Author: Lisa Rimmert

Pumpkin Ginger Ice Cream

World's Largest Vegan Banana Split! Read about it on the Vegan Outreach blog!

By Lisa Rimmert, Donor Relations Manager

If you’re already vegan, or you’ve been following our blog, you’re probably well aware that most – if not all – animal foods can be made vegan and taste great, including the most decadent dishes like ice creams and other desserts. That’s the point one instructor and his Culinary Nutrition students set out to prove when they created a 1,251 lb vegan banana split. Yes, you read that correctly.

Last week in Denver – where I live – I attended a community event at Johnson & Wales University at which Chef Sacks and seven students unveiled what they hoped would be the world’s heaviest vegan banana split, and that’s exactly what it was.

World's Largest Vegan Banana Split! Read about it on the Vegan Outreach blog!

The enormous dessert consisted of more than 700 lbs of ice cream (made from a base of beans), over 200 lbs of bananas, and a variety of toppings like cherries, coconut and soy based whipped cream, cookies, nuts, and more. Ice cream flavors included pumpkin ginger, jalepeño corn, shoo-fly pie, and black bean molé.

The reason for making the banana split vegan, said Chef Sacks, was to “share with the rest of world that vegan cuisine is limited only by one’s imagination.” He added, “It is not a sensory sacrifice! It is a truly exceptional way to appreciate our food.”

The event was a project of the University’s vegetarian cuisine course, in which students learn to prepare nutritionally balanced vegetarian dishes. They also explore the importance of why people choose vegetarian diets. The banana split took five and a half weeks to create.

Despite below freezing temperatures, the unveiling and final weigh-in brought dozens of community members, each of whom had the chance to add a cherry as the “finishing touch” before the banana split was weighed. It has been submitted for entry in Guinness World Records.

World's Largest Vegan Banana Split! Read about it on the Vegan Outreach blog!

Chef Sacks said he considers the event a success. I have to agree. It was pretty thrilling to see so many people eating and enjoying vegan food. Chef Sacks said, “I really loved watching all the younger kids gorge themselves on bean-filled ice-cream. If they only really knew!”

Johnson and Wales University made available one of the recipes, and we’ve shared it below. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Pumpkin Ginger Vegan Ice Cream
Number of servings: 10

Ingredients:

  • Cannellini beans (canned) 5.25 oz.
  • Soy or rice milk 16 fluid oz.
  • Pureed pumpkin 5.25 oz.
  • Evaporated cane juice powder (raw sugar) 3.75 oz.
  • Ground cardamom 1 teaspoon
  • Ground ginger powder 2 teaspoon
  • Vanilla extract 1 tablespoon

Directions:

  1. Rinse beans and simmer for 4 minutes.
  2. Drain and rinse again.
  3. Combine all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth.
  4. Process in ice cream maker and freeze.

Allergy info: contains soy if using soy milk.

Sunflower Seed Pesto

Interview by Toni Okamoto 

Today we meet Renee Press of Fire and Earth Kitchen.  As you can see in this interview, she is really knowledgeable about different aspects of food and food preparation, and has the sweetest way of explaining so it is easy to understand.

We’re thankful that Renee took the time to chat with Vegan Outreach about the questions commonly asked about veganism. Check out her answers below, and if you have the chance, try that tasty Sunflower Seed Pesto. I have made batches of the pesto and froze it in individual servings — it’s amazing! So much cheaper than using walnuts or pine nuts, too.
Fire and Earth Kitchen

What chain restaurant do you recommend if you’re traveling or in a hurry? Hmm, probably Chipotle. If Veggie Grill is around, I’d go there for sure.

Is it expensive to be vegan? It can be as expensive to be vegan as being an omnivore, it depends what you buy and where you shop. Buying in bulk (if available) saves a lot of money, as does buying fresh produce and certain staples, rather than pre-packaged meals. Shop around for the best deals and make a grocery list of what you’d like to buy that week.

Is it possible to be vegan if I live with family members who are not vegan? Yes, you just need to plan. Think ahead to make dishes that would appeal to everyone (veggie lasagna, rice and beans, curries, stir fries) meals that can easily be enjoyed veg.

Is it boring to cook only vegan foods? Learning to cook with plants has been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. You hear time and time again, “The day I went vegan, the doors of culinary experimentation were opened to me” And it’s true, vegan cooking is one of the most versatile, healthy, and delicious ways to cook. You just need to ignite that spark by giving it a try.

What easy recipe do you have to share with Vegan Outreach supporters who are interested in learning to cook veg foods?

This Sunflower Seed Pesto  is spectacular on pasta, veggies, pizza, toast. The light nuttiness of the sunflower seeds mixes with the punch of the fresh garlic, and the bright taste of basil wonderfully and really captures the essence of summer. The photo shows it mixed with gluten-free spaghetti and a mound of fresh vegetables. But it’s so tasty, anything goes. Double this recipe if you like it!

