Becoming a Cruetly-Free Household

It's not as easy as it sounds.
There, I said it.

That said, it's certainly not impossible and definitely achievable, at least for the most part.
I wasn't fortunate enough to be born into the Hiltons or Kardashians. I am a working artist, which means I am of average means and cannot afford to simply flush our home of the old and re-stock all at once.

If you're anything like me, once you begin to change what you eat with factory farming as your biggest incentive, you start to read articles and watch documentaries and learn more than you ever really wanted to know about how cruel we can be to animals and our environment. The amount of products in the average (again, I am considering myself to be somewhat in the norm) household that test on animals can be shocking and overwhelming. They are the products we conduct our daily functions with...bathing, cleaning, laundry, hygiene...you name it. I don't know about you, but as much as I want to make a positive impact on animals and our environment, I'm not trying to be some haggard looking, "natural"-smelling, vegan stereotype. I might have a heart, but I still possess a bit of vanity.

I have not won the lottery yet, so I cannot throw all of my leather shoes and belts and go on a shopping spree for vegan alternatives. I also am a pet owner and have come to realize how the pet food industry contributes to factory farming and animal testing practices. I am currently researching alternatives, but most seem to be found only in specialty stores and/or cost an arm and a leg. This is especially complicated when one of your dogs is a 140lb St. Bernard.  I could choose to not have pets in my family, but that doesn't seem like a kinder option, as we don't buy, but rescue unwanted and mistreated animals. So we find ourselves between a rock and a shitty place.

But as I have said before, every bit counts.
As we run out of our current items, we have begun replacing them with cruelty-free options. So far we have changed our laundry detergent, dental hygiene products and facial cleansers and moisturizers. It's something. We're on our way.

Here are lists of companies and products that DO and DON'T test on animals, complied by VeganRabbit.com

Jackfruit Adventures: Mu Shu Rolls

I recently learned about jackfruit as a meat substitute. I think I once purchased a ripe one at the international market, just to taste it, and was not all that wild about it once I got it home. It never occurred to me that canned green jackfruit might have other culinary uses.

Last night I had my first adventure with a jackfruit (that probably doesn't sound the way I meant it). I cooked it Mu Shu style and it was dee-li-shussss. I loosely followed a recipe I saw online as a jumping off point and tweaked the measurements and ingredients to suit my tastes.

Believe it or not, I searched high and low at the international market for Mu Shu pancakes (even asking employees who continually directed me toward large sacs of flour) to no avail. I settled for rice paper wraps. Last night's wrapping was a fiasco! While tasty, they did not turn out the prettiest of rolls. Today I had leftovers for lunch and the wrapping went considerably better.

Mu Shu Jackfruit Rolls

Ingredients:

2 20 oz cans green jackfruit in brine or water (NOT syrup), well drained

1 19 oz can bamboo shoots strips in water, well drained

1 small onion, diced

1 tsp minced ginger root

4-5 green onions, chopped

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 1/2 cup slivered carrots or prepared shredded carrots

2 1/2 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup vegetable broth

4 tbsp soy sauce

2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce (or to taste)

1 tbsp sesame oil

rice paper sheets

1. In a sauce pan or fryer, sauté onion, garlic and ginger root. 

2. Add well-drained jackfruit, soy and hoisin sauces and veggie broth. Simmer covered for 15-20 minutes until fruit softens and begins to shred when you press and stir it. Continue to stir, further shredding the jackfruit. 

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat for another 10-15 minutes, checking it throughout. You want the carrots and bamboo shoots to retain some crispness. 

4. Follow instructions on rice paper wrapper package and serve.

Tastes yum-yum warm or at room temperature, straight out of the fridge.
Serves 4-5. This was a dinner for three and the four rolls pictured below was my lunch today. 

Kale, Carrot, Red Cabbage & Fennel Slaw

I love a good slaw in the sumer. In the past I stuck to pretty much your regular varieties. Now as a vegetarian, I feel inspired to try different flavors and textures. This slaw is super simple and super delicious!

Kale, Carrot, Red Cabbage & Fennel Slaw

Ingredients:

- 1 fennel bulb sliced and cut into approx 1 1/2" pieces

-1 carrot (I used a regular carrot and used the peeler to make the ribbons, but you could use bagged shredded carrots,)

-1/3 medium red cabbage, shredded

-1 medium bunch Kale

-Mayonnaise or veggie alternative to taste

-Kosher salt to taste

1. Combine and enjoy!

Measurements can vary depending on how much you are making or what particular flavor you might want to highlight.

Polenta & Spinach with Creamy Onion Gravy

I thought I would be safe to simply switch from brown or turkey store-bought gravies to mushroom varieties. I was wrong. I was a bit surprised to find beef-stock or some other animal ingredient listed on the label. Maybe this is a common mistake made by vegetarian newbies...maybe I'm just a Dodo bird. 

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In any case, I have started playing around with alternatives. 

If you love garlic and onions this should be a good one for you. 

Ingredients:

1 package Trader Joe's pre-cooked organic polenta (or your choice)

1. Coat frying pan with Trader Joe's olive oil spray (or your choice)

2. Slice to approximately 1/2" slices. Heat according to package directions (I like them slightly browned). Set aside in oven set to warm.

Creamy Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

2 cups rice milk (or preferred milk substitute)

3 tbsp flour

2 tbsp margarine or butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1. Melt margarine in saucepan on med-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent.

2. Lower to medium heat and add remaining ingredients, whisking continuously.

3.Whisk for 5 minutes until gravy thickens. For thicker gravy add more flour after 5 minutes. If too thick for your taste, add milk substitute until desired thickness is achieved.

Creamy Spinach with Garlic & Onions

Ingredients:

1 lb bag baby spinach

2 tbsp margarine or butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup rice or soy milk (or preferred substitute)

1 tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt margarine over medium heat and sauté garlic and onions until fragrant.

2. Raise heat to high and add flour, whisk well then lower heat back to medium.

3. Add spinach and mix. 

4. Cook until spinach is wilted.

Good Vegan Company

So voluptuous Latina bombshell Jennifer Lopez has recently announced she's gone vegan.

This is awesome news, sure...but I wonder how this will affect her status as a fashion icon. I hope it does. Does this mean no more mink lashes or leather Louboutins for Jenny?

Pesto Caprese Sandwich with Balsamic Asparagus

This easy-breezy sandwich is both refreshing and full of flavor. Perfect for summer dinners (or lunch) after a long day of gardening (hopefully growing your own veggies!) and yard work under the sun.

Pesto Caprese Sandwich

Ingredients:

Fresh Mozarella Cheese (or vegan substitute)

Roma Tomatoes

Pesto Spread of your choice (I use Trader Joe's Genova Pesto)

Fresh green or purple Italian Basil leaves (Mine came straight from my garden!)

Rolls (Ciabatta are ideal, but I happened to have some fresh Keiser ones in my kitchen so I used those. Save money, use what you have!)

I won't provide directions on how to put these ingredients together because if you can read my blogposts without assistance, you have the skills necessary to put a sandwich together on your own. 

I believe in you!

Steamed Balsamic Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh Asparagus

Olive oil (to taste)

Balsamic Vinegar (to taste)

1 tsp dried Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Kosher salt (to taste)

Also super-simple! 

1. Wash and cut Asparagus stalks into two or tree pieces.

2. Steam until tender, but not soggy (about 5 minutes, checking frequently).

3. Drain. Combine and toss all ingredients in a bowl.

4. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

YUM!

PS. Confession: While 1 serving is perfectly satisfying, I ate two sandwiches all on my own. 

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Red Pepper Eggplant & Arugula Salad

Red Pepper Eggplant

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

2 eggs (or egg substitute)

Italian bread crumbs

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp rosemary

Trader Joe's Red Pepper Eggplant & Garlic spread

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

1. Bread and fry eggplant slices as you would when preparing eggplant parm.

2. Set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil. 

3. Arrange slices in baking dish in a single layer. 

4. Top each slice with a dollop of TJ's Red Pepper Spread and sprinkle with cheese.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Arugula Cucumber & White Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag arugula

1 can Trader Joe's (or your favorite) Organic Great Northern Beans

1/2 cucumber sliced

1 sweet red pepper sliced

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1 tsp Kosher salt

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

1. Combine, toss well and chow down!