Idiots.
[via Obscure Store]
My friend Ryder passed along a series of videos he shot of elephants wearing Barnum and Bailey emblems being herded down the streets of Los Angeles this morning. They may (or may not) have been connected with the Michael Jackson memorial happening a few hours later.
Sigh.
Start of summer: check.
Cheap-o ice cream maker: check.
Collection of vegan ice cream recipes ranging from “vanilla” to “seaweed”: check.
By now, I’m sure you’ve all heard of Wheeler Del Torro, the mysterious man behind Wheeler’s Black Label Vegan Ice Cream, based in Boston. I reviewed some of his flavors here last year and was super excited to see that he was sharing his secrets to homemade ice cream greatness.
Wheeler learned his craft from a high school girlfriend’s grandmother in France and perfected it upon returning to the United States. Though he wasn’t vegan until a bet he made with an incredibly unhealthy boss, Wheeler was able to adapt what he had learned about making ice cream to his new vegan diet. Before long, he was making vegan Cristal ice cream with gold flecks for Alan Iverson that cost thousands of dollars.
While that recipe doesn’t appear in the book, there’s still quite a variety. The Vegan Scoop is divided into nine sections:
In addition, there’s a very helpful introductory chapter on how to construct your own unique flavors in case you’ve been itching to try a Basil Carob Rhubarb ice cream.
A true measure of a cookbook is in how often it gets used. The fact we’ve made six quarts of ice cream in the last month-and-a-half should give some indication of how much we’re digging the book around here thusfar. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve made:
Vanilla – I used Mimicreme instead of a soy-based creamer which resulted in a very, very creamy rich ice cream, but definitely not classic vanilla in flavor. It had that nuttiness that some may or may not appreciate. Next time: soy creamer, as recommended.
Rocky Road – This was our favorite. Made with Sweet & Sara marshmallows, the Rocky Road was nothing short of amazing. It lasted the shortest time in our fridge. Creamy, chocolatey, nutty, and just delicious.
Mint Chocolate Chip – My all-time favorite flavor is done justice here. The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 T. of peppermint extract, which is enough mint to singe your eyebrows. Cut it back to 1 T. for near-perfect results.
Apple Pie – The least orthodox of the ones I tried, the apple pie ice cream really is just that: apple pie in ice cream form. Though it took twice as long as the instructions said to prep the apples, the end result was quite intriguing: just enough apple and cinnamon to not be overwhelming, yet distinctive enough to stand out. I liked it.
Key Lime-Strawberry – This was our first attempt and was far, far better than the commercially available key lime soy ice cream. It packs a punch, but isn’t overly sour. Great stuff.
Other flavors I’m most looking forward to trying: Wasabi, Pomegranate-Grapefruit, Vanilla Saffron, Green Tea, Peanut Butter and Flaxseed, and Peanut Butter and Jelly.
The recipes themselves are straightforward and follow a simple formula. It should be noted, however, that you need to plan ahead. You’ll need to freeze the ice cream maker bowl the night before and start making your ice cream about six hours before you’ll want to eat it. (Ice cream makers are cheap – I got this one a few years ago for a mere $20. There are some alternative solutions on Wheeler’s site if you don’t have space for a dedicated ice cream maker.)
There are only two notable criticisms that I offer about The Vegan Scoop. First, the recipes all call for vanilla extract rather than vanilla beans. While that makes sense when you realize that a single vanilla bean can cost you $9 in your local grocery store, here’s a secret: you can get 60 quality vanilla beans for $14 on eBay. For that reason, it would have been nice to have the option to use actual beans in place of the extract. I found a suitable substitution online: for each teaspoon of extract, use one inch of vanilla bean. Most of the recipes here use a tablespoon of extract, so one 3” long vanilla bean does the trick. Drop the full bean into the milk/cream mixture while it heats. When the mixture is done heating, remove the bean, slice it down the center, scrape out the vanilla paste inside and add the paste back into the milk/cream mixture. I confirmed this method with Wheeler and local vegan cooking teacher Mimi Clark.
My other nitpick is the subtitle of the book: “150 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream That Tastes Better Than the ‘Real’ Thing.” I’ve gotten to the point that I dislike when a non-vegan version of a food is called “real,” implying that a veganized version is somehow fake or less real. Minor nitpick, I realize, but I think language is important when presenting veganism to a mainstream audience.
All told, Wheeler Del Torro’s The Vegan Scoop is a big win for those looking to put that ice cream maker to good use. You won’t grow tired of the options and the old favorites will be new again. And, honestly, you may not buy another store-bought ice cream again.
