Earthlings

Anyone squeamish from "Food, Inc." would do well to skip this movie altogether. There is little new information here, though it does give those new to activism, animal rights, vegetarianism, etc. a general overview of the role of animals in human society.

The tone of the film started out a bit grandiose and preachy,coining the word "specisist" to define anyone who puts the desires of their own species above any other and linking these people to Nazi's and rapists. This is the kind of talk that often turns the casual viewer (and I mean someone not already entrenched in the cause) off. While the juxtaposition between concentration camps and cattle ranches is a good one, it seems to be used for the soul purpose of horror. The facts are horrific enough and this is where "Food, Inc." was more successful.

The movie breaks the role of animals in human culture down into five categories:

1. Pets- The main focus here is the benefit to adoption and avoidance of pet stores and puppy mills. Footage of euthanasia is stunning in the cases where injection overlooked for the inexpensiveness of gas. I adopted my cat from a shelter and plan to do so for all future pets. I'm a bit torn now as to where is the best place to adopt from though. Should I continue supporting no-kill shelters even though they are unable to support a large number of animals or should I rescue from traditional kill shelters? Am I supporting their killing of thousands of animals or am I rescuing one? It's a tough thought.

"...fellow prisioners of the wonder and travail of Earth."


2. Food- More and more Americans are becoming aware of the meat industry and its shortcomings, thanks in part to films such as this and Oprah. [side note: I want to see a "where are they now" episode following her week long vegan challenge a year from now. How many stuck with it?] The footage is much the same as you have seen before with some exceptions. When I ate meat, I thought Kosher meant better. I was horrified by what was shown at the largest processing plant of Kosher meat in the U.S. How does anyone think this is okay? I have a dream where one day I live in a house and can keep chickens. I keep trying to convince my friends who already have goats to get some chickens and maybe a pig or two. I just want to play with them! Also, I find it difficult to refute eggs that I, essentially, produced. More food for thought.

3. Clothing- Since becoming vegetarian, I have avoided leather products. After reading a post on The Kind Life  about wool production, I am determined to decrease my consumption of animal fibers as well. What surprised me most in this segment was where most leather comes from. It always seemed weird to me that so many leather goods were made in India considering the Hindu belief that cows are sacred, and even more so to realize that it is these sacred animals that are being slaughtered for coats.

"Of all the creatures that were made, man is the most detestable... He is the only creature that has pain for sport, knowing it to be pain." -Mark Twain 


4. Entertainment- Hunting, racing/gambling, rodeos, circuses, bullfighting, and zoos are all profiled here.

5. Science- Focusing on medical testing, experimentation, etc. I try to avoid products that have been tested on animals mostly because I can't imagine what we still need to learn about shampoo. However, I am unsure how I feel about medical testing and am no less confused now. With a running time of only 90 minutes, it is not surprising that questions would go unanswered. However, when an accusation is made I expect a full argument.

"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields." -Leo Tolstoy

Should you see "Earthlings"? The short answer is yes. It is especially designed with the public in mind, however it is full of graphic images which may be unsuitable for younger viewers. Have you seen this movie? What did you think?

(all quotes as seen in the film)

State Fair of Texas

The State Fair of Texas is the largest state fair in the country. It's so grand and unique in nature that Oprah filmed an entire episode there. The Fair is also home to a fried food contest that brings the most innovative and often delicious treats to visitors. Past winners have included fried butter, fried Oreos, fried Twinkies, fired short ribs, and fried peanut butter and jelly and banana sandwiches. This years treats (and tricks) were no different:

** Here I am sampling some fried green beans while the local news looks on. These are probably my favorite thing at the fair. Mostly because I can lie to myself that it's healthful (there's veggies in there yo!), but also because there are only so many treats for a vegetarian to enjoy. They are yummy and totally worth it!

** The food pavilion features food from around the world and so delicious! The carnivorous crew members indulged in turkey legs and fried short ribs, but we were on a more serious mission: Fried Beer. The winner of Most Original, it was hiding somewhere in the pavilion and we had to find it. While waiting in line, a fellow fair goer asked us if we wanted her fried beer. She said is was disgusting, put the basket in our hands, and walked away. She didn't even want any tickets for it! Of course, we couldn't take her word for it. Let me just say that if I never have to see, hear, or taste fried beer again it will be too soon. Imagine a salty ravioli filled with Shiner Bock, now imagine biting into said ravioli only to discover the beer is still in liquid state and now running down your shirt. Oh, and it's hot.

On a positive note, the Fried Green Tomatoes were great and they came with a zesty chipotle ranch dipping sauce!

