Rennet: Cheese's Dark, Little Secret

Most of us know that cheese is basically milk that's been aged and cultured into solid form. What many of us don't know are the forms in which we obtain starter culture. Commonly and traditionally, cheese is made using animal rennet. Animal rennet is comprised of the stomach lining of a veal calf. So, not only are you eating stomach lining if you eat animal rennet, you are also supporting the veal industry. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rennet There are, however, two types of vegetarian-friendly rennet: 1) Vegetable rennet: made of seeds from fruits like cantaloupe, etc. 2) Microbial rennet: made of fungus. Both are perfectly vegetarian, and safe to eat. If you're not sure -- i.e. the label says "enzymes" or "cultures"-- then it's probably a safe bet to not assume, and simply pass on that product. If you're on the road -- as I often am -- almost any fast food or major-market restaurant chain will have a toll-free number to which you can pose the question, "What's in your cheese?" Taco Bell, for instance -- woot -- does not use animal rennet. I'm sure they do it for cost effectiveness, as I can't see there being too high a concern for anything other than the bottom line at PepsiCo, but still...

McCruelty? Yeah... We're Hating It...

http://www.mccruelty.com/RonaldMcDonald.aspx?c=peta2_enews

Ads: Why Do We Love Them?

Well, we don't. But we need them to pay the bills. As it is, ad revenue accounts for a total of 0.0% percent of the monthly intake here, at The Vegetarian Viewpoint. About that: Do us a favor and get to clicking on the ads every now and again, mmmkay? Bueller? Thanks.

Cooking 101: Some Basics for the Kitchen

Pre-heat everything! This goes for your oven, tea pots, frying pans and even your microwave! I do find microwave preheating -- done by microwaving a mug of water for 30-60 seconds prior to nuking your food... which changes its protein consistency!!!! -- a bit excessive, but it's recommended by cooks, nonetheless. Your pan is pre-heated when you can drizzle a few drops of water on the metal, and they dance and roll around the pan. If they crack, explode or react violently, your pan's too hot! Invest in a garlic smasher! These bad boys let you squeeze the hell out of your garlic, and I promise you that you will immediately smell and taste a difference in your food. That is, of course, unless you can't smell... or taste. If you don't have a garlic smasher, and don't want to invest in one, you can still cook like a pro by peeling your garlic, and smashing it with the flat end of your kitchen knife. Lay the knife on top of the garlic and press down. That should do it. From there, I chop the garlic a bit, but nothing says "No!" to vampire loving like garlic fed through a garlic smasher!!! You don't have to measure everything! Cooking is to taste. Baking? You better follow the directions... Invest in a good knife/cutting board/pan/etc., because if you're anything like me, you spend a good amount of time in the kitchen. The more enjoyable an activity is -- such as, cutting veggies and creating healthy sauces -- the more likely I am to engage in it, so I'm sure to be comfortable and well-equipped in the kitchen. Plus, my apron's kinda fly. Be creative! Some of my very favorite dishes have been born out of curiosity. A few spoons of this, a couple shakes of that, some of that minced up and voila, we have a dinner that I can't replicate -- because I have no idea what the hell I put in there -- but that's sure to knock a few socks off in the process. Try experimenting with peanut butter, vinegar, sugar, etc.

Canola vs Olive: The Greatest Oil Wrestling Match Ever!

If you're anything like me, the primary oil in your home is Olive Oil. It's great to put on everything, it's tasty, it's historically linked to low blood pressure and general wellness, etc., etc., etc. A few months ago, however, I heard some craziness that Canola Oil somehow held more health benefits per spoonful than Olive Oil. So I did some research, and one of the many supporting pages of documentation that I found can be accessed by clicking on this blog's title. Canola Oil contains Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are both expensive and difficult to come-by as a vegetarian. Typically, Omega 3s are found in deep-sea fish. Thus, "fish oil" is literally that: squished fish juice. A vegetarian alternative is Flax Seed Oil, but if you've ever tried to buy a bottle of it -- health food stores, etc. -- you've noticed the insane price tag. Enter Canola! It seems to be rich in ALAs and Omega 3s, which are Essential Fatty Acids, or EFAs. These fats provide a range of positive effects in the human body, ranging from the prevention of heart disease to healthy brain function, and possibly help humans in the fight against cancer. So, that's why I've switched to Canola Oil. My recipes use it, but really, unless otherwise specified, you can use any oil you damn well please!

Vegan Steak Strips that really Sizzle!