Sunflower Seed Pesto on the Vegan Outreach Blog

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basil
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until creamy. Usually 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Toss with warm pasta, spread on toast or pizza, or use as a dip.

Magic Vegan Bacon Grease

Magic Vegan Bacon Grease Review from Vegan Outreach!

By Toni Okamoto

A friend of mine recently contacted me asking how she could replace bacon fat in a recipe. I was stumped! I asked the Vegan Outreach office staff if they knew of a good replacement, and our office manager, Josie, sent me a link to this product: Magic Vegan Bacon Grease. Immediately I wondered what crazy ingredients it included for taste, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they only use: Coconut Oil, Non-GMO Soy Protein, Sea Salt, Pure Maple Syrup, Black Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Torula Yeast, and Natural Smoke Flavor.

Prior to my friend’s question, I had no idea that bacon grease was an ingredient that people regularly used in cooking. Turns out it can be used it in any dish that you’d add oil to usually. With a quick Google search I found recipes for cookies, salad dressings, brownies, pasta dishes, etc.

Still a little skeptical, I decided to try the Magic Vegan Bacon Grease out for myself. I made a fantastic veggie-loaded Tofu Scramble, served with Biscuits & Gravy.

The first noticeable thing on their website was the image of ingredients with the text “Is it really so strange?“. I decided to assume that it was a Smiths reference because that usually means that a company is awesome. And I was totally right … an awesome company made an awesome product!

Right now, the product is only sold in few places, you can see the store locator here: http://veganmagic.cc/where.html I highly recommend giving it a try!

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Gravy: The gravy turned out amazing! I’ve made this recipe a million times only using regular oil, but the vegan bacon flavor really added a kick. I served with store-bought biscuits from Safeway.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 vegetarian bouillon cube
  • 1 tbsp magic vegan bacon grease
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/8 cup yellow onion
  • 2 tbsp flour

Directions:

I start by either boiling or microwaving the water and bouillon cube until it’s a well mixed broth, then set it aside.

Over medium heat, put Magic Vegan Bacon Grease, oil, and onions into a small sauce pan and cook until the onions become translucent. Lower the temperature, add flour and stir until your roux has a smooth consistency.

Add broth and stir over low heat until it thickens.

Recipes for Biscuits and Gravy and Tofu Scramble from Vegan Outreach!

Tofu Scramble: I was a little nervous about the flavor overpowering my breakfast, but there were so many flavors in the tofu scramble that the vegan bacon grease seemed perfectly subtle.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of firm tofu (12oz), crumbled
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 tbsp magic vegan bacon grease
  • 1 1/2 tbsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • your favorite veggies

Directions:

In a large frying pan, cook the tofu, onions and garlic in Magic Vegan Bacon Grease for a few minutes — stir so that it coats the tofu. Add turmeric, oregano and nutritional yeast and stir again. Add most of your veggies. If you are using veggies that cook longer such as broccoli, carrots, or potatoes you want to let them cook for about 10 minutes before adding in veggies that cook fast. Including: mushrooms, kale, spinach, and tomatoes. You should cook the whole mixture for about 15 minutes.

 

Rabbit Food Grocery, Austin, Texas

You know times are changing when Texas opens its first all-vegan grocery store!

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Excerpts from Austin.Culturemap.com, February 16, 2015, Austin’s first all-vegan grocery store opens on South First Street:

“Texas’ only all-vegan brick-and-mortar grocery store has arrived in Austin. Rabbit Food Grocery opened the doors of its new storefront on South First Street in early February after three successful years of online orders and pop-up shops.

“This process has been three years in the making — doing pop up shops around town —and it’s really exciting to have a storefront to walk in to,” says co-owner Jessica Morris who, along with Gabriel Figueroa, realized the dream of a fully operational grocery store catering to vegan needs with the help of a Kickstarter campaign. “

 

Crescent Roll Pot Pies

Crescent Roll Pot Pies by Vegan Outreach

By Toni Okamoto

I was browsing around Pinterest and was inspired by this recipe. The ingredients in that are obviously not vegan, so I tried to make a much better version. This is what I came up with!

In my mini pot pies, I used frozen peas and corn with fresh diced carrots and potatoes. I steamed the veggies for about 8 minutes before adding them to the gravy.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 vegetarian bouillon cubes
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 1 package of crescent rolls (8)
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed frozen or fresh veggies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Start by either boiling or microwaving the water and bouillon cube until it’s a well mixed broth, then set it aside.

Over medium heat, put oil and onions into a small sauce pan and cook until the onions become translucent. Lower the temperature, add flour and stir until your roux has a smooth consistency. Add broth and stir over low heat until it thickens.

