Edibles

“May our hearts overcome our appetites” – Unknown

Peace begins on our plate. Why fill our bodies with suffering and death when we can fuel them with the endless healing plant foods nature provides for us right from the earth? There’s a reason plant foods are so beautiful in their natural state. Although veganism is not a diet but a social justice movement, the plant-based diet is the ONLY diet scientifically proven to prevent, treat, and in many cases reverse, heart disease and the other top 15 killer diseases in the US. I encourage you to watch the non-graphic Forks Over Knives, Food Matters, soon to be released What The Health, and Cowspiracy, or read How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger, to find out why it’s in our own best interest to eat plant-exclusively. Veganism is a win-win for the animals, our planet, and ourselves. The only thing you’ll be giving up is the cruelty.

I often tell tales of my former pre-vegan life and how cooking just wasn’t a part of it with a few minor exceptions like frozen pizza, boxed macaroni and cheese, and ribs. Yes, out of all the things I did bother to make, BBQ ribs were a part of that. Barbecue, specifically ribs, were one of my favorite foods that were a rare treat. Usually the hole-in-the-wall places seemed to have the best, and now I can only imagine why that was. At some point, I had come across an easy slow-cooker recipe and figured it was something I could manage and manage I did. I didn’t make them often but felt like such a master chef when I did. I had an old instagram account that has long been deleted, way before foodies took over IG, and remember posting a photo of my nasty pile of bones. Aside from it probably being the most unappealing composed and lit photo, I distinctly remember feeling so weird about posting a food photo, thinking who the heck wants to see what I’m eating, and was surprised that it received any acknowledgment at all. Especially such a sight as that one. Look how far we’ve come. The thought of eating animal ribs completely grosses me out now, I’m embarrassed of my former self but once we know better we do better, eh? That’s been my mantra since making the switch.

But I will forever love that smokey sweetness of a good barbecue with just the right amount of zing and there’s no reason one cannot enjoy it even as a vegan. We can pour that sauce onto cauliflower instead of chicken wings, stewed carrots or jack fruit instead of pulled pork. All the sensory satisfaction can be had with plants and the only animals needed are my two rescue pups begging for some of what Mama is eating, right beside me. I’ve enjoyed a couple BBQ rib dishes at local places and I actually really enjoyed the Morning Star brand Riblets but when I flipped through the Vegan Pantry Cookbook months ago and came across that UnRib photo and recipe, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. For whatever reason, it took me several months to getting around to actually cooking them. The ingredient list wasn’t overwhelming but it did call for the homemade barbecue sauce also from the book, to be made. Those ingredients just get thrown into a blender but if you want to cut down the total ingredients, there’s no reason why you can’t buy your favorite vegan barbecue sauce (watch for honey and I’ve also seen dairy in some, why?). 

The ribs come together pretty easily but you do have to saute them in a pan, let them bake for over an hour, and then saute them up a second time to get that nice char going. Although the overall time needed from start to finish isn’t particular speedy, it wasn’t labor intensive and it’s really worth it. Good food isn’t always fast food. Plus, the recipe makes enough for 2 meals, if you eat like my family, so you can freeze half and have ribs in a jiffy again in the future. If you have this book, please give it a try, if you don’t have this book, it’s worth the purchase if you are looking for another cookbook to add to your collection. I’ve also made the “Breast” of Un-Chicken from the book, which you can watch me do on Youtube, and was another delicious recipe that will stock your freezer. These ribs, though, tender, sticky, messy…and vegan! Just how ribs should be. 

My husband often says I often put myself in these situations that I dread, but it’s not that I dread them, it’s that what initially sounded like an awesome idea quickly turns to an anxiety fueled countdown to the event. So I guess I can see why he may be a little confused, but I […]

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My dad is the amateur chef in the family. He’s the one spending hours in the kitchen and experimenting with new recipes and veganizing old family favorites for me. He hosts themed dinner parties for his neighbors and has the kitchen tools and serving ware that can rival a small catering company. But growing up, […]

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I had yet to experience the most perfect brownie since I went vegan. It’s not because I’m vegan, I just don’t often come across as many vegan brownies as I’d like and I apparently have very specific expectations of the perfect brownie that few fail to meet, even long before veganism was a thing in […]

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My kung fu school is having their first book club, and like any good martial arts school, everything is martial arts related. So for our first book, we’re reading American Shaolin by Matthew Perry which is an easy and entertaining read because our school is pretty much all ages (oh, those tiny kung fu martial […]

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For whatever reason, egg salad brings back fond childhood memories. I distinctly remember my mom packing up a picnic lunch of egg salad sandwiches on that glorious, cheap, soft white bread, and taking me to the zoo. We would eat it outside of the zoo gates, my young mind thought it was to make the […]

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Before I even get to the food, can we talk about vegan food terminology? It’s annoying, isn’t it? I feel like there really isn’t a perfect way to word vegan versions of traditionally animal-based products. I mean, I’m totally comfortable calling my tempeh bacon simply “bacon” and my tofu scramble “eggs” but damn if some […]

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You can find a million and one recipes online for making your own nut milk so I never felt it was necessary to post one here. But then I kind of feel like I can’t have a place that talks about vegan living and not mention making your own milk. Interestingly enough, the first time […]

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I haven’t been experimenting in the kitchen much lately and feel sad for slacking on the food sharing since it’s something I really enjoy. Winter (and I guess Fall?) funk is partly to blame but also because I got involved in a project with a talented group of chefs, aspiring chefs, and bakers. My little […]

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