378
Ah, we are lucky chickens. Today, we welcome to Our Hen House vegan cookbook author John Schlimm. What strikes me most about John’s story is that he grew up as the son of a butcher, but became a true blue animal advocate, spreading veganism to anyone who wants a spoonful. (After trying John’s concoctions, it’s likely you’ll want many spoonfuls.)
John has two brand new books — and today, we’re giving you a chance to win them. The Cheesy Vegan (Da Capo Press/Lifelong Books) will be out next month, and will include more than 150 plant-based recipes for everyone’s favorite comfort food — cheese! And Stand Up! 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World and How You Can, Too (Publishing Syndicate LLC) just hit shelves last week. Our Hen House is grateful to John and to the publishers for donating copies just for you, darling chickens. Read on to the end to find out how you can win! (Also: Our Hen House flock members have the opportunity to win an additional copy of each!)
Today, John is giving us a glimpse into how he regards his work as “Tasty Activism.” This is an uplifting, refreshing piece. Plus, at the end, John shares with us two recipes from The Cheesy Vegan — his vegan Cheddar, and, in case you’re looking for a place to put the cheddar, his recipe for Mrs. Cleaver’s Cheddar Muffins. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go preheat the oven …
***
Tasty Activism: Extending the Hand of Compassion
by John Schlimm
I grew up as the son of a butcher. So how is it that I wound up a passionate vegan; a cookbook author with a penchant for whole-foods, plant-based recipes; and an unwavering animal advocate?
I was born and raised in a small town in Western Pennsylvania called St. Marys. I often describe my hometown as a classic Norman Rockwell painting, only with lots of camouflage, guns, and steaks thrown in. Fully engulfed by the hunting and meat-eating culture, many of the folks in St. Marys are, by and large, worlds apart from the people throughout the country with whom I cross paths on my book tours and at my speaking gigs. But it’s St. Marys to which I still return at the end of those adventures. It is St. Marys that has inspired and informed the unique perspective I have on compassion, duty, legacy, and my identity as a vegan.
We are each born to a mission in this life – likely many missions – planted like seeds deep within us from the very beginning, just waiting to be discovered and cultivated. And, for each one of us, there comes a season to unleash and nourish those missions. For those of us leading a vegan lifestyle, our season is now, and our mission becomes clearer every day. What we do right now, to embrace and spread compassion by extending our hands and hearts to all living beings from every walk of life, will make all the difference in the days and years to come.
When I was growing up, my dad owned a meat-processing business that was particularly busy during deer-hunting season. As a child, I tried out each of the jobs in Dad’s meat-processing operation – skinning, cutting, wrapping, making sausage, and even tanning the hides.
However, when you are at about nose level with the table, those tasks don’t work out so well, so I was soon relegated to the front desk. There, I was the first stop for the hunters. For about three dollars an hour, I diligently wrote down what the hunters wanted done with their meat, and then followed them outside where they had left their deer. I would then roll up the processing instructions that were carefully rendered in my childish handwriting and fasten the tiny scroll inside the lifeless deer’s ear with a rubber band. My hand, a child’s hand, was the last gentle touch those deer received before processing.
It may sound surprising, but I don’t regret that childhood experience. While my role in Dad’s meat-processing business was short-lived, those deer are some of the earliest memories tucked within my heart and mind.
I now think it’s almost poetic that I have come full circle, from my first official paid writing gig as a child in a meat-processing business, to creating vegan cookbooks. But my mission is much larger than simply writing recipes. My cookbooks, such as my newest, The Cheesy Vegan, along with Grilling Vegan Style and The Tipsy Vegan, are about so much more than just mouthwatering food. My work embodies the spirit of what I like to call “tasty activism.”
Today, my mission is reflected in the identical dedications in each cookbook: “To all the animals – So you know that you have not passed this way unloved.”
I’m determined in my mission to not only embrace compassion with my fellow vegans and animal activists, but I also extend my hand back across the aisle, where I once dwelled, to the meat eaters and hunters. The Cheesy Vegan, Grilling Vegan Style, and The Tipsy Vegan are “parties in a book” to which everyone is invited. Within those pages, I smash through the ridiculous stereotypes and clichés about the vegan lifestyle to create common ground through simple, delicious, and fun plant-based food. I use familiar, everyday ingredients that even my small-town neighbors can find in our grocery stores, and, occasionally, the liquor store (no shame). Within those pages, I extend my hand and embrace compassion.
