What does architectural design and vegan baking and cooking have in common? If you’re professionally trained in either profession, the answer may be obvious. But for those of you who aren’t, it turns out there’s more overlap than what you may think!
Our good friend, Michael Duhon, has centered his life around both of these skill sets, and he’s very graciously taken the time to tell us how these two interests have played out in his day to day life the past couple of decades. Join me in welcoming Michael as we get to know him a little bit better!
Lori Stultz: Tell us a little bit about your background as an architect and how and when you started incorporating those skills into your cooking and baking?
Michael Duhon: Around the time I was in 5th grade, I heard what an architect was and I decided that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. I used to take my mom’s white freezer paper to draw house plans. She never understood what I was doing other than I was using up all the paper!
After year three of my architectural studies, I decided to finish the last two years of university in interior architecture. This brought in a more focused study of finishes, textures, color, lighting, furnishings, etc., with a direct impact on how the space is perceived by the user.
I practiced in architectural firms for about 15 years, but the office life wasn’t nourishing me. In the 1990s I left and began culinary training with a focus on teaching. I assembled a compendium of culinary trainings, including macrobiotics, creative whole plant-based cooking and baking, and a classic chef training in Paris.
Lori: Were you cooking before you started transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle, or did you dive in after you made the switch?
Michael: I cooked and baked from an early age. The south Louisiana French Cajun culture is one where gender doesn’t dictate who cooks. Everyone cooks and everyone cooks a lot!
Lori: What did your journey to veganism look like?
Michael: During the early 1980s I was in my mid-20s, and that was the period of time when many gay men were dying from AIDS. Very little was known about treatment and even less about the life expectancy of this young group. Many of us formed interactive groups to share information. It became clear that a diet of whole, unrefined foods, along with a reduction in typical snack food and sugar, was important for maintaining good health.
Lori: What does your career look like now? Is it mostly food or non-food related? What does a typical day look like for you?
Michael: My professional life changed at the end of 2012. From 2001-2012 I was a cooking and baking instructor for a culinary institute. I taught 11 weeks a year in addition to designing and renovating residences. The institute has now transitioned to an online school, so my career shifted to mostly design and build. I love to teach though, so I just launched beginner and advanced vegan baking classes, through my website Artistry In Baking, which focuses on using whole, unrefined ingredients. A core value of mine is to create and teach baking and dessert with real food value as opposed to empty calories. The coursework is suitable for home cooks as well as professionals looking for in-depth vegan baking and dessert training.
For now, a typical day involves client meetings, design decisions, and carpentry and project management. And I bake at least once a week. However, with the launch of my new baking classes, I’ll be doing more cooking—both training students, and expanding course content.
Lori: Do you prefer cooking dinner parties for groups or teaching groups of students?
Michael: Although I’ve cooked for and taught large groups, I prefer the intimacy of cooking for and teaching small groups. I like direct interaction that isn’t always possible when cooking and baking with a large group.
Lori: What are your favorite meals to cook for you and your partner, Lawrence? What are your favorite desserts (to eat and to make)?
Michael: Some favorite dishes are paella, chili, tajines, and soups of any kind. I love making cakes and tarts, and I’ve been perfecting dense and fudgy vegan brownies. I haven’t had any complaints with the numerous test batches I’ve made!
Lori: What sort of vegan menu would you serve to meat-eating friends and family members to show them how good vegan food can be?
Michael: I’ve found that as long as the menu offers a variety of textures, flavors, and colors that most folks experience it as another good meal. A secret weapon though is having something perfectly deep fried.
Chocolate BrowniesPoached Fig Tart
Lori: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us, Michael! It was great learning more about you and your unique architectural perspective on vegan cooking and baking!
If you’re interested in learning more about Michael and his business, check out his website!
When I first went vegan, I very much enjoyed looking at vegan cookbooks with not-so-easy to prepare recipes that called for unfamiliar ingredients. I liked trying out new ways to prepare plant foods—spiralized sweet potato noodles, anyone?—because I was eager to get distance from the types of animal-based meals I had been brought up on. I don’t know why I felt the need to do that, nor do I particularly care because, after all, I acquired a lot of awesome culinary knowledge. I also had the idea that other people (i.e., non-vegans) would enjoy the obscure dishes I was preparing and it would spark their curiosity in adopting a vegan lifestyle.
Fast forward five years and you’ll find me sticking close to recipes that have short ingredient lists and often include one or more store-bought vegan meats and/or cheeses. Not only have I found preparation to be much quicker, I’ve noticed a difference in the way people respond to what I’ve prepared. More frequently than not, I hear how similar my vegan meal tastes in comparison to a meal that’s usually prepared with animal products.
