One day in my office a coworker was chatting with my officemate and me through the doorway, and he spotted a centipede fluttering swiftly across the floor. We all looked at each other in fear, and my coworker asked what he should do and whether we wanted the bug to be killed or not. It really struck me that he asked, that he considered that my officemate or I might want the centipede to be left alone.
I have to admit that when I see bugs indoors (especially fast-moving ones like centipedes or cockroaches) I am still in the habit of immediately moving to kill them. My automatic thought is, "I don't want that tickly/itchy feeling from knowing that there is something running loose in here. This thing needs to go, STAT." Every time I see an insect it's an opportunity to change my behavior. My goal is to use catch-and-release more frequently, and without discrimination of bug size or speed. I will reach for a piece of paper, not to kill, but to ferry the bug over to a door or window so it can go outside.
One day my sister called me, freaking out because a mousetrap at her boyfriend's house had caught something. The mouse was crying out and writhing around on the glue, and my sister was scared to deal with it. Like her, I don't think I could bear to throw a live rodent out like garbage or kill it myself. The mouse was just trying to survive and live its life, and I don't think I'm entitled to to disrupt that. A life is a life is a life, right?
But why don't I instinctively treat insects with the same respect? Is it because insects don't physically resemble the furry animals I love? Is it because I think of insects as being less "like me" because they are not warm-blooded and I can't look them in the eye? What do you think?
How do you relate to indoor "pests"? How do you treat them?
Vegan on a Shoestring
July 3, 2011
July 2, 2011
DIY Sprouting: How
I consider myself to be a resourceful person. One time at a street fair I bought a mini sweet potato pie and forgot to ask for a fork so I took a plastic straw, bent it in half, and used it as chopsticks. To me, that was instant MacGyver status.
But when I first read about sprouting it seemed intimidating. Any food preparation involving more than one day is very scary to me (I'm recalling numerous failed, very stinky attempts at Ethiopian teff injera). Another thing that halted me was that I would need to buy sprouting containers, these glass jars with special mesh lids.
I was determined to get the sprouting done without the expensive hardware. Call mestubborn persistent, but I figure that one (or 3) failed attempts at anything is better than not trying at all. And it worked!
Materials:
Procedure:
1. At night, put lentils in the jar and cover with clean water up to an inch or two above the lentils, to give room for when they swell. Let soak overnight.
2. The next morning (day 1), rinse and drain the lentils. Cover the top of the jar with the cheesecloth and secure with rubber band. Reminds me of a keffiyeh.
4. Shake the jar gently, to distribute the lentils evenly along the length of the jar. Rest the jar on a tilt so leftover water can drain throughout the day. You can rest it on a dish rack, or as I did, on a rolled-up towel (this is after they had already sprouted):
5. That night, rinse and drain the lentils, and tilt the jar again.
6. The next morning (day 2), rinse and drain the lentils, and tilt the jar again. You might begin to notice some tails. You can eat them as is, or you can keep rinsing and draining them twice a day for up to a few more days until the tails grow to desired length. Taste them at various points and see what tail length you prefer. After a few days when the tails are about an inch long, they will sprout cute little green leaves. The sprouts keep well in the refrigerator for up to several days.
7. Along the process, many lentils will shed their skins. When it comes time for you to eat the sprouts, it's up to you whether you want to eat the skins. If you don't want them, drop the sprouts into a large bowl of water and stir with your hand. The skins will float to the surface of the water and you can remove them.
I also tried to sprout chickpeas (in a clear plastic container) and raw pumpkin seeds (in a glass jar) but they did not sprout and just ended up smelly and slimy. Do you have any ideas what went wrong there?
Sprouts go for about $3 for a little package that only weighs a few ounces. I only used about a half cup of lentils ($.50 worth, maybe?), and the sprouts filled up the quart-size jar. You would make out like a bandit by doing it yourself.
So remember to save your glass jars, because they might come in handy one day.
Have you ever experimented with sprouting? How did it go?
Vegan on a Shoestring
But when I first read about sprouting it seemed intimidating. Any food preparation involving more than one day is very scary to me (I'm recalling numerous failed, very stinky attempts at Ethiopian teff injera). Another thing that halted me was that I would need to buy sprouting containers, these glass jars with special mesh lids.
I was determined to get the sprouting done without the expensive hardware. Call me
Materials:
- large glass jar (I used a 32-oz pickle jar)
- piece of cheesecloth large enough to cover the top of the jar, with an extra inch for good measure. Cheesecloth costs a couple of dollars and is washable and reusable.
- rubber band
- 1/2 cup dried lentils
Procedure:
1. At night, put lentils in the jar and cover with clean water up to an inch or two above the lentils, to give room for when they swell. Let soak overnight.