More than ever before, we in the vegan world are called upon to be ambassadors for a more compassionate planet, in our own ways and through using our own individual gifts, talents, and missions. My number one rule for us: Judge not! Rather, extend a hand and move ever forward.
For my other new book, Stand Up!: 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World, And How You Can, Too!, I gathered together the world’s most amazing young activists, some who started their work as early as three years old and several who have started their own nonprofits to champion many different causes – including helping animals. I gave them a platform from which to shine the light of their missions, and to tell their generation-defining stories in their own incredible words.
When I pause alone at a cow pasture or volunteer with the rescue dogs at our local shelter, I always look – really look – into those beautiful, knowing eyes gazing back at me. I connect with my fellow living beings in a way that I can’t measure or explain.
As for my dad – that now former butcher and meat-processing guy – a few months ago, he came to me and said, “You know those veggie burgers you’re always eating? Could I try one?” I gave him one, and he loved it! I choose to lead by example and then watch the fantastic results that follow.
We are the new revolutionaries for compassion. And our work moves ever forward each time we simply extend a hand.
***
Named one of the “Vegan Men We Love” by VegNews, John Schlimm is an activist, a Harvard-trained educator, an artist, and the international award-winning author of such books as The Cheesy Vegan; Stand Up!: 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World, And How You Can, Too!; Grilling Vegan Style; The Tipsy Vegan; and Twang: a novel. John came out on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a pro-meatless, pro-vegetable-loving kind of foodie, expressing the sentiment that “no living being, human or animal, should ever go through this life unloved.” You can follow John and his compassionate work on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.
***
Sometimes the best way to extend your hand and embrace compassion is to reach across the dinner table and share vegan food with the people around you. John and his publishers have graciously provided Our Hen House readers with two recipes which go together — one for John’s vegan Cheddar Cheese, and the next for Mrs. Cleaver’s Cheddar Muffins. We hope you’ll make these and give them to your friends to keep the spirit of compassion (and good food!) going. (Flock members get a third recipe, by the way! Log in to see John Schlimm’s recipe for Tomato Gratin with Cheddar Crumbs and Basil Chiffonade.)
[print_this] Cheddar
From the book The Cheesy Vegan by John Schlimm. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2013. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com
One of the most beloved cheeses in the world since the twelfth century, when King Henry II declared it the best cheese in England, Cheddar gets its name from its birthplace, a small English village called Cheddar in Somerset. Now, we vegans are leaving our own sharp-tasting mark on history with this nondairy-, agar-, pimiento-, and mustard-infused version. Serve sliced on crackers with a cold beer or use it to make killer nachos, or kick it up a few notches with the horseradish, smoked, and extra-sharp variations.
Yields About 2 Cups of Cheese
Ingredients:
Canola oil, for oiling a loaf pan
5 teaspoons agar powder, or 5 tablespoons agar flakes
1 1/2 cups filtered or bottled water
1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1⁄3 cup nutritional yeast
1⁄2 cup sliced pimientos
3 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, depending on how sharp you want it
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄2 teaspoon vegan Dijon mustard
Port wine (optional)
Instructions:
Lightly oil a loaf pan measuring 3 by 7 or 4 by 8 inches. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the agar and water. Stir often until the mixture comes to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Let the mixture bubble away gently for 5 minutes, stirring often to dissolve the agar completely.
Meanwhile, into the container of a standing blender, measure the cashews, nutritional yeast, pimiento, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and mustard.
When the agar has boiled for 5 minutes, carefully and slowly pour it into the blender container. Return the lid to the blender and blend the mixture on high speed for about 1 minute. Stop the blender, scrape down the sides of the container with a rubber spatula, replace the lid, and blend on high speed again for another minute. The mixture should be very smooth and about the same orange color as standard dairy Cheddar cheese.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, drizzle with the port wine (if using), transfer to the refrigerator, and let it chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Serve sliced, or grate it to garnish or meld into your favorite dishes.
The cheese will keep tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for at least 1 week.
Variations
Horseradish Cheddar: Before pouring the mixture into the loaf pan, stir in 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish, or to taste.
Smoked Cheddar: Before pouring the mixture into the loaf pan, add 1⁄2 teaspoon of liquid smoke, or to taste.