The changes I’ve made over the years has also influenced the types of cookbooks I thumb through, as well as the types of cookbooks I choose to do a review on the Vegan Outreach blog. I now look for simple comfort foods recipes and close-to-home dishes that non-vegan friends and family members may be interested in preparing for themselves in their own kitchens.
When I was contacted by Jenny Engel and Heather Bell, authors of Vegan 101, about doing a cookbook review, I was excited to see that our approaches to cooking seemed pretty similar. The cookbook is beginner-friendly with easy-to-follow advice for those who’re looking to incorporate more plant-based foods into their meals. It has several easy recipes that won’t require a trip to a specialty spice market, or require a whole day’s worth of preparation.
I also want to mention that the authors, Jenny and Heather, are co-owners of a Los Angeles-based vegan cooking school, Spork Foods, which takes them to universities, health care companies, hotels, corporations, markets, and restaurants all around the world to teach chefs how to prepare tasty vegan meals. These women are sincerely dedicated to educating others about the fun and simplicity in preparing delicious vegan food.
Our first giveaway for the month will be, you guessed it, Vegan 101. So, whether you’re new to vegan cooking, or, you’re like me, and are looking to tone down the complexity of your plant-based meals, this cookbook will be a compatible friend in the kitchen.
This giveaway starts today, Tuesday, May 2 and ends on Saturday, May 20 at 12:00 am North American MDT. We’ll announce the winner on Tuesday, May 23 here on Vegan Outreach’s Vegan Living & Advocacy Blog! Enter by clicking on the giveaway link below!
In the meantime, here’s a sample of one of the many tasty, simple recipes Jenny and Heather provide in their book—Down-Home Seitan Fried Chicken. These patties take very little time to prepare and will be a major hit among your vegan and non-vegan friends and family members!
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus ⅛ teaspoon, divided
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅓ cup Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 ⅓ cups water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup neutral-tasting oil
Directions
To Prepare the Seitan: In a large bowl, combine creamer and vinegar. Set aside for 2 minutes to curdle. Add Worcestershire sauce. Add seitan pieces and toss to coat. Add sea salt and pepper. Set aside for 10 to 20 minutes.
To Prepare the Coating: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, mustard, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, and garlic powder.
Remove and reserve ¼ cup seasoned flour mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg replacer and water until mixture is foamy.
In a small bowl, combine panko, remaining ¼ teaspoon sea salt, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon cayenne. Add reserved ¼ cup seasoned flour mixture and whisk until uniform.
To Cook the Chicken: Add oil to a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
Dredge each piece of seitan in flour mixture, then dip into egg replacer mixture, and finally coat in panko mixture. Shake off excess panko.
Carefully place coated seitan pieces into hot oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden. Turn over and cook about 2 additional minutes, or until golden. Once crisp, place pieces on cooling rack over baking sheet. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips/Variations
To test your oil for the perfect cooking temperature, heat it up until you see ripples. Then, stick a clean wooden tool into the oil. If bubbles appear, you’re ready to fry.
My Vegan Outreach leafleting tour in India started at the end of February in Banaras, a city located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. I met my friend and VO Intern, Saurabh Sonkar, and together we reached 6,000 people! We leafleted at the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University)/IIT BHU, Vishwanath Temple—which is located inside the IIT BHU campus—and Ramnagar Fort. Saurabh and I had several encouraging conversations, and the energy was very positive overall.
One of the uplifting conversations I recall was with a BHU student—he told me he knew about the cruelty in the beef industry, but he’d never thought about how that abuse connected to the dairy industry.
We leafleted on Saurabh’s motorbike during the class changes! It was both fun and effective! We also enjoyed the fresh orange juice from the BHU campus and a spiced samosa chole (a pastry filled with potatoes and veggies, topped with chickpeas).
VO’s Siddarth Sharma, Pooja Rathor, and Saurabh Sonkar
Jaipur
A few weeks later, Saurabh and I traveled to Jaipur. Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan state, located in northern India. The temperature reached 104°F, but despite the heat, we reached 5,800 people.
I have two favorite moments from doing outreach in this city. The first was when we leafleted at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, where the Rajasthan festival was taking place. We met a group of young students who were surprised by the realities of the dairy and meat industries. They were so moved that they offered to help spread more information at their campus and hostel.
My second favorite memory from Jaipur was when we met a local police officer who told us that he doesn’t like the leather belt and shoes that he has to wear as part of his uniform. He said he’d be happy if the requirements changed.