** Deep Fried Oreos are so good. It's like when you hold an Oreo in milk for just the right length of time so it's soft but not soggy, then you batter and fry it. I also tried the fried chocolate (new this year) which was good but I think they were running out so I only got a small chunk. Still, that chunk had a nice cherry in it (fruit! healthy right?).

** The fried grilled cheese sandwich that debuted last year was back again. I was not impressed last year, it tasted like hot oil and no cheese. The best part was the side of tomato soup for dipping. This year, things were looking up for the sandwich though the soup was still the best part. I'm guessing this once again has something to do with being there on opening day before the fryers become disgusting.

** Word-of-the-day Jennie loved the fried Frito pie so much she was clamoring for seconds. I have to say, when I ate meat Frito pie was one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I must have eaten it at least once a month. I kinda wish this had come out last year so I could have tried it but I don't think it lessened anything for me not to. This won Best Taste at this years fair.

** I was kind of bummed when I heard about the Green Goblin. It's a pepper (pablano/habenero?) stuffed with shredded chicken, rice, cheese, and avocado. Why did they have to ruin it with chicken?!

**Fried Moonpie. Like the Oreo but with marshmallow. Pretty good, of course by this time I was fighting a nasty headache from all the sugar, oil, and beer I'd ingested.

** In an attempt to supplement my Fair beer diet, I also tried some fried Texas caviar (black-eyed peas) tossed with seasoning (including Old Bay). They come in regular and spicy, though as a lover of all things spicy I cannot imagine eating that one. The regular was so flavorful and spicy I'm pretty sure the hotter version would kill me.

** Of course, before you leave the Fair you need a little something for the ride home or to comfort you until you can come back again. Might I suggest some cotton candy or salt water taffy (my personal fav)?

I'm sure I forgot something deep fried and wondrous, but I can't remember anymore. It's a good thing I started the day with a small salad, just to keep me grounded. I also never want to see anything fried for a really long time.

If it ain't twisted...

... It's not a burger!

Ever since Twisted Root opened near downtown Dallas I have been a fan. Even before "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" hit the scene, the line at lunch often ran down the block. So, what's the big fuss over a burger joint?

Twisted Root is run by 3 professionally trained chefs using the best local and seasonal ingredients in all their products. When it's in season, you can find Elk, Bison, Venison, and Ostrich on the menu. Their veggie burger is spicy and house made with balck beans and corn. The sesoned curly fries are amazing, that is until you try the fried green beans and onion strings!

After placing your order, you are given a laminated card with a celebrities name on it (last time I was Brittany Spears). When your order is ready, Chef Quincy Hart calls out your name using impressions and sound effects. He is a hoot!

On my last visit, I ordered the veggie burger on a whole wheat bun (vegan!) topped with sauteed onions, lettuce, cheddar, and guacamole. All of the sauces are made in house, and I recommend Granddad's Famous BBQ Sauce. I also love the chipotle ketchup and dijon horseradish mustard. To go with my fairly healthy option, I split the Fried Ride with my two buddies. This basket of sides, more like a tray, contains servings of fried pickles, green beans, onion strings, curly fries, and sweet potato chips served with buttermilk and southwestern Ranch dressing. Total coronary but worth it!

To wash it all down we each had an Amaretto-Oreo Adult milkshake- yum! All in all, it wasn't a very balanced meal and sure, that much fried food isn't really good for you. However, I think it's important not to deny your self what you want (as long as you aren't hurting anyone) and some times a few onion rings are just what the doctor ordered!

It's Not the Devil's Playground

**** (4 stars)


I just finished reading (and copying) recipes from "Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Both ladies are also the minds behind the Post Punk Kitchen and their previous best seller "Vegan Vengeance".


What I love about this cookbook is the author's relatable and funny writing style (yes, they did come up with the name for this book from repeat watching's of "Army of Darkness". Come one, that's just cool). The recipes run the gamut from simple homemade seitan (I'm still convinced I would need more counter space than my barely 2x3') to stuffed peppers to BBQ. Everything sounds delicious and the colour photos included read like food porn 101.

My only complaint with the book is that some recipes are way too long. If it can't fit on one page, there's something wrong. Besides that it's off putting, it makes it hard to photocopy which is kind of what you do when your rent from the library.

[side note: I totally rented this from the Library! So excited! I hope to one day own it, but in truth, shoes were calling my name instead.]

I am not vegan, but I love the creativity of the food and am always interested in expanding my culinary repertoire- who isn't?! This book is a nice primer for those who are considering veganism, vegetarians looking for more, and the curious (definitely omnivore friendly).



What are your favorite cook books?

Meat Free Monday Reviews!