Extra-Sharp Cheddar: Before pouring the mixture into the loaf pan, add more lemon juice and mustard, to taste.[/print_this]
And now — something to do with the vegan cheddar …
[print_this] Mrs. Cleaver’s Cheddar Muffins
From the book The Cheesy Vegan by John Schlimm. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2013. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com
Served warm in a basket, these mom-approved Cheddar muffins disappear quickly, so you might consider doubling the recipe if you’ve got hungry loved ones at the table.
Yields About 4 Dozen Mini Muffins or 12 Regular Muffins
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) vegan margarine
2 cups grated vegan cheddar cheese
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup vegan sour cream (homemade, or store-bought), or vegan yogurt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the Cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, stirring. When all the cheese is in, cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the flour, sour cream, baking powder, and chives. The batter will be quite thick. Spoon the batter into ungreased nonstick mini muffin tins or a regular muffin tin, filling each cup two-thirds of the way. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Invert the tins onto a cooling rack. Serve the muffins while they’re still warm.[/print_this]
To win a copy of The Cheesy Vegan, and to win a copy of Stand Up! 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World and How You Can, Too, simply comment below and tell us about your favorite way to use vegan food as an advocacy tool! Do you bake a batch of vegan cupcakes and leave them at the dry cleaner to share? Do you make a scrumptious vegan meal for your babysitter so that he can taste for himself what all the fabulous fuss is about? Do you lead vegan feed-ins in your community? Tell us how you like to use food to change the world for animals!
We will randomly select two winners in one week, so you have until Monday, September 30, 2013 at midnight EDT to enter. You may only enter one time. When you leave your comment, be sure to include your email address in the form (it won’t appear on your comment — don’t worry). We will notify the winners on October 1. Remember, flock members have an additional opportunity to win a copy, so jump over to the flock section to find out how! And John is also sharing another recipe from The Cheesy Vegan, just for flock members! The recipe? Tomato Gratin with Cheddar Crumbs and Basil Chiffonade!
(By the way, just for joining the OHH flock, you will receive a copy of the award-winning documentary Vegucated, as well as a copy of Defiant Daughters: 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and the Sexual Politics of Meat [Lantern Books, 2013]. You’ll also receive exclusive flock content, giveaways, discount codes, and inside scoop from the coop. Help keep vegan indie media alive by joining the flock today! It’s tax-deductible, y’all.)
Ah, we are lucky chickens. Today, we welcome to Our Hen House vegan cookbook author John Schlimm. What strikes me most about John’s story is that he grew up as the son of a butcher, but became a true blue animal advocate, spreading veganism to anyone who wants a spoonful. (After trying John’s concoctions, it’s likely you’ll want many spoonfuls.)
John has two brand new books — and today, we’re giving you a chance to win them. The Cheesy Vegan (Da Capo Press/Lifelong Books) will be out next month, and will include more than 150 plant-based recipes for everyone’s favorite comfort food — cheese! And Stand Up! 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World and How You Can, Too (Publishing Syndicate LLC) just hit shelves last week. Our Hen House is grateful to John and to the publishers for donating copies just for you, darling chickens. Read on to the end to find out how you can win! (Also: Our Hen House flock members have the opportunity to win an additional copy of each!)
Today, John is giving us a glimpse into how he regards his work as “Tasty Activism.” This is an uplifting, refreshing piece. Plus, at the end, John shares with us two recipes from The Cheesy Vegan — his vegan Cheddar, and, in case you’re looking for a place to put the cheddar, his recipe for Mrs. Cleaver’s Cheddar Muffins. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go preheat the oven …
***
Tasty Activism: Extending the Hand of Compassion
by John Schlimm
I grew up as the son of a butcher. So how is it that I wound up a passionate vegan; a cookbook author with a penchant for whole-foods, plant-based recipes; and an unwavering animal advocate?
I was born and raised in a small town in Western Pennsylvania called St. Marys. I often describe my hometown as a classic Norman Rockwell painting, only with lots of camouflage, guns, and steaks thrown in. Fully engulfed by the hunting and meat-eating culture, many of the folks in St. Marys are, by and large, worlds apart from the people throughout the country with whom I cross paths on my book tours and at my speaking gigs. But it’s St. Marys to which I still return at the end of those adventures. It is St. Marys that has inspired and informed the unique perspective I have on compassion, duty, legacy, and my identity as a vegan.
