happens when you go for dinner at someone’s house? 

What about buying and using leather products?

What about when you travel?

How strict are you going to be?

What about seafood?

I will try to address some of these questions in future posts. The question for today is:

So... what are you? 

Ummm. Good question.

You’re not vegetarian. You eat meat.

You’re not vegan. You eat animal products.

You’re not a locavore. You eat food from other places. 

True, true, true.

Here is what I am:

-I am committed to reducing my consumption of meat, dairy and animal products.

-I am committed to only consuming meat, dairy and animal products that I know the origin of and that I am confident that the animals were raised humanely and sustainably.

-I am committed to supporting local farmers and growers.

-I am committed to harvesting my own meat, fish, berries.

I am an ethical omnivore.

Typing “ethical omnivore” in Google, yields several sites created by like-minded people. Here’s a definition from one such page:

ethical omnivore (e-thi-kəl äm-ni-vor) : an individual committed to reducing consumption of meat and dairy products and who only consumes these products when they originate from animals fed an antibiotic- and hormone- free diet raised on non-factory farms committed to the most sustainable and humane farming practices.

http://www.go-eo.org/GoEO/Welcome.html

There is also the EOM- Ethical Omnivore Movement on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/EOM-Ethical-Omnivore-Movement/368684079835419

This is their About section:

HONOR your BODY, your FOOD, OUR PLANET

Mission

Our mission is that the world joins us in our very important, highly essential quest to be ethical earthlings... There need be no shame in the use of animal based products.... just in the cruel, wasteful, careless, irreverent attainment of them. That we submit, extends to all relationships in our lives... especially the one with our gracious Mother Earth.

Description

Nutritionally, human beings flourish on an ancestral diet, where eating predominantly grain free, quality meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds is the focus. Food quality and mindful, INTENTFUL, eating habits result in decreased systemic inflammation, increased overall health, improved memory and decreased effects of aging. 

Ideally, we encourage EOMs to find local organic produce and ethical ranching facilities where free range animals are naturally fed and raised without cruelty, hormones nor antibiotics. Due to the alarming decline of our oceans and their inhabitants we do not advocate the consumption of sea food for health reasons and sustainability concerns. We also believe there there is no ethical or healthful way to consume dairy in the current factory farm paradigm due to pasteurization and the despicable cruelty dairy cows endure... and of course its horrific by product, veal is OUT! We do however believe in the raw milk movement and fight for it's revival as long as it meets our ethics standards. 

We believe that industrial farming is not only abhorrently cruel to animals on every level but is also an environmental disaster. We believe that our consumption of meat must be drastically decreased in favor of a more plant based diet but also believe that when livestock is raised according to natural laws is not only necessary to our health ... but necessary for the planet.

Personally, I’m a little more moderate on the sea food consumption issue. I believe there are sustainable options:

http://www.seachoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/SC_card_2012_5panel_web.pdf

Alrighty, so we’ve got the answer to this question nailed down. Time to change the name of the blog so that it better reflects the topic.

Pea Soup or Peanut Butter

Even Yukon Cornelius makes the ethical choice! Assuming that there is factory farmed ham in his pea soup... Gnahhhhhhhhh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BePFbDTqmfg&t=3m34s

Vegan Muffin Madness

If these recipes are any indication of what I’m up for, I’m pretty pleased. 

I made 2 types of muffins: Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffins & Banana Oatmeal Muffins. 

Easy, few ingredients, husband approved, friend’s kids approved! They were both moist and delicious.

Now the bad news... No wonder they’re so good. I punched in the ingredients into a calorie calculator and one Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffin contains a whopping 402 calories... The Banana Oatmeal Muffin is a little lighter 273 without pecans, 342 with pecans. Muffin top anyone? But seriously, I did a little research and those are about the standard amount of calories in your average muffin. If you want to make these muffins lower in fat, you can always substitute half the amount of oil for applesauce.

I took these recipes from the aforementioned cook book, refresh, but made a few changes to the ingredients and method. Start by making a date purée. This is the base and gives you sweetness without having to add any refined sugar. 

Date Purée

Ingredients:

500g package of dates, coarsely chopped.
3 cups of water
1 tbsp pure Mexican vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg

Directions:

Put everything into a saucepan. Bring to a boil then turn down heat and simmer on low for about 20 minutes and dates are nice and soft. Remove from heat. Let dates cool. Put mixture into a food processor and purée. Can be used right away or stored in the fridge. Makes about 3 cups.

Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffin

Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp vegetable oil 
1 cup date purée (don’t know if it made a difference but it was still a bit warm)
2 3/4 cups whole spelt flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Whisk together soy milk, vegetable oil and the date purée.
3) Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a separate bowl.
4) Add the dry to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5) Add chocolate chips. 
6) Spoon into muffin tins greased with vegan butter. 
7) Bake for 22 minutes or until muffins bounce back when pressed. 
8) Let muffins cool slightly before removing from trays. 

Confession:
I used soybean oil (I know, I know GMO alert!) and semi-sweet chocolate chips (which contain “milk ingredients”). Even though I know they’re on the shit list, I guess my view is that there’s no point in letting food go to waste. So I’ll use them up and buy the right stuff next time.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup date purée
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup water
1/2 tsp pure Mexican vanilla
3 ripe bananas that have been frozen & thawed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups semolina flour
1 tbsp + 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup pecans (optional)

Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Whisk together date purée, oil, water & vanilla.
3) In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and mix with baking soda.
4) Mix the dry ingredients (oats, semolina, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg) in a separate bowl.
5) Combine the bananas with the date mixture.
6) Add the dry to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
7) Add pecans, if using.
8) Spoon into muffin tins greased with vegan butter. 
9) Bake for 22 minutes or until muffins bounce back when pressed. 
10) Let muffins cool slightly before removing from trays. 

Confession:
Didn’t actually use pecans this time round but I’m sure they would be the perfect addition!

The truth is...

The truth is, you don’t know what you can get in life until you start looking for it! For me this week, it was vegan food.

Fortunately, I am at the beginning of one week holiday. I’m not going anywhere so I’ve got a week to get my butt into the kitchen and find some food that I can eat. I love to cook. Five years ago I did a 6 month culinary program just for fun. However, even though I consider myself to be quite proficient in the kitchen, I have zero experience with vegan cooking. 

Seeking inspiration, I was looking through my cook books and came across a book I didn’t realize I had: refresh, contemporary vegan recipes from the award-winning fresh restaurants. It was a birthday present that I received in May 2007. I know this from the inscription inside the front cover. The sad part? In 6 years, it hasn’t been cracked. That is about to change.

My oldest friend is coming to visit me next week for a few days. She and I are fairly like-minded when it comes to food. I was talking to her on the phone this week about my ambitious new eating plans. We decided that we are going to try out some recipes from this book. She’s game and she can pick up whatever ingredients I can’t find here and bring them up from Whitehorse. I often stock up on so-called “specialty products” when I go to Whitehorse, which is 500 km or so down the highway. Whatever I can’t get, I’m sure she can. 

So... after much recipe perusal and menu planning, I’ve figured out what we’re going to make. Yes. Planning is good. I started off by making a list of all the ingredients that I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get here in our little town of 1300 people.  Many of the products, which I already use often, I know have been available here at various times but are not necessarily available on a regular basis. Other products I’ve never used and I don’t recall ever having seen them. I wanted to head to the store and check availability so that my friend has plenty of time to round up whatever we can’t get in Dawson.

Like I said, you don’t know what you can get until you start looking for it. I was flabbergasted to find just what I actually could get here! Yes, a little on the pricey side but still! The Whitehorse list is surprisingly short.

What I could get in Dawson:
spelt flour
soy milk
portobello mushrooms
bok choy
swiss chard
kale
tamari
dates
tahini
pomegranate juice
eggless mayonnaise
vegan butter
vegan shortening 
tofu
almond butter

Spoils of the day

Was very happy to find these staples!

What I couldn’t get in Dawson:
tempeh
yellow curry paste
durum atta flour
carrot juice
matcha green tea powder
cardamom seeds (but you can get ground cardamom)
fresh lemongrass (but you can get dried lemongrass)

Today was a great day! You can get an amazing variety of products here. What is even more exciting is that if our little stores are bringing these products to town, it means that there are a lot of other people out there who are eating similar foods! It also means that if I was really in need of a certain product that I couldn’t buy at the store, I could probably put a call-out on the Dawson Buy, Sell & Trade Facebook page and someone would be dropping it off at my house within 5 minutes. One of the advantages of living in a small, isolated town, people are always ready to help you out! Maybe this little project will be easier than I think...

First Week

Less than a week ago, with very little planning (which is very unlike me) and a lot of trepidation (which is probably due to lack of planning), I publicly declared that I was eliminating commercially processed meat and dairy products from my diet. 

For now, what that means is that besides moose meat and local eggs I basically have become vegan because it’s seems that EVERYTHING has some sort of animal product in it. So how did my first week so, you ask?

