Maawa Na Sana Tayo. Sila'y Katulad Rin Natin.

The Moral Lives of Animals

This is so sweet and uplifting... an unlikely friendship between a cat and a bird. I couldn't help but share.

Grilled "Cheez" Sandwich

You've got to try this. So good, but so bad for you.

http://thevoraciousvegan.blogspot.com/2009/03/vegan-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html

Made some for lunch today... nomnomnom. Substitute as needed.

Any athletes out there?

Some advice from retired track and field athlete Carl Lewis, winner of nine Olympic gold medals, and one of only three to win the same individual event four times. Also on the playlist: vegan bodybuilders, a professional football player, and UFC fighter Mac Danzig. Oh, my!

Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw

As my big sister, Duy, so sagaciously phrased it, "you can't go wrong with gata, kalabasa, and sitaw as your main ingredients." Among other things, Duy also taught me how to pinch people really hard using my toes. 

My ginataan looked lonely; some fresh sinangag (garlic fried rice) did the trick!

Method for veganizing Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw: just leave out the pork. Use salt instead of fish sauce. (You can also add a dash of soy sauce.) Add a few thin slices of ginger for added depth.

Ingredients:

Cooking oil

4-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bunch sitaw (string beans), cut into 2 inch pieces

1 small kalabasa (squash), peeled and cut into bite sized pieces.

1 can coconut milk

2-3 thin slices of ginger

Salt, to taste

A dash of soy sauce (optional)

1 cup of water

Method:

(These are some very rough estimates... bear with me.)

Heat up some cooking oil in a large pot. Saute garlic and onions until fragrant. Salt. Add sitaw. Mix to coat in oil. Add kalabasa. Add water and ginger. Salt again. Cover and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk. Mix gently and lower heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook. Adjust seasoning to taste. You can add (just a dash) of soy sauce if you like. Tada!

RED-BRAISED TOFU STEAK WITH KANG-KONG (AKA ON CHOY)

Ingredients:

4 pieces of extra firm tofu

1 big bunch of Kang-kong (On Choy)

sesame oil

chopped garlic

chili paste or chili powder

Sauce:

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons rice wine

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1. Halve the tofu cakes horizontally. Gently press tofu with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Set aside.

2. Mix all sauce ingredients and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Place the tofu in the skillet, and shake the pan gently to prevent sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turn carefully with a spatula, and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Push steaks to side of skillet. Add the garlic and chili paste, stir to blend the flavors and prevent sticking.

5. Add sauce, shake the skillet well to mix all ingredients, cover with lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Add the On-choy (Kang-Kong), and cook for 3 minutes.

* RECIPE IS BASED FROM THE BOOK, "HEALTY ASIAN VEGETARIAN DISHES" (with some revisions)*

Human Rights and Animal Rights: Perfect Together

Human Rights and Animal Rights: Perfect Together - Gary Francione

Posted using ShareThis

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All forms of violence, oppression, and exploitation are interlinked. As long as there is racism and sexism, there will be speciesm. The reverse is also true

Animal rights activists are often accused of not caring about human suffering. But why can't one care about both? As Gary Francione illustrates in this article, if you have time to eat, then you are able to advocate on behalf of animal rights by the simple but powerful act of becoming a vegan.

In a recent gathering of human rights advocates that I attended in Los Angeles, I was pleased to hear from one of the organizers that, of the 90 attendees, as many as 30 were vegan or vegetarian. One-third must be well over the percentage of vegans and vegetarians that constitute the general population. It makes sense to me that the people who are active around the issues of political abductions, torture, killings, and socio-economic inequities are the same people that reject the systematic slaughter of animals for the sake of pleasure or convenience.

In the words of the great Frederick Douglass, former slave and one of the foremost leaders of the nineteenth-century abolitionist movement: "Until we are all free, none of us are free.

I'm back!

Hi World!

I'm back from my trip in the Philippines and found new recipes that absolutely satisfied my appetite! 

Thanks to my aunties who accommodated my vegan lifestyle, they cooked and veganized traditional Filipino dishes. 

These dishes include: Laing, Ginataang Langka, Lumpiang Sariwa, Palitaw, and many more. 

Just stay tuned, I'll be posting the recipes soon! 

-RG

Vegan Feast Udon

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 tbsp of cooking oil
* 4 cloves crushed garlic
* 3/4 cup carrots sliced like mini sticks
* 3/4 cup asparagus (or green beans)
* 1 can of young corn

* 3/4 cup of mushroom

* 1 pack of tofu or veggie ham (optional)
* Pepper to taste

* 1 pack of Udon Noodles
* 1/4 cup of Vegetarian Hoisin Sauce
* 3 tbsp of sesame oil

HOW TO DO IT:

* Boil the Udon Noodles until tender. (Pour a teaspoon of salt or tbsp of oil so noodles won't stick.)
* Drain.
* Set aside.