John boarding a plane headed to the Colorado VegFest, where he presented. Nice Matt and Nat bag, John!
We are each born to a mission in this life – likely many missions – planted like seeds deep within us from the very beginning, just waiting to be discovered and cultivated. And, for each one of us, there comes a season to unleash and nourish those missions. For those of us leading a vegan lifestyle, our season is now, and our mission becomes clearer every day. What we do right now, to embrace and spread compassion by extending our hands and hearts to all living beings from every walk of life, will make all the difference in the days and years to come.
When I was growing up, my dad owned a meat-processing business that was particularly busy during deer-hunting season. As a child, I tried out each of the jobs in Dad’s meat-processing operation – skinning, cutting, wrapping, making sausage, and even tanning the hides.
However, when you are at about nose level with the table, those tasks don’t work out so well, so I was soon relegated to the front desk. There, I was the first stop for the hunters. For about three dollars an hour, I diligently wrote down what the hunters wanted done with their meat, and then followed them outside where they had left their deer. I would then roll up the processing instructions that were carefully rendered in my childish handwriting and fasten the tiny scroll inside the lifeless deer’s ear with a rubber band. My hand, a child’s hand, was the last gentle touch those deer received before processing.
It may sound surprising, but I don’t regret that childhood experience. While my role in Dad’s meat-processing business was short-lived, those deer are some of the earliest memories tucked within my heart and mind.
I now think it’s almost poetic that I have come full circle, from my first official paid writing gig as a child in a meat-processing business, to creating vegan cookbooks. But my mission is much larger than simply writing recipes. My cookbooks, such as my newest, The Cheesy Vegan, along with Grilling Vegan Style and The Tipsy Vegan, are about so much more than just mouthwatering food. My work embodies the spirit of what I like to call “tasty activism.”
Today, my mission is reflected in the identical dedications in each cookbook: “To all the animals – So you know that you have not passed this way unloved.”I’m determined in my mission to not only embrace compassion with my fellow vegans and animal activists, but I also extend my hand back across the aisle, where I once dwelled, to the meat eaters and hunters. The Cheesy Vegan, Grilling Vegan Style, and The Tipsy Vegan are “parties in a book” to which everyone is invited. Within those pages, I smash through the ridiculous stereotypes and clichés about the vegan lifestyle to create common ground through simple, delicious, and fun plant-based food. I use familiar, everyday ingredients that even my small-town neighbors can find in our grocery stores, and, occasionally, the liquor store (no shame). Within those pages, I extend my hand and embrace compassion.
More than ever before, we in the vegan world are called upon to be ambassadors for a more compassionate planet, in our own ways and through using our own individual gifts, talents, and missions. My number one rule for us: Judge not! Rather, extend a hand and move ever forward.
For my other new book, Stand Up!: 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World, And How You Can, Too!, I gathered together the world’s most amazing young activists, some who started their work as early as three years old and several who have started their own nonprofits to champion many different causes – including helping animals. I gave them a platform from which to shine the light of their missions, and to tell their generation-defining stories in their own incredible words.When I pause alone at a cow pasture or volunteer with the rescue dogs at our local shelter, I always look – really look – into those beautiful, knowing eyes gazing back at me. I connect with my fellow living beings in a way that I can’t measure or explain.
As for my dad – that now former butcher and meat-processing guy – a few months ago, he came to me and said, “You know those veggie burgers you’re always eating? Could I try one?” I gave him one, and he loved it! I choose to lead by example and then watch the fantastic results that follow.
We are the new revolutionaries for compassion. And our work moves ever forward each time we simply extend a hand.
***
John with Junior, one of the rescue dogs he volunteers with at the local shelter near his home.
Named one of the “Vegan Men We Love” by VegNews, John Schlimm is an activist, a Harvard-trained educator, an artist, and the international award-winning author of such books as The Cheesy Vegan; Stand Up!: 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World, And How You Can, Too!; Grilling Vegan Style; The Tipsy Vegan; and Twang: a novel. John came out on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a pro-meatless, pro-vegetable-loving kind of foodie, expressing the sentiment that “no living being, human or animal, should ever go through this life unloved.” You can follow John and his compassionate work on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.