To remedy the heat, we drank large glasses of sugarcane juice, orange juice, and shaved ice with some sweet flavored syrup. Overall, Jaipur was very good to us!
Indore
April was another great month of outreach! Indore is a city located in central India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Saurabh and I leafleted at five large colleges, a large coaching institute, and one small school. One of the highlights was when we met the school principals of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore School of Social Work, and Lakshmi Narain College of Technology. We were pleased to hear that these schools were supportive of our work!
In addition to campus outreach, we leafleted at a mall and an animal shelter that housed more than 150 dogs, 10 cows, a few peacocks, and other types of animals. We gave out nearly 7,000 booklets combined!
To our surprise, we found that Indore offers a variety of fresh juices at very cheap prices. Saurabh and I came across a vegetarian restaurant called Banana Leaf, which had plenty of delicious vegan options.
I’m now in the process of planning my next leafleting events. Saurabh returned home to Banaras after we wrapped up our time in Indore—he was a great intern! When I met him just last year, he was eating meat. And since then, he’s opted for a more animal-friendly diet! We plan to do more outreach together in the future.
I want to say thank you to the donors who help fund my work—it’s very important we keep spreading the vegan message here in India.
By Alex Bury, Organizational Development Consultant
Last week, I shared a scrumptious Fancy Pear Pizza recipe. This week, I’m keeping it just as fancy with, you guessed it, squash!
Roasting the butternut squash will take a little bit of time, but not a lot of effort. You’re going to love the end result of this pizza—it’s creamy and sweet with a savory and salty tang. And the nuts add a crunchiness that rounds out this pie quite nicely!
Fancy Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza
Yields 8 slices.
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, roasted
1 package of Vicolo frozen Corn Meal Pizza Crusts (some stores like Trader Joe’s sell these in the cooler section instead of the freezer section)
1 cup walnuts, almonds, or pecans (halved and/or pieces—not finely chopped)
Heat the oven to 375°F. Place the whole, uncut, unpoked squash on a cookie sheet or in a Pyrex dish for 40 minutes. Turn the squash over after it’s been roasting for about 20 minutes. You can tell it’s done when the outside is golden brown—you’ll be able to easily insert a knife into the thick “neck meat.” Remove from the oven and let cool. Once the squash has cooled, you can easily cut it in half and scoop out the sweet, creamy, squashy goodness!
Turn up your oven to 400°F.
Cover the base of each pizza crust with the cooked squash. You’ll need about 2 cups of squash per crust, but the amount you put on the crust is up to you! More squash makes it creamier and sweeter, less squash makes it crisper and savorier.
Sprinkle the nuts and olives over the squash, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you’re using vegan cheese, sprinkle it on top before putting the pie in the oven!
Bake the pizza until the nuts and crust are golden brown. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips/Variations
Even with the salty olives on top of the pizza, you’ll likely want a bit more salt sprinkled on top.
VegKitchen—a comprehensive online resource for all things vegan—recently reached out to Vegan Outreach and asked if we’d be up to doing a Q and A about the organization and the outreach we do. We professionally and somewhat calmly replied, “Um…Heck yes!”
We’d like to share the interview with you—our wonderful supporters and volunteers—because it’s a great overview of Vegan Outreach’s history, overall mission, and why we’ve focused on leafleting over the years.
Whether you’ve been following our work since 1993, or this is your first time on our website, we think you’ll enjoy reading the interview as much as we enjoyed answering it!
And we’d like to send a huge thank you to VegKitchen for featuring Vegan Outreach!
Excerpt:
VegKitchen got a chance to ask VO how they operate, why they’ve been so effective, and how others can get involved in helping them promote a compassionate plant-based diet, one person at a time.
Kim Sujovolsky, with Brownble, is here to help you get the upcoming picnic season off to a delicious start!
And seriously, who doesn’t love potato salad? Thank you, Kim, for another easy and tasty recipe!
Vegan Picnic Potato Salad
Yields 2-3 servings.
Ingredients
3 large potatoes or 4 medium ones
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, cilantro, parsley, etc.
3 green onions, finely chopped
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced chives
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
3 teaspoons olive oil
3 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cut the potatoes into even, bite-sized cubes (you may choose to peel them or not, I like to peel some and leave the others with the peel for presentation).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your potatoes. Cook until they’re tender, but they still hold their shape.
Drain and place the potatoes in a large bowl.