Meanwhile...

* Fry the garlic until light brown.
* Pour the rest of the vegetable ingredients.
* Pour the Hoisin Sauce and sesame oil and mix the ingredients.
* Adjust the hoisin and sesame oil to taste.
* Add pepper to taste.
* Add the veggie ham (optional).

* Saute for 5-8 minutes.
* Pour the noodles to the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

If adding tofu...

* Cut the tofu into flat slices (think spam size) and dip to hoisin sauce and fry in a separate pan.
* Mix with the rest of the pasta ingredients.

And you're done! Serves 2-4 people depending on your appetite. :D

Tsinayvegan is One Year Old

April 4th, 2009 marks my one year vegan anniversary. Yay, me!

The Faces of Free-Range Farming

Spiced Carrot Raisin Muffins

An honest muffin recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. The beauty of Moskowitz's cooking is that the ingredients and methods are so straightforward; most anyone could replicate the fantastic results.

These muffins are healthy. Half the batter was fresh, grated carrots.

Ghetto toaster oven (it requires a strong magnet to hold it shut) working its magic.

Several modifications:

1.) As evidenced above, my toaster oven can only hold a half-dozen muffin pan. Fortunately, the recipe halved very easily.

2.) I used half a cup of whole wheat flour and a quarter cup of white flour.

3.) I added two tablespoons of flaxseeds for extra nutritional value and texture.

4.) I had some blackstrap molasses on hand, so instead of two tablespoons of canola oil, I used one-and-a-half tablespoons of canola oil, and a half tablespoon of molasses. Blackstrap molasses is an excellent source of calcium and iron. Incorporating it into the batter added spice and subtle sophistication to the muffins.

Somebody typed up the original recipe from the book and posted it on her blog, which is good for me, because no way in the mood I'm in tonight was I going to do it myself. Find the recipe here.

Mock Tunafish Sandwich and Yam Fries

Mock tunafish salad recipe from VegNews. It hit the spot. Very filling, not to mention healthy. Great to have for packing quick lunches. Original recipe called for canned garbanzo beans, but I'm stubborn and cheap, so I used the dried variety and soaked them overnight. Doesn't take much - you just leave them in the pot to do their thang. (Don't forget to salt your cooking water.)

Enough words. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

These yam fries should be renamed to yum fries. Incidentally, what's the difference between a yam and a sweet potato?

For the recipe I used to make the fries, follow this link.

Vegan Hot Spots In The Bay - Yum!

Hi, Food Lovers!

If you find yourself craving for great vegan food but wanting to skip the kitchen for now, I suggest checking out some great vegan hot spots in the Bay Area.

I'm talking about diverse vegan delicacies, and not the typical "veggie sweet and sour pork" (not that there's anything wrong with it, but another alternative might excite you).

Here are my top picks:

"Loving Hut". It has three locations in the Bay Area (SF, San Jose, Palo Alto). They offer Asian cuisine with a twist, in the most creative way. In fact, some of their signature dishes are so creative and exotic you won't find it in any other Asian vegan restaurants, or even in their other Long Hut location! This restaurant chain has developed a loyal following not only from vegans, but also from many meat eaters. This place is being run by a religious group whose beliefs include respecting animal life. But don't let that be the forefront of "Loving Hut" image, let your taste buds decide, and judge the restaurant by its food first. The only concern you might have is how healthy the food they're serving. But then again, their dishes would remain healthier than most mainstream dishes loaded with animal trans-fat.

Second, a sushi place without the raw fish? Yes! It's called "Cha-Ya" and no, the menu is not reduced to cucumber, asparagus, tofu or avocado. In fact, it has more than four pages of selections! "Cha-Ya" is located in Berkeley and San Francisco. Both locations welcomes you with a homey and cozy atmosphere. Nothing too fancy, but the food and the service make you feel right at home. I believe they only take cash and the one in Berkeley could be too tiny for a big group.

Third, "Herbivore". I love this place which offers a wide selection of American and Italian Cuisine. They have two locations, one in Berkeley and one in San Francisco. The servings are worth every penny and you might even find some to take back home. Some of their selections are also incredibly and unbelievably vegan, like their vegan lasagna. For me, its ambiance is comparable to Taxi's Hamburgers, or Mel's, or Fuddruckers.

By the way, all three locations offer reasonable prices.

Of course there are plenty of other vegan places to explore. I actually did a video report on places and services that offer Vegan Soul Food, Vegan Pizza and Vegan Filipino Food. Please see my video below to watch my full report.

P.S. Feel free to leave a comment and recommend your own top picks.

What Does A Vegan Eat?

Hehehe... couldn't resist posting this.