Line cupcake tin with dough triangles. Add cooked veggies to the gravy and let them cook again for 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon the gravy/vegetable mixture into the dough triangles and wrap the dough. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

Anchorage, Alaska

by Jack Norris

My wife, Alex, is from Alaska and we go there about once a year to visit her family in Anchorage. In Anchorage, you’re more likely to run into a moose than an animal activist – yet there are a surprising number of restaurants with delicious vegan options!

Here’s a rundown of where we ate during our latest trip.

Organic Oasis 

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This is probably the most vegan-friendly of any restaurant in Anchorage. They have quite a few vegan entrees and are a good place for a nice sit-down dinner.

Potato Coconut Soup (background) and a combination of the two angel hair pasta dishes: Lightly Steamed Veggies & Macadamia Nut Basil Pesto. The potato soup was so delicious I had to order a second cup!

angel hair & potato soup

Vegan High Protein Tempeh Wrap

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Moroccan Hummus Sandwich

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Lentil Soup

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Golden Baked Tofu with Caesar Style Dressing

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Middle Way Café

The Middle Way Café is a totally hip café where you can have just a snack and coffee, brunch, or an early dinner (they close at 6 PM).

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But it’s not just for hipsters, and I try to go there as much as I can when in Anchorage!

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Korean Tofu Dish (special), Split Pea Soup, Vegan BBQ Burger

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Multigrain Pancakes
(What? You can hardly get vegan pancakes in California!)

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Vegan Breakfast Burrito with Potatoes

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Colour’s Tofu Stack

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Thai Kitchen

This vegan-friendly Thai restaurant has been a staple for vegans in Anchorage for many years.

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Spring Rolls

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Tofu and Vegetables, Tofu Noodles and Vegetables

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Snow City Café

The extremely popular Snow City Café is located downtown. There are only limited reservations, but even when we have to wait for up to an hour, their tofu scramble and hash browns make it well worth it! You can get a soy latte at the counter to hold you over while waiting.

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I’m still not sure why it’s called “Snow City” since it’s yet to snow in Anchorage when I’ve been there.

Tofu Scramble and Hash Browns

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Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria

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Pretty darn good for a pizza without any vegan cheese or vegan meats. They have gluten-free, too, if you’re so inclined.

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Kaladi’s

Coffee drinkers will be happy to know that the West Coast’s fascination with coffee shops extends to Anchorage where you can find a delicious Kaladi’s everywhere you turn. So while Alex is hiking up a 10,000 foot mountain in the pouring rain, I’m sitting tight with a hot cup of coffee and my laptop.

And Kaladi’s has breakfast oatmeal if you’re in a pinch for a quick vegan breakfast.

Taco Bell

When it comes to the Bell, you just can’t beat one with these mountains behind it!

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Bean Burrito (without cheese) and Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes (without sour cream and cheese)

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If you travel to Anchorage, please tell them I said, “Hello!”

Introducing The Compassionate Athlete!

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We’re very excited to introduce our newest booklet, The Compassionate Athlete.

VO’s Outreach Coordinators often receive questions from college students who are interested in going veg but concerned that vegetarians and vegans cannot excel at sports or build muscle. The Compassionate Athlete addresses these concerns by highlighting many vegan professional athletes and giving some eating tips and a meal plan. We expect The Compassionate Athlete to be used similarly to ourGuide to Cruelty-Free Eating – by keeping a handful on hand any time we leaflet for when we run into athletes.

We’d like to give a special thanks to Kassy Ortega, Vegan Outreach’s Washington, DC Outreach Coordinator, and Chris Guinn, The Humane League’s Atlanta Director, for this idea and for their hard work on the booklet! We’d also like to express our gratitude to all the athletes who took the time to provide us with pictures and quotes: Austin Aries, Ed Bauer, David Carter, Robert Cheeke, Mindy Collette, Mac Danzig, Seba Johnson, Holly Noll, Rich Roll, Bianca Taylor, Marcella Torres, Derek Tresize, Torre Washington, and Mike Zigomanis.

You can order The Compassionate Athlete from our order form and download a PDF from our Booklet PDFs page.

Supporter Spotlight: Jessica Silva

Photo-JessicaSilva

Welcome to the first “Supporter Spotlight” post! In these new monthly blog posts, we will shine a spotlight on our members, whose hard work and generosity truly enable the work of Vegan Outreach. Let’s peel back the curtain and get to know some of these champions for animals, starting with Jessica Silva.

Jessica, tell us about yourself.

After studying journalism at the University of Maryland, I worked as a science writer for the US Department of Agriculture. Over the course of a 30-year career, I have enjoyed being a writer, editor, teacher, and tutor – always part time so I could be home with my kids too. Now I enjoy spending many hours in the gym every week, getting strong and staying physically fit.

