Our Vegetarian Wedding

I’m currently working on wedding photo albums as Christmas gifts for our families. So, I figured that I’d write a bit about our vegetarian wedding.

Immediately after Josiah proposed, we started looking for a venue for our wedding. I hadn’t even thought about the food at this point, as I was so excited about getting married. Our first and final stop on our hunt for a venue was to Watson Homestead in Painted Post, NY. The woman that we met with explained that they only worked with one caterer. She said that her daughter was married there the year before and that all of the food was vegan. That fact, along with the beautiful chapel and reception hall, and we were sold.

When we met with the caterer a few weeks later, though, we discovered that he hardly knew what the word vegan meant. He did explain that he could do a vegetarian meal, though. We live in a semi-rural area of New York so, finding another caterer who could prepare a delicious vegan meal for 160 people for a reasonable price just wasn’t possible. However, we made sure that there were plenty of vegan options.

The menu included eggplant rollettes, vegetarian lasagna, bow tie pasta with marinara or alfredo sauce, steamed vegetables, tossed salad, a potato bar with vegan garlic smashed potatoes, and dinner rolls. We made sure that every item that would have had butter on it, went without it. I was disappointed that the entire meal couldn’t be vegan, but I was still happy that much of the food was prepared vegan and all was at least vegetarian. I mean, when was the last time that you had dinner with all of your family and friends and no one ate meat? Having the entire meal prepared vegan would have been ideal, but for it to be vegetarian was still a victory.

We received many compliments from our guests on the food. Thy all said that they didn’t even miss the meat. I’m a strong believer in food as activism and if we showed many people that a meal doesn’t need meat to be delicious and satisfying - I’m okay with that. Oh, and it turned out to be cheaper than serving meat. So, that’s another nice little perk too.

I remember right after we had decided on the menu, we were at a family Christmas party. One of my aunts asked “Are you worried about your guests missing eating meat?” My dad’s response was “Who gives a shit? They aren’t the ones paying for it!” Gotta love him! We got some jokes here and there but overall, everyone was really supportive and understanding of our decisions.

The beautiful cupcakes!

The best part of the meal was most certainly the vegan carrot cake cupcakes. They were baked by Cup of Cake in Corning, NY and they were amazing! As I’m writing this, my mouth is watering with the memories! You absolutely couldn’t tell that the cream cheese frosting wasn’t the real thing. After the whole party was over, we raided the kitchen to get more. We couldn’t get enough.

The final animal friendly thing that we did was during the dollar dance. We didn’t like the idea of a dollar dance at first. To us it seemed too close to begging for money for our tastes. All the guests had already come to the reception with wrapped gifts. We didn’t need to take any more advantage of their generosity. Instead, we asked that the DJ announce that the money would go to our local animal shelter. People seemed to really love the idea. I was told that some people didn’t want to leave until they had a chance to donate. Even the bartender pitched in with a donation. We ended up raising a nice wad of cash for a good cause and had a chance to chat with many of our guests while doing it.

Throughout the whole wedding planning process, I really learned a lot. I never fully understood how personal the event is. My heart and soul went into every detail of that day and there isn’t a thing I would change about it. I know some other vegans might criticise the fact that we served cheese, but we did the best we could with the resources we had. I’ll always cherish the memories that we made.... even if Josiah did try, unsuccessfully, to smash cupcake in my face.

He started the battle; I finished it.

Book Review: Vegan Pie in the Sky

If there’s a single food item that brings to mind Thanksgiving with the family, for me it would not be turkey. Even before abandoning my carnivorous ways, another food item reigned supreme on my family’s Thanksgiving table. Our November holiday is dominated by the pie. I recall one year, back when my grandmother was still alive and hosting the Thanksgiving dinners, there were fourteen of us circling the table; she had made 15 pies.

My grandmother’s pie crusts, of course, were made with love... and plenty of lard. So, the classic pies of my youth wouldn’t jive with my dietary decisions now, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t still enjoy some pretty amazing pies. If you want the proof, just bake any one of the pies featured in Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and More.

Jess and I were thrilled when we first heard of the book and even more thrilled when we first put our hands on a copy. This pie cookbook is written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. The duo have collaborated on a number of cookbooks--many of which we own, and all of which have impressed us. Jess and I have never cooked a recipe of theirs that has been a disappointment.

We baked four pies out of this book in the past week. Two of the four pies were actually the same kind--Coconut Cream--because we loved it so much the first time we made it. The Maple Pecan Pie is also amazing. Grandma used to make an amazing pecan pie, but many of my family say the Maple Pecan Pie out of Vegan Pie in the Sky was the best they’ve ever had.

It’s important to note, as well, that pie isn’t all about the filling. I’ve long believed that a pie is only as good as its crust. Vegan Pie in the Sky has the best pie crust recipe that I’ve ever used. If by some outlandish change of heart I tomorrow went back to eating a diet totally unrestricted, I would keep and use this crust recipe. The price of the cookbook is justified by the crust recipe alone.

Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and More is a must have for any vegan with a sweet tooth or, really, anyone with a sweet tooth. The pies are some of the best we’ve ever had, vegan or not.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I’ve always had an tenuous relationship with this holiday. Maybe that started the year of my discovery of what turkey really is. Aside from the fact that the entire holiday revolves around a dead bird that never lived a natural life, I just don’t care for the food. Even if it’s vegan, it’s just too heavy for my taste.

When I first started my current job, the woman who was training me found this joke as she was cleaning out her desk:

A young many named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to “clean up” the bird’s vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked, kicked, and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he’d hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s outstretched arms and said “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.” John was stunned at the change in the bird’s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, “May I ask what the turkey did?”

I chuckled after reading it, but interpreted it on an additional level that I’m sure did not cross my co-worker’s minds. I didn’t share my thoughts with my co-worker at the time, either. She lives on a dairy farm and didn’t strike me as being particularly open to what I would have had to say. Poor activism, I know.

I read the joke to Josiah when I got home and asked him why it would be considered abusive to put a parrot in a freezer, but it’s common to do the same to a turkey. He said “Easy. Because a parrot can talk.” It’s obvious that as a society, we can justify hurting and killing animals as long as we don’t relate to them or they don’t offer us companionship. I try not to be too much of a “bleeding heart” because being to aggressive can harden people from the message. It’s easy to brush away someone's message if they are always crying over something. I also try to have a good sense of humor about my lifestyle. I don’t get upset when people criticise or question it. I just thought that this joke highlighted a bit of our cultural hypocrisy and would make people think about why some animals are “food” while others aren't.

If you are interested in saving a turkey from the same fate as the one in this joke, please consider adopting a turkey for Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey Project. They can’t talk, but it would still give them something to be thankful for!

Okay, now that I’ve ranted, I’m going to end on a positive note. I’m thankful for this past year being the best one of my life. I married an amazing man which made me a part of his wonderful family. I’m also thankful for any friends and family who may be reading this. I love you all!

Recipe: Chocolate Apple Chipotle Chili OR The Cure for the Common Chili

What do you do as a vegan when participating in a friend’s chili cook-off party? What do you do when you know a number of people in attendance think more meat makes a better chili? Blow their minds with some creative deliciousness, that’s what!

A friend of ours held a Mad Men / chili cook-off party this past weekend. So, we put on our finest 60’s era business executive/housewife attire, placed a pot of chili in the car, and drove across town to get our party on. After the drinking of much scotch and other equally classy beverages, of the six chilis in the informal competition... there was a four way tie for first place. But our Chocolate Apple Chipotle Chili was one of the four, at least. And with no meat. Go figure!

Before making this recipe, keep in mind that I made this for a large party of people, so this is going to make one big batch of chili. If you’re just looking to make dinner for your family you may want to consider halving--or perhaps even quartering--the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
4 medium apples, peeled and diced (I used Gala because we had them on hand)
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes, hand crushed*
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 oz. vegan dark chocolate (80% cocoa or higher)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

*If you are adamantly opposed to getting your hands dirty by hand-crushing your tomatoes, you can use cans of diced tomatoes. Be aware, though, that the texture just won’t be the same.

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot, apple, and garlic to the pot along with a heavy pinch of salt. Saute for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften.

2. Add chipotle peppers with their sauce, bay leaves, chili pepper, cumin, and cinnamon. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring.

3. Add tomato and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the chocolate and sugar, stirring until they have dissolved completely into the chili. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

It’s all ready! Enjoy it with some vegan corn bread or some tortilla chips.

Recipe: Leek, Potato, and Celeriac Soup

This soup is very simple and very delicious. The addition of celeriac (also known as celery root) adds some amazing character that does wonders for the dish. If you can’t get your hands on some, though--or you desperately need a way to put a dent in a potato surplus--you can substitute the celeriac with additional potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil
3 large leeks, chopped and washed
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt
6 cups water
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2”
1 celeriac (approx. 1 lb.), peeled and diced 1/2”

Ingredients ready for the stockpot.

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic along with a healthy pinch of salt. Saute about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are translucent.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until potato and celeriac are tender.

3. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Add salt to taste. By either transferring soup to a blender or using an immersion blender, puree the soup. It can be blended until uniformly smooth, but I prefer to only blend about half of the soup so that there is still some hearty potato and celeriac pieces to bite into.

There! The soups all ready. See! Told you it was an easy recipe!

Bowl up the soup and dig in with a nice piece of multi-grain baguette.

And So It Begins!

Hi, we are Josiah and Jessica Smith. Welcome to A Tempeh Tantrum, our blog about veganism!

The Happy Couple

With A Tempeh Tantrum, we will consistently present posts covering a slew of topics. We will get you salivating with our favorite vegan recipes. We will help you treat your body like the temple that it is with our many healthy living tips. We will reinforce your enthusiasm for the lifestyle with our thoughts on vegan philosophy. We will guide you to take advantage of the best that the vegan community has to offer with our reviews of books, movies, and products. We may even provide you with a chuckle or two. We’ll see; not promising anything.

Please check back soon to see what’s new and feel free to post comments and perhaps spark a dialogue on some of the blog topics. In the meantime, if you care to read a bit about how we first decided to go vegan, check out Jess' Story and Josiah's Story.

See you soon!