First Betty Crocker Went Vegan, Now McDonalds Follows Suit

It seems masochistic to be writing about Tasha Edwards’ 30 Day “McDonalds Made Vegan” project while on a juice fast, and  yet…
Seriously though, how could I resist? When I found out about Tasha’s goal to veganize the McDonald’s menu over the course of a month — with the hopes of helping fast-food junkies get a bit healthier and a heap more compassionate in their food choices — I had one thought: apple pie. Perhaps it was because I was drinking an apple/lemon/kale juice at the time, but suddenly I remembered with a fierce vengeance the flaky, sugary goodness of biting into a hot McDonalds apple-pie-like-concoction (though in retrospect, I’m not actually sure if there were actually any apples in it at all). So when I found out about this new project designed to veganize items from McDonalds’ $1 menu, I wondered, was it possible that Tasha had conquered the McDonalds’ apple pie? Indeed! I’m seriously digging this Tasha Edwards (a.k.a. “The Sweetest Vegan”). With every recipe she creates, there is an accompanying cooking video, and an added step-by-step photo essay of how to make the ethically-sourced, animal-friendly version of a McDonalds item (hello, mushroom-based vegan BigMac!). And today is only Day 6. I’m officially obsessed.

Tasha’s efforts to veganize a menu that is typically laden with dead animals is reminiscent to me of the fabulous Annie and Dan Shannon, of “Meet the Shannons,” who have spent the last few years veganizing The Betty Crocker Cookbook. Way back a thousand years ago (or, more precisely, in 2010), Annie and Dan talked to us all about “The Betty Crocker Project’ when they joined us on Episode 52 of our podcast. Flash forward to today, and guess what I just pre-ordered on Amazon? Hold onto your vintage aprons, because this is big: Betty Goes Vegan: 500 Classic Recipes for the Modern Family. Can you stand it?! Annie and Dan got a huge book deal from their ‘lil vegan blog!
This whole lets-take-dumb-oppressive-food-and-make-it-compassionate-and-fabulous is like, suddenly, a movement unto itself. It’s kind of like that whole “revolution vs. evolution” thing that we spoke about on our podcast last week (Episode 151). There is so much power to be had when redefining icky things in a way that represents living our lives in harmony with our ethical beliefs. There is literally a vegan version of everything, when you look for it — or when you create it — from McDonalds, all the way to Betty Crocker.