Protein in a Vegan Diet

Many people, my mother included do not believe that vegans, or the way my mom pronounces it, vaegans, get enough protein in their diet. However, a simple web search will yield different results, and it does not rely solely on tofu! You can get protein in a variety of places, including bagels, peanut butter, soy milk and soy yogurt. Since I work in a bagel shop, this is good news to me! Here's a link that lists protein filled vegan items and sample menus to make sure you get the proper amount in your daily diet.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

Recipe- Delightfully Delicious (Vegan) Pumpkin Cookies

With autumn in full swing, there is nothing like a nice, strong espresso, soy chai or spiced cider and ANYTHING pumpkin flavored. On my quest to adopting a vegan diet, I went to my local bookstore and found a copy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I flipped through the glossy pages while in the aisle, and while salivating, I decided I HAD to purchase this book. I mean, I've been whipping up some dinners for Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance, which were rad, so I knew these cookies would have to be Ah-mazing. Also, it's research! I bake cookies overnight at a local bakery and wanted to provide a vegan cookie for all the veg-heads like me. However, these vegan creations were de-veganized with cream cheese icing. Ok, enough of my rambling; here is the amazingly outstanding recipe that Moskowitz and Romero whipped up.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup oat flour (make your own by whirring rolled oats in a food processor)

2 Tbs. corn starch

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

A handful of shelled pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

**Just a side note, I usually do 1/2 tsp. of the cloves (because I love using cloves and the flavor it adds) and adding the pumpkin seeds really pulls this cookie together**

1. First, reduce the pumpkin. Place it in a saucepan over medium heat for about 45 minutes. Keep the heat low enough so that it doesn't boil, but it should appear to be steaming. STIR OFTEN. After about 30 minutes, spoon the pumpkin into a liquid measuring cup to check on how much it has reduced. It should be down to around 2/3 cup at this point. Return the pumpkin to pot to cook until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Set aside to cool completely.

**The importance of this step is crucial. This gives the cookie a firmer texture, which you want. If this step is not done, you will be left with a fluffy, cakey kind of cookie which would disappoint any cookie lover.**

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3.In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the cooled pumpkin and vanilla.

**My hand mixer broke before I attempted these little sinfully delicious treats, so I used my hands to mix. You'll get dirty, but this works just fine.**

4. Sift in all remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Spoon onto cookie sheets in rounded tablespoons of dough, flattening the tops with your hand. Arrange a few pumpkin seeds in the centers, if you like.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool.

BAM! Delicious, 100% vegan cookies to add to your jar and, if you're in the giving mood, impress your fellow employees.

The Importance of Being: Healthy

What does it mean to be healthy? Everybody has their own variations on this, and no matter how alike some may seem, they are often tweaked to fit a certain lifestyle. I think it is necessary to expand your body and mind by pushing limits and doing things out of the ordinary. For instance, my sophomore year I took a rock climbing course as an elective and overcame a fear of heights. That specific experience unveiled the question: How else can I push myself to become a better version of myself?

For the past few years I have been dabbling in vegetarianism, and as of now have been consistently for about three months. Always wanting to test my limits, I have been trying recently to go completely vegan. Hopefully this blog will provide information for those of you who are also taking this leap, or are looking for some bitchin' cruelty-free recipes.

Also, since I am a student majoring in American Studies and English with a concentration in Creative Writing, I will hopefully be including creative pieces and providing my insight on specific topics in our society.

Jonathan Safran Foer wrote in his novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close that "Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living." I'll be damned if I won't live all these lives.