***
Sometimes the best way to extend your hand and embrace compassion is to reach across the dinner table and share vegan food with the people around you. John and his publishers have graciously provided Our Hen House readers with two recipes which go together — one for John’s vegan Cheddar Cheese, and the next for Mrs. Cleaver’s Cheddar Muffins. We hope you’ll make these and give them to your friends to keep the spirit of compassion (and good food!) going. (Flock members get a third recipe, by the way! Log in to see John Schlimm’s recipe for Tomato Gratin with Cheddar Crumbs and Basil Chiffonade.)
[print_this] Cheddar
From the book The Cheesy Vegan by John Schlimm. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2013. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com
One of the most beloved cheeses in the world since the twelfth century, when King Henry II declared it the best cheese in England, Cheddar gets its name from its birthplace, a small English village called Cheddar in Somerset. Now, we vegans are leaving our own sharp-tasting mark on history with this nondairy-, agar-, pimiento-, and mustard-infused version. Serve sliced on crackers with a cold beer or use it to make killer nachos, or kick it up a few notches with the horseradish, smoked, and extra-sharp variations.
Yields About 2 Cups of Cheese
Ingredients:
Canola oil, for oiling a loaf pan
5 teaspoons agar powder, or 5 tablespoons agar flakes
1 1/2 cups filtered or bottled water
1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1⁄3 cup nutritional yeast
1⁄2 cup sliced pimientos
3 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, depending on how sharp you want it
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄2 teaspoon vegan Dijon mustard
Port wine (optional)
Instructions:
Lightly oil a loaf pan measuring 3 by 7 or 4 by 8 inches. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the agar and water. Stir often until the mixture comes to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Let the mixture bubble away gently for 5 minutes, stirring often to dissolve the agar completely.
Meanwhile, into the container of a standing blender, measure the cashews, nutritional yeast, pimiento, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and mustard.
When the agar has boiled for 5 minutes, carefully and slowly pour it into the blender container. Return the lid to the blender and blend the mixture on high speed for about 1 minute. Stop the blender, scrape down the sides of the container with a rubber spatula, replace the lid, and blend on high speed again for another minute. The mixture should be very smooth and about the same orange color as standard dairy Cheddar cheese.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, drizzle with the port wine (if using), transfer to the refrigerator, and let it chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Serve sliced, or grate it to garnish or meld into your favorite dishes.
The cheese will keep tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for at least 1 week.
Variations
Horseradish Cheddar: Before pouring the mixture into the loaf pan, stir in 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish, or to taste.
Smoked Cheddar: Before pouring the mixture into the loaf pan, add 1⁄2 teaspoon of liquid smoke, or to taste.
Extra-Sharp Cheddar: Before pouring the mixture into the loaf pan, add more lemon juice and mustard, to taste.[/print_this]
And now — something to do with the vegan cheddar …
Photo by Amy Beadle Roth
[print_this] Mrs. Cleaver’s Cheddar Muffins
From the book The Cheesy Vegan by John Schlimm. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2013. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com
Served warm in a basket, these mom-approved Cheddar muffins disappear quickly, so you might consider doubling the recipe if you’ve got hungry loved ones at the table.
Yields About 4 Dozen Mini Muffins or 12 Regular Muffins
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) vegan margarine
2 cups grated vegan cheddar cheese
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup vegan sour cream (homemade, or store-bought), or vegan yogurt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the Cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, stirring. When all the cheese is in, cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the flour, sour cream, baking powder, and chives. The batter will be quite thick. Spoon the batter into ungreased nonstick mini muffin tins or a regular muffin tin, filling each cup two-thirds of the way. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Invert the tins onto a cooling rack. Serve the muffins while they’re still warm.[/print_this]
To win a copy of The Cheesy Vegan, and to win a copy of Stand Up! 75 Young Activists Who Rock the World and How You Can, Too, simply comment below and tell us about your favorite way to use vegan food as an advocacy tool! Do you bake a batch of vegan cupcakes and leave them at the dry cleaner to share? Do you make a scrumptious vegan meal for your babysitter so that he can taste for himself what all the fabulous fuss is about? Do you lead vegan feed-ins in your community? Tell us how you like to use food to change the world for animals!
We will randomly select two winners in one week, so you have until Monday, September 30, 2013 at midnight EDT to enter. You may only enter one time. When you leave your comment, be sure to include your email address in the form (it won’t appear on your comment — don’t worry). We will notify the winners on October 1. Remember, flock members have an additional opportunity to win a copy