(If you’re avoiding soy, you can substitute other milks in these recipes. If you prefer cashew-based ice creams, Vice Cream is worth checking out.)
"I don’t think in any kind of practical way one can say [the HSUS is] trying to eliminate animal agriculture."
"You can have an echo chamber within the world of industrial agriculture or confinement agriculture and people will say they are just a bunch of vegans and vegetarians that want to end our way of life. That is not the debate. The debate is about confinement systems, humane transport and humane slaughter."
"[Q: Are you trying to shut down zoos and circuses from having animals?] Zoos, absolutely not."
It’s no secret that I think Brownbird Rudy Relic is about the most excellent guy on the planet. And now he’s released his first video. Check it out below or view the full-size HD version.
The video is footage of Rudy performing guerilla-style around the city: in a subway station, on the subway, on the sidewalk, and in the middle of a busy street (!!). Most of the footage was shot with a concealed camera to capture the reaction (or lack thereof) of the people near him. Great, great stuff.
Last week, I got an e-mail from a reader from Saudi Arabia:
I am not a vegetarian or vegan but I have played with the idea for some time. I admire people who are able to give up meat and stick to it. I consider myself the healthiest junk food eater ever. I take my vitamins, make my smoothies and I enjoy almonds and almond milk, fresh veggies, grains and herbs are easy to come by here (I live in Saudia Arabia) but I have a weakness for some meats and sweets. Where do newbies begin? Do I have to change my entire life? The soaps, lotions, detergent? My husband no longer eats meat for health reasons. I have read your introduction and a few posts keep up the good work.
I can answer some of these questions, but before I do, let me ask any readers from Saudi Arabia to chime in and offer some region-specific advice in terms of restaurants, AR groups, etc.
Now, let me start with what I see to be the key question here, one that I sums up the trepedation a lot of people have about going veg: “Do I have to change my entire life?” The answer, in short, is yes. For the change to be meaningful and lasting, I think going veg does have to feel like a life-changing experience.
However.
The problem isn’t changing your life. If you spend your entire day kicking babies and one day you decide to stop, that’s a life-changing event, but it’s not one that should feel like deprivation. It’s a change in your life that’s positive, one that that you can embrace and feel good about. And that’s what going veg should be. If you focus on all of the things that you’re “giving up,” it’s going to feel like a sacrifice, like you’re missing out on something. What you’re doing is making a declaration about what it is and isn’t OK to eat, wear, and use. One thing I’ve noticed is that meat is no longer a food to me. I would no sooner eat a piece of chicken off of someone’s plate than I would eat their napkin. It’s just not food.
That said, do I think you need to go vegan all at once? It depends on the type of person you are. I think some people can only get to their end goal if they go from 0 to 60. If you can do it, it’s the best way to go. It ends the suffering now, no waiting.
But I know that if I had tried to go vegan when I first stopped eating meat, I think I would have given it up quickly and gone back, defeated, to my omnivorous ways. Why? Because I was a dummy and had no clue what I was doing. In time I learned, and once I did, I realized how important it was to go vegan, and that allowed me to make the change one that will stick for the rest of my life.
I realize that may not be a popular response, and I’m not fully happy with it, but I’d much rather see someone go vegan after being vegetarian for a few months than someone who jumps into veganism unprepared and then gives up and becomes one of those annoying “ex-vegans.” (That said, please don’t label me as in favor of anything that could be labeled an “incremental” step — for example, I don’t think free-range/cage-free/grass-fed/etc. does any good whatsoever in promoting veganism.)
Educate yourself. Learn about why it’s important to stop using animal products in your cosmetics and toiletries. Learn about how eggs and dairy not only inflict the most terrible of suffering but also directly result in the death of baby animals. Learn about new foods, nutrition, and cooking techniques. Immerse yourself from the start and it will become second nature before you know it.
I think you’re off to a good start. It sounds like you’re making food choices that are easy for you — the grains, herbs, vegetables, nuts and seeds, etc. that are part of your diet anyway. Plus, with a spouse that’s vegetarian, you have support from your partner which a lot of people don’t have when they decide to make a change like this. Find some support locally and online to keep you and your spouse from feeling like you’re alone. You can do it. Rah rah.
Careful — this video of the latest in “environmentally-friendly beef” might cause you to injure yourself from constant eye rolling.
The inane, low-IQ banter is too much to take. I’m not even going to provide any commentary because, really, it’s Fox News… you know what you’re going to get.
"The cruelty of these crimes were horrific for the animal victims, but there were many human victims as well," Mayor Paul Vrooman said.
"Let's not forget the children and the families who found their pets mutilated. These awful scenes inflicted a human toll."
Food recalls
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