2. The next morning (day 1), rinse and drain the lentils. Cover the top of the jar with the cheesecloth and secure with rubber band. Reminds me of a keffiyeh.
 |
| (These are already sprouted.) |
4. Shake the jar gently, to distribute the lentils evenly along the length of the jar. Rest the jar on a tilt so leftover water can drain throughout the day. You can rest it on a dish rack, or as I did, on a rolled-up towel (this is after they had already sprouted):
5. That night, rinse and drain the lentils, and tilt the jar again.
6. The next morning (day 2), rinse and drain the lentils, and tilt the jar again. You might begin to notice some tails. You can eat them as is, or you can keep rinsing and draining them twice a day for up to a few more days until the tails grow to desired length. Taste them at various points and see what tail length you prefer. After a few days when the tails are about an inch long, they will sprout cute little green leaves. The sprouts keep well in the refrigerator for up to several days.
7. Along the process, many lentils will shed their skins. When it comes time for you to eat the sprouts, it's up to you whether you want to eat the skins. If you don't want them, drop the sprouts into a large bowl of water and stir with your hand. The skins will float to the surface of the water and you can remove them.
I also tried to sprout chickpeas (in a clear plastic container) and raw pumpkin seeds (in a glass jar) but they did not sprout and just ended up smelly and slimy. Do you have any ideas what went wrong there?
Sprouts go for about $3 for a little package that only weighs a few ounces. I only used about a half cup of lentils ($.50 worth, maybe?), and the sprouts filled up the quart-size jar. You would make out like a bandit by doing it yourself.
So remember to save your glass jars, because they might come in handy one day.
Have you ever experimented with sprouting? How did it go?
Vegan on a Shoestring
DIY Sprouting: Why
My apartment is tiny, it has southern exposure (sunlight all day), and its windows are all on the same side of the building (no cross-ventilation). All these features combine to make a hellishly hot summer, made even more oppressive when I use the stove.
Being vegan, beans and legumes are an important source of protein for me, but as far as I know you're not supposed to eat them raw (please let me know if this is not the case). What's a way to eat yummy beans and legumes, without having to use the stove to cook them? Eating bean sprouts!
Bean sprouts are purported to be easier to digest than standard whole cooked beans. They are also a quick and tasty source of protein. You can toss them into salads, sandwiches, and wraps, or make a quick stirfry out of them.
Bean sprouts cost almost $3 for a little package that only weighs half a pound. If you're able to get to an Asian market you can get them for about a dollar a pound. But what if you're not near an Asian market? What's a small-budget vegan to do? Why, make your own, of course! Here are some reasons for making your own sprouts:
I can't think of any reasons not to make your own sprouts. So, let's go!
To be continued...
Do you grow plants, with or without outdoor space?
Vegan on a Shoestring
Being vegan, beans and legumes are an important source of protein for me, but as far as I know you're not supposed to eat them raw (please let me know if this is not the case). What's a way to eat yummy beans and legumes, without having to use the stove to cook them? Eating bean sprouts!
Bean sprouts are purported to be easier to digest than standard whole cooked beans. They are also a quick and tasty source of protein. You can toss them into salads, sandwiches, and wraps, or make a quick stirfry out of them.
Bean sprouts cost almost $3 for a little package that only weighs half a pound. If you're able to get to an Asian market you can get them for about a dollar a pound. But what if you're not near an Asian market? What's a small-budget vegan to do? Why, make your own, of course! Here are some reasons for making your own sprouts:
- You'll save serious money
- It's like a science experiment, except you get to eat it afterwards
- If you have a brown thumb, sprouting will make you feel more competent (I have to admit that even cactuses die under my care)
- You can be proud that you produced fresh, nourishing food in your own home
- You can spare your loved ones from the aftermath of normal bean-eating
I can't think of any reasons not to make your own sprouts. So, let's go!
To be continued...
Do you grow plants, with or without outdoor space?
Vegan on a Shoestring
July 1, 2011
Cold Treats
It's hot outside. I want comfort. Something cold and sweet (and creamy would be a bonus). My local supermarket has one kind of vegan ice cream: So Delicious brand ice cream sandwiches, which cost almost $7 for a box of only 6 sandwiches. In the summer, how can a vegan satisfy a sweet tooth and not break the bank?
1. Haagen Dazs has amazing sorbets. Stick with fruit flavors and avoid the chocolate flavor which contains egg whites.
2. Edy's frozen fruit pops. I would really like to try the coconut but it contains milk.
3. Frozen bananas. When frozen, bananas become creamy. One day, I am going to cut bananas into chunks, coat them in melted chocolate and other fixins, and freeze. I smell a future post on this.
4. Frozen mangoes. I got a great deal (about $2.50) on a 24-oz bag of frozen mangoes at Trader Joe's. Let them thaw for a few minutes before digging in.
How do you handle a summertime sweet tooth?
Vegan on a Shoestring
1. Haagen Dazs has amazing sorbets. Stick with fruit flavors and avoid the chocolate flavor which contains egg whites.
2. Edy's frozen fruit pops. I would really like to try the coconut but it contains milk.
3. Frozen bananas. When frozen, bananas become creamy. One day, I am going to cut bananas into chunks, coat them in melted chocolate and other fixins, and freeze. I smell a future post on this.
4. Frozen mangoes. I got a great deal (about $2.50) on a 24-oz bag of frozen mangoes at Trader Joe's. Let them thaw for a few minutes before digging in.
How do you handle a summertime sweet tooth?
Vegan on a Shoestring
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