I am 51, but, because of rigorous workouts and a healthy vegan diet, I feel better, younger, and more alive than I did when I was 25. I am beyond blessed that my husband and two grown children, Alex and Crystal, are all vegan and that we are very close.

Tell us about how you became vegan.

At age 7, while walking to a Girl Scouts meeting with three friends, I asked them rhetorically why we eat cows and not dogs. It just did not make sense to me. Both were living, breathing animals with the spark of life inside of them. Both want to breathe the air, feel the warm sun on their faces.

During childhood, I never could stomach eating meat unless it was masked into, for example, a hot dog or pepperoni. Then, when I was 19, I was shown in a dream a cow going down at slaughter. I stopped eating cows and pigs immediately, then chickens and turkeys two years later. I finally let go of fish in my mid 20s.

It wasn’t until I saw undercover footage of abused cows and chickens on Facebook that I realized that dairy and eggs cause as much suffering as, if not more than, actually eating meat. I went vegan in October 2012.

Giving up ice cream was the hardest! I felt like I was addicted. You could find me in the ice cream aisle, lingering outside the case as I considered buying a pint or two “just this once.” I had to picture the mother cow, tethered interminably to her concrete and metal stall. I was able to walk away when I saw her sad, defeated face in my mind’s eye.

How did you first get involved with Vegan Outreach?

I met VO workers at a VegFest and learned I could help educate others through leafleting. I was hooked immediately.

Why do you support VO?

It is imperative that as many people as possible go vegan quickly – for the sake of the animals, as well as our shared Earth. Vegan Outreach has the machine in place to disseminate this information to a large number of people quickly. And they target the right audience – mostly young, open-minded people who are ready for this kind of important change. VO has a no nonsense approach to a huge problem, and they utilize resources efficiently and wisely.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone considering vegan eating?

Talk to other vegans – a lot! Going vegan can seem daunting at first. Most vegans are more than willing to help you as you navigate meal planning, eating out, dealing with skeptical friends and family, “getting enough protein,” etc.

Finally, share with us your absolute favorite meal.

Any Asian dish with tofu and veggies! I love Thai coconut basil curry, stir fry, Kung Pao tofu, etc.

Thank you, Jessica, and thank you to all our wonderful supporters!

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

By Toni Okamoto, Recipe by Alex Bury

This week we celebrated the birthday of Vegan Outreach’s cofounder and Executive Director, Jack Norris. You can read more about him by clicking the link attached to his name, but all you really need to know is that he loves turtles (specifically Richard, his companion turtle, who we recently found may be female), playing ultimate frisbee, and eating Cincinnati chili.

To celebrate Jack’s special day, his wonderful wife, Alex (who is also a dedicated animal rights activist and talented vegan chef),  made our office his favorite meal. Below, you can see a photo of how happy her thoughtfulness made Jack.

Jack and his Cincinnati chili

Our Office Manager, Josie, and I were very skeptical about chili being served on spaghetti, but thankfully Jack is a true Cincinnatian and walked us through the proper serving presentation. The order being: pasta, chili, onions, vegan cheese, and crackers (right before you eat it).

Cincinnati chili

The recipe was so delicious that I asked Alex to share it with the world. Here it is, we hope you enjoy it as much as Jack and the Vegan Outreach staff!

Hungry Jack

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole yellow onion, diced small (and separated into 2 batches)
  • 1/2 carrot, diced very small
  • 1 tbsp canola or safflower oil
  • 1 packet Cincinnati Recipe chili mix
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes (get one that’s “fire roasted” if you can)
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 package spaghetti
  • 1 package of your favorite vegan ground meat (Beyond Meat, Lightlife, Gardein, etc.)
  • 1 package of your favorite vegan cheese, shredded (I used Follow Your Heart cheddar, but Daiya also works great)
  • 1 bag oyster soup crackers

Directions:

Sauté half the diced onion and the diced carrot in the oil, on medium heat, for 5 minutes.

Add the spice mix. Stir to coat with oil and toast it a little bit.

Add the tomato products right after. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions and drain.

Add the crumbles. If it seems too thick, add 1/4 cup water or so. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Serve the chili over the spaghetti. Top with shredded vegan cheese, diced onions, and oyster crackers.

Beyoncé Launches Vegan Meal Delivery Service

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By Toni Okamoto

We all remember when the King and Queen of Hip Hop tried their 22 days of veganism, right? Well, it turns out that Beyoncé loved the vegan challenge so much that she is hoping to make it easier and more accessible by launching an all vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, non-GMO meal delivery service.

This is HUGE for the animals! Beyoncé’s resources are endless, and her influence on her fans is impressive. We’re feeling positive that with this kind of exposure, veganism has officially arrived in mainstream culture.

Click here to check it out for yourself: http://www.22daysnutrition.com/vegan-meals