Happy Meatless Monday! Today I thought I would give you a couple reviews of some fast (read: frozen) meals I've tried recently. I've kept it reletavely simple today for food- an apple for breakfast (I was kinds hurting this morning, so this was all I could handle), some edemame with tamari (the uber-good soy sauce) and leftover spinach pizza from my favorite Italian place, and So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt in chocolate for a snack. Dinner is "baked" gnocci with pesto (recipe to follow) and maybe some salad.

I'm trying not to eat so much processed/frozen dinners, prefering to save the processing for when I really need it like packaged tempeh, seitan, and Tofurky deli slices. However, while cruising the aisles at Central Market the other day when the word "NEW!" caught my eye. Morningstar Farms (my favorite breakfast sausages by the way) now have TV dinners- Sweet & Sour Chik'n and Lasagna. I am a huge sweet & sour fan so I decided to try it. The sauce is good, as are the chik'n bites, but there are not enough of them. The box promised chunks of pineapple, carrots, and peppers. I think mine had three small pieces of pineapple (Okay by me. I don't really like pineapple) and was over running with carrots and peppers. Mostly, what I had was peppers and rice with carrots and a bit of chik'n. Maybe it's because I haven't had a TV dinner in a while, but I also thought it was a bit salty. Overall, I'd give it 3 stars- Perfect for a quick meal when you're out of time, but not good enough to make it into regular rotation. This is also good for anyone just starting out on a more veggie friendly path.
My favorite new discovery is the Naan pizza by Tandoor Chef. So far, I've only found them at Whole Foods but they are to die! Your choices are Margharita, Roasted Eggplant , Cilantro Pesto, and Spinach & Paneer (which I had). I am in love with paneer, a soft Indian cheese, but have never found a good "instant" version. I don't know how one pizza would feed two people because I would have cut someone if they tried to take the other half! It is delicious and flavorful and I want one right now. I can't wait to try out the other versions (Minus the eggplant. I'm just not there yet). 5 stars! Everyone will enjoy.

What are you eating this Meatless Monday?

Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

It's hard for me to type anything about food right now, as I am getting over some sort of stomach bug, but let's give it ago anyway!

Last weekend, my sister and I checked out Kalachandjis Temple & Restaurant. Open for over 27 years, it claims to be Dallas' longest running vegetarian restaurant. This beautiful Hare Krishna temple is located in an "eclectic" neighborhood in East Dallas. Truth is, if you are not an "East Village" (as I've dubbed it) regular or resident, the area can be kind of scary- think bars on windows, broken cars, roaming pit bulls- but that shouldn't stop you from trying any of the amazing hidden gems located here. Trust me, I'm a local.

Kalachandjis has been on our radar ever since I moved to the area and decided to give in an support (read: eat) vegetarian with my sister. The irony is not lost on me that we finally made the trip once I embraced a more veggie lifestyle.

Most of the menu is vegan and gluten free, though some options do contain dairy and they are clearly marked. They also refrain from using onions or garlic (I'm not sure why) but somehow that doesn't stop the flavor. The menu changes daily based on what is fresh and looking good, so be sure to check out their website for up to the minute information. They are also a donation based restaurant, so you can pay what you think is fair. This seems to be a bit tricky though as our bill was brought to us filled out ($21.90 for all you can eat for 2), I guess you just leave more or less as you see fit.

The food is served buffet style, then you can carry your trays outside to a beautiful courtyard or sit inside in the relative cool. When we were there there was: lemon tahini soup, steamed carrots, spicy peas in tomato sauce, potatoes and green beans, papadam, spinach pakora, tofu salad, collard greens, cheese quiche (I would use quiche lightly, but it was heaven!), fresh bread (cinnamon raisin!), salad bar with fresh dressings, and your choice of desert. We sampled the vanilla rice pudding (orgasmic) and the carob and walnut cake. Put the two together and you've got a winning combination. I'm sure there was more to choose from, but I forget already.

I can't wait to go back, and I hope others will join me in this strange and beautiful restaurant!

Take Action!