A friend of mine asked me how to make really good vegan steak strips. Funny you should ask!!!! First off, there are many vegetarian steak strip varieties on the market, but would-be-vegans beware: Morningstar -- a subsidiary of Kellog's Foods -- makes both a vegetarian steak strip and a vegan option. My experience is that the vegan strips are harder to find, and a little on the dry side, but that's just an occupational hazard. Morningstar's strips are probably my favorite, though I seldom buy them due to the fact that their animal-based ingredients -- egg & dairy -- are not advertised as being organic and/or free-range. A bag of Morningstar also costs circa $4, and I rip through a whole bag at each meal. That adds up. Enter, Trader Joe's. They make a vegan steak strip that's not big on flavor -- I'll help you fix that in a few sentences -- but that costs $3/pack. 15 meals per week = $60/month savings. Just sayin... Also, Light Life makes wonderful fake-chicken/steak strips that are great for making a chewy, steak/chicken sandwich of sorts. I think their overall texture and consistency makes them a great forerunner in the vegan steak world. Plus, they come from an all-vegetarian company, so unlike, say, Kellog's, it leads this blogger to think that Light Life cares about the cause, and not just the market. In fact, when doing a news piece on vegetarianism in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, Light Life was the only company that responded to my requests for products to showcase in my story. Bonus points for the fine folks at Light Life. http://www.lightlife.com/index.jsp Now then, as promised, how to make some tasty vegan steak strips.... If you have frozen strips, the key is to drop them into a frying pan that's pre-heated. Pour a couple of tablespoons of your favorite oil in there -- I've been using canola oil instead of olive oil (read my post on canola oil to find out why!) -- and then toss your individually separated strips into the warm oil. There should be a satisfying sizzle if done correctly. Once these bad boys have begun to brown -- this will give the outside a "skillet seared" feeling, while leaving the inside soft and "juicy" from the oil -- dust them with kosher salt, and crank the heat from medium to medium-high for around a minute. This will bond the salt to the steak. I like to squeeze a fresh lime on mine, garnish with your favorite greenery, and you're ready to go. If you're using non-frozen strips: First, I pre-heat the pan. This is an essential step, much like pre-heating an oven. I empty a package of strips into a plastic food container, pour in a couple of tablespoons of oil, and pour in a blend of 3-4 manly pinches of kosher salt, some fresh-ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and anything else my heart desires. Shake this goodness like a madman - or woman - and dump the whole thing into your warm, waiting pan. It should sizzle immediately if your pan is hot enough (see my post titled "Cooking 101") Bon apetit!

Vegan Pudding... of sorts

Pudding kicks ass. It's cool, it's sweet, it's yummy... but it's typically got non-organic milk, and sometimes even contains the G-word: gelatin. My recipe for Kickass Vegan Pudding: 1) 1/2 block of high-protein, extra firm tofu 2) 2-3 bananas 3) 1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup 4) melted, dairy-free dark chocolate 5) a food processor or blender This is pretty easy: Take #s 1-4 and toss them into #5. Turn on #5. Pour contents into a dish. Put dish in fridge. Voila, mon ami, you now have vegan pudding that's packed with protein!

Quinoa (keen-wah) -- The Super Grain!

Quinoa (keen-wah) if you don't know, is a super grain that has more protein than most -- forget about brown rice -- and has ideal amino-acid-levels comparable to milk. Quinoa is prepared similarly to rice: about 1 cup of the grain to about 1.25 cups of water. Boil water w/ salt to taste and butter/oil (optional); add quinoa & stir; cover for about 15 minutes on a simmer, or until the water is absorbed. Voila. You now have a new bedding for food in lieu of pasta or rice! Did I mention that it's ULTRA good for you? It looks like a grit, in that it's round and yellowish, but it tastes nothing like grits. The taste is kind of strange, really, but plain rice isn't that great on its own, either. We've made it as a breakfast food akin to oatmeal. We've used it in lasagna (see my recipe), and as a rice-style-bed for my vegan steak dishes, etc. Where to buy: Quinoa is available at most stores, nowadays, though good luck finding it amidst the masses of American-produced, diabetes-inducing, white rices. I suggest -- as I seldom do -- to visit a local Whole Foods, or any type of market offering bulk grains, etc. Whole Foods sells quinoa for about $1.99/lb, as opposed to say, my local Harris Teeter, which sells 12-14 ounces, pre-packaged, for something like $4 or $5. Please ask if you have any questions!!!!