Not bad.

The beauty of starting anything new is that the first week is the honeymoon period. You’re all inspired and motivated and pumped! Then you realize that you have to actually eat. Then you do eat. Then you realize what you just ate, is actually off-limits. But it’s okay, it’s the first week. You’re transitioning. You can’t be perfect. You’re learning.

Then you go to the Chinese restaurant. Surprisingly, there are very few non-animal options. You work up the courage to ask for something that is not on the menu. A vegetable stir-fry? With some tofu maybe? A little spice? And you end up having the most fresh, delicious and flavourful meal you’ve had in a long time! You clean your plate. Later on that night, your dinner partner rolls around on the couch with a stomach ache courtesy of Dinner Combo Number 2 (Chicken Balls, Chicken Chow Mein & Deep-fried Ribs) and you are still pleasantly satiated and feeling very virtuous.

It’s been a busy week, no time to cook. So you eat out again. This time it’s pub food. Off of a 4 page menu, you have one option. Maybe two. But the second option is French fries. Then you’re excited because a food that you’ve spent most of your life trying to avoid is okay to eat!  And then you realize it’s entirely possible that you’re going to end up 50 pounds heavier because you’re only ever going to eat French fries. Not to mention they are probably fried in oil that contains genetically modified plants and trans fats. Really, are you any better off? The worst part is the fear that food is potentially going to become really boring.

I ended off the week with a BBQed moose steak that I marinated for 3 days in olive oil and my own homemade steak spice, washed down with a cab sauv. It was a beautiful thing and I savoured every bite. 

Best quote of the week: “This is great! You’re finally on a health kick where you can still drink!”

Best realization of the week: At least I can still drink!

Something's got to give

Okay! Here's what I want to do:

-I no longer want to eat commercially produced meat, dairy and animal products. Nor do I wish to eat other foods that contain these products.

I love meat and do not intend to ever give it up completely. That being said, the way animals on factory farms are treated is appalling. I want to know where my meat is coming from and that the animals are treated well. At the same time, I would like to take some measures to reduce my meat consumption, give dear Mother Earth a break & find fabulous alternatives along the way!

This project might last all of 5 minutes but I'm giving it a shot. Already I'm treading into uncomfortable territory. My hubster just came upstairs and I minimized the screen in a feeble attempt to escape ridicule. Not that he will ridicule me. It's probably in my head. But I do feel ridiculous. I feel a little crazy, hence the name LOCA...

Or locavore? -Someone who is interested in eating food that is locally produced.

Here's the thing: I live in a remote land where pretty much everything is trucked in. Winter lasts 8 months of the year. The nearest "city" is a 6 hour drive away. I am a locavore as much as my geography allows me. I eat wild game and fish. I have a garden, as sad as it is, in the summer. I'd better clarify... it is sad due to the fact that I'm a complete novice gardener, not due to climate! I support the local farmer's market during the few short months it's open. This could perhaps be the most difficult place on earth to be a locavore. Those guys in the 100 Mile Diet had it EASY!

What's really driving me here is that I am fiercely opposed to our present industrial food system. It's frightening. From animal welfare, to genetically modified foods, to human and environmental health... The list is endless. There is a plethora of issues and I'm a sensitive girl. I don't like what is happening and I don't like feeling helpless. Problem is, I can't take on the whole system, especially not from Dawson City, Yukon. So what do I do? Shrug my shoulders? Pretend it doesn't exist? No.

I am going to attempt to eliminate factory farmed meat, dairy and animal products from my diet. I know it is not going to be easy.

The advantage of living in the Yukon, is that I can go out my back door and get my meat. Luckily, in starting this project I already have a freezer full of moose meat, harvested respectfully by my living-off-the-land husband. I also have some smoked trout caught, filleted and smoked by yours truly. And just today, I purchased some lovely locally laid eggs ($7/dozen- good thing money isn't an issue for me when it comes to food!) from a local farmer and friend.

What I don't have in my fridge or freezer... locally produced chickens or pork or milk or butter or cheese. Cheese. I could do without the rest, but cheese... Locally produced cheese must be out there somewhere! In the meantime, I bought a loaf of Vegan Rella for $9.95(!) to tide me over. It melts... I guess that's one good thing about it. I'd better get to work.

What do I hope to gain?
-A clearer conscience!
-Better health!
-A connection with local producers!
-Some great new recipes!
-Adventure in the wilds of the Yukon!

Stay tuned...