Add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Recipe Tips/Variations
Chill the salad in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve—the colder the better, as this will boost the seasoning and flavor of the salad. Take it to your next picnic or potluck, or serve it next to some vegan sausages—some sauerkraut and mustard for the perfect German platter!
If you’re anything like Vegan Outreach supporter Eric Day, you won’t let a few miles—okay, 50—stop you from helping animals! For our upcoming Team Vegan fundraising drive, Eric plans to raise money by walking all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco!
Now we’re asking all our Team Vegan members to walk 50 miles.
Just kidding!
Beginning May 1—and through June 30—animal activists from all over the world will team up to raise much-needed funds for VO’s work. This campaign’s success depends on your participation! I promise you don’t have to walk 50 miles.
Will you join the fun today by starting your very own Team Vegan fundraising page?
It’s free to join, and you get to choose your own fundraising goal and activity. Past participants have done leaflet-a-thons, run 5K races, walked a mile for every dollar raised, and more! Others have simply raised money with no physical challenge, and that’s great as well! Email us for ideas!
The money you raise will pay for VO’s fall outreach work. Donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $235,000—doubling their impact for animals! And there are prizes and fun for you along the way!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to email Eric and make sure he has a ride home!
Vegan Outreach reached out to Oblio’s Pizzeria—a popular family pizzeria in Denver—just a few short weeks ago, explaining the need for more vegan pizza options in the Mile High City. Owner Morgan McKay was thrilled to work with us, stating—
Nowadays, between health restrictions and people’s personal beliefs, restaurants need a much wider range of food options. I’m probably the opposite of a vegan, however, I know how frustrating it is to go to a restaurant and have very few options on the menu to choose from. We honestly hope that us providing vegan pizza will be an inspiration to other restaurants out there to follow suit.
They’re rolling out the pie with options of Daiya cheese, regular or gluten-free crust, red or special olive oil white sauce, and an endless combination of fresh vegetable and herb toppings.
Oblio’s Pizzeria joins Lala’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria in becoming the second pizzeria in Denver this month to work with Vegan Outreach to add a delicious vegan pizza.
Want more vegan options at your favorite non-veg restaurants? Make sure to make your request known to a manager and/or order some of our restaurant cards to leave at your table.
By Alex Bury, Organizational Development Consultant
Is fancy better? Can we ever answer that question? Is a vegan Tofurky Frozen Pizza served on paper plates better or worse than a gourmet, homemade pizza served on Grandma’s china? If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? What if you’re in the forest having a pizza picnic and unable to concentrate on nature sounds because Tofurky pizza is so delicious?
While you work on that, I’ll share one of two awesome pizza recipes I made recently. Why only one? Because I want to spread out the deliciousness. Don’t worry, the second one will be posted next week!
These fancy pizzas are ones you can serve at a dinner party, or to the people you hope will one day become your in-laws if you play it right.
The best part? It’s a lot easier than it looks! And it’s lighter than a traditional tomato pizza, so it makes a great appetizer that will leave room for a heavier main course. The mix of sweet, savory, creamy, and crunchy is delicious! You can also make this the night before and reheat.
Fancy Pear Pizza
Yields 8 slices.
Ingredients
1 package of Vicolo frozen Corn Meal Pizza Crusts (some stores like Trader Joe’s sell these in the cooler section instead of the freezer section)
2 red Bosc pears (should be ripe, but not too ripe—firm enough so they hold their shape)
1 cup of walnut halves and/or pieces (not finely chopped)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade mixed with 2 tablespoons water or 4 tablespoons of Apple Cider Reduction (link to instructions below)
A pinch of salt and pepper
Before you start to prep your pizzas—take a moment to appreciate those crusts. Of course, you can get super fancy and make your own pizza crust from scratch, but these Vicolo crusts are amazing. You’ll want to keep some in your freezer at all times! The corn meal crunch is a really nice addition to this sweet and savory pizza.
Directions
Heat your oven to 400°F.
Cover each crust with ½ the ricotta (whether you’ve made your own or are using Kite Hill’s).
Slice the pears thin and arrange the slices on top of the ricotta.
Scatter the walnuts over the ricotta and pears.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the fruit mixture (orange marmalade or Apple Cider Reduction) over each pizza.
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Bake until the crust and the walnuts are a nice golden brown.
Homemade Tofu Ricotta
Yields enough for 2 pizzas of 8 slices each.
This ricotta recipe can be used for lasagna, traditional pizza, and any other recipes that call for ricotta cheese. If you can get your hands on Kite Hill, be sure to try it at least once—it’s delicious! This recipe will cover you if Kite Hill isn’t available in your area.