A Recipe for Success

Okay, so I do all of the cooking at home. No sweat; it's something I love doing. It's easy when I cook for my girlfriend and I, in that we're both vegetarians, and we're both into the same types of food. Granted, I like mine so spicy that my eyes, nose and posterior run like Usain Bolt, but essentially, we find common ground at mealtime. But what to do when meat-eaters come over for dinner? For starters, your meat-eating friends should probably be of the tolerant variety, and not of the "I'm not eating that shit," variety. Once you've overcome that crucial, first hurdle, allow me to suggest my recipe for never-fail "lasagna." Your guests will be knife-fighting in your living room for leftovers before you know it! Let's get started... This meal will feed four hungry folks, and more-than-likely leave you a hearty helping of leftovers for lunch the next day! Here's what you'll need: 1) One package of some sort of meat substitute. I am a huge fan of ToFurkey's Italian Sausages, but in the absence of these meaty links, any crumbles -- Morningstar, Boca, Quorn, etc -- will do. Note: Crumbles are frozen, so you may want to brown them in a frying pan first. This will help remove any excess water from the frozen "meat." ToFurkey's sausages are fridge-kept, so they're ready to go as is. 2) Either homemade sauce, or one can/jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Trader Joe's has a kickass Tuscan Marinara in a can. It's chunky, tasty and oh-so-perfect for this dish. But again, any sauce you like... 3) 1 cup of cooked Quinoa (pronounced: keen-wah; see my post on quinoa here: http://vegviewpoint.blogspot.com/2009/08/quinoa-keen-wah-super-grain.html) 4) A whole onion, some shrooms, peppers, garlic or anything else you like in your lasagna. 5) A 1lb bag of shredded mozzarella. Meal Prep 411: 1) Pre-heat your oven to 350. 2) Cook the quinoa. 3) Chop your veggies into fork-sized bites. 4) Slice the ToFurkeys (all four from the package) into bite-sized rounds. Meal Construction 411: 1) Line a baking dish with the quinoa. You want a dish wide enough to allow a thin layer of quinoa to cover the bottom. Too much more than that, and your meal will become a challenge to chew! 2) Cover the quinoa with a layer of cheese. 3) Cover the cheese with all of your ToFurkey (or faux-ground meat, etc) 4) Use 1/2 of your sauce to cover the ToFurkey. 5) Layer your veggies on top of the sauce. 6) Cover the veggies with a hearty helping of cheese. 7) Drop spoonfuls of sauce on top of the cheese (this looks lovely when it bakes). 8) Bake at 350 until cheese congeals, and parts brown. 9) Eat it. 10) Love it. 11) Thank me. 12) Share the recipe!

Rennet: Cheese's Dark, Little Secret

If you buy cheese that doesn't come individually wrapped in eco-hostile plastic sheets, chances are you're at least some sort of a cheese connoisseur. I consider myself an amateur cheese aficionado. I've had it from around the world, and not until the past two years or so, did I learn about cheese's dark, little secret: rennet. Cheese is milk that's aged and cultured to a solid texture. Duh. But in order to make milk curd -- changing it from liquid to solid -- it needs a starter culture. Rennet, as defined in a host of dictionaries and such, is typically used as a starter culture. In cheeses made from cow's milk, rennet is made by removing the 4th stomach of a veal calf -- so... right away, whether or not you support the barbaric, cruel practice of raising/eating veal, you support it in buying cheese made with animal rennet -- washing it, drying it and grinding the stomach lining into a powder. This acidic powder contains chymosin, and this enables the milk to curd. A brief history: Cheese was *probably* first created by a desert dweller who stored milk inside a calf's stomach -- the "thermos" of the times -- over a period of days in the sweltering heat. In this case, rennet was incidental. As a vegetarian, I have a problem with eating stomach lining, so I stay away from most of the yummy cheeses I once loved. But, fear not, fellow cheese eater! There is hope! Many cheese producers now use Microbial Rennet -- a type of fungus -- as well as Vegetable Rennet, which is typically made from seeds. These cheeses are 100% safe for vegetarians! As a general rule of thumb: If it reads "enzymes" or "cultures," it's not to be trusted!!!

In a dietary slump?

Without hyping-up Trader Joe's TOO much, let me say this: If you have one in your town, it's probably one of the better shopping environments you'll find. Unlike most grocery stores, the people who work at Joe's are pleasant, cheerful and informed about their products. My girlfriend and I agree: Trader Joe's is what we want in a shopping experience. They have fresh produce, breads and a host of vegetarian and vegan options ranging from Soy Chorizo -- which I couple with tofu for a hell of a power-packed breakfast -- to vegan steak strips. They also offer a variety of cheeses containing either Microbial or Vegetable-based rennet. Read my post on rennet if you're not sure about this *lovely* ingredient. Also, if you're in a state that allows the sale of alcohol in grocery stores, don't pass up Joe's famous 2-Buck Chuck aka Charles Shaw table wines. They're somewhere in the $3/bottle range -- I know -- and they're pretty damn good! Certainly a great value. Essentially, everything in the store costs around $3. That may prove as helpful info when loading up your cart!

Greetings, Veggie Fans!

Thanks for checking out my blog! My goal is to share with vegetarians, meat-eaters and those who just randomly stumbled-upon this blog the many delicious, nutritious and cruelty-free options I've enjoyed for so long. I'm the Blogger of Raleigh, and I've been a vegetarian for nearly ten years. I'm 6'1", 220lbs. I lift weights, love football and MMA, grew up on gangster rap and I challenge the stereotype of the scrawny, carrot-eating vegetarian. Not that there's anything wrong with carrots or scrawniness... I've traveled the world with my family, and I know firsthand the trouble we vegetarians face in consuming adequate and balanced nutrition. It's challenging enough to hit the gym, ride a bike or go for a walk without the proper fuel burning inside the vegetarian's furnace. Stick around... I've spent almost a decade throwing together quick eats packed with protein, creative carbohydrates, and flavor so good that literally all of my meat-eating friends admit, "It doesn't suck." In the end... that's one hell of an accomplishment.