* Wednesday I went to my first Meet Up for the Dallas Vegetarians. I have never done anything like this before but it sounded like fun. Plus I had my "stranger danger" buddy shine with me, so what could go wrong? We went to the Bavarian Grill , a German restaurant in Plano. They have a completely separate vegetarian menu (and another one showing what dishes are pork free). I had the vegetable strudel filled with leeks, white and red cabbage, carrots, onions, and mushrooms (though those were not mentioned on the menu). It came with Bavarian potatoes which I learned is code for baked cheese (kinda gross) and creamed spinach (which is listed on the online menu, but not on the printed menu in the restaurant). I HATE creamed spinach, and would have loved the opportunity to sub sauerkraut. Our waitress was a bit off, I felt like she hated us, and not very helpful on substitutions. Also, all I really wanted was the German mixed salad (tomatoes in vinaigrette, cucumbers with dill, green beans with onions, shredded carrots and beets) but it turned out not to be vegetarian and they wouldn't do substitutions (the green beans were cooked in beef broth). Uh, why was it on the veggie menu then? I'll still go back to Bavarian Grill, but may take the opportunity to eat schnitzel instead. As for the Meet Up group, they were very interesting and I would go to another dinner if it was somewhere I was interested in and if my danger buddy could go too!

* New study shows eating charred red meat can increase your risk of bladder cancer.

* Eat Green DFW blogs about sustainable food in North Texas. This week, they shared some delicious recipes to keep in mind when you're at your local farmers market. I haven't been about to get down to the new market at Mockingbird Station yet, but am looking forward to it. I'll probably wait until more produce is available next month.

* Daiya is now available in all Whole Foods! It is delicious and melts wonderfully.

* There's a bill being argued right now that would make it next to impossible to require GMO and non-GMO labels on food. Seriously? Don't you want to know what's in your food? At the least, don't you want to be able to choose what kind of food you eat? What bugs me the most about this bill is that it effects those who use non-GMO ingredients and already label their food that way. Personally, I only buy soy products that say non-GMO and would be pissed if I were no longer allowed to differentiate between the two. Please click on the above link to learn more and sign a petition to stop this blatant infringement on the rights of farmers and manufacturers.

Spiral Diner- Out of This World

In a non-descript grey brick building in Oak Cliff, Texas sits the Spiral Diner, Dallas' favorite vegan restaurant and bakery (I apologize in advance for the copious use of exclamation marks). Their mission is simple: serve great tasting 100% vegan cuisine, using only the best (and mostly organic) ingredients they can. I fell in love with this restaurant before I even set foot in the door based entirely on their mission statement:

*Use only cruelty-free and environmentally friendly biodegradable cleaning products
*Only purchase recycled and un-bleached paper products (with the highest post-consumer content available)
*Always buy Certified Organic ingredients whenever possible with conventional only as a last resort
*Use environmentally friendly, biodegradable take-away containers and disposable cutlery (we also encourage our customers to bring their own reusable containers with them to help us reduce packaging waste)
*Recycle 100% of all the accepted materials that come through our kitchen
*Donate a portion of profit to local grassroots organizations that are fighting for human, animal, and environmental causes
*Reduce waste by purchasing in bulk as much as possible and donating excess food to local food banks and shelters
*Never compromise on the above principles

They also keep their prices low while paying their staff a decent wage (I'm not sure how much that is, but I support anyone making more than $2.15/hr).

My lovely and talented friend shine (Are you reading her blog? You really should), decided to go vegan for April. Click on the link for her to explain the "why's" to you. Needless to say, I fully support her and was so excited when she invited me to dinner at Spiral. I must have studied the menu five times before the big day, trying to figure out what I would try first.

I got there early (who would have guessed there would be no traffic on I-30?) and ordered the Agave Limeade to tide me over-yum! When shine arrived, she ordered the Hot Nacho Cheese and Chips for us to share. I've heard a lot about nut cheese (mark it) for a couple weeks but was scared and slightly afraid to try it. To put it simply, it's delicious; kind of like if bean dip and nacho cheese had a baby. I couldn't stop eating it!

For dinner, I had the Chopped BBQ San'ich which is made from marinated and grilled seitan with a spicy BBQ sauce, dill pickles, red onion, and "mayo". In hindsight, I probably should have ordered the grapes as my side dish, but who can argue with the genius paring of potato salad and BBQ? The sauce was a lot zestier than I anticipated, but delicious none the less. While it didn't have quite the same texture as beef, I can see why seitan is such a popular meat replacement. Shine was in the mood for some comfort food and ordered one of the blue plate specials, chili mac. It looked really good and the pasta was nice and soft. For desert, I ordered a brownie with walnuts and she had a vanilla cupcake with the most outrageous yellow and green icing. My brownie was heaven. I usually don't like nuts in my deserts, but these were soft, not mushy, verses the crunchy I usually detest (mark it squared). Her cupcake had a really interesting flavor neither of us could pin point, but it wasn't bad.

[side note: Whole Foods Vegan Chocolate Chips are heaven and I may end up eating a whole bag of them!]

All in all, I give Spiral Diner 4 stars and cannot wait until my sister is in town so we can go again (though truth be told, I'm probably going back a lot sooner)! It's a great place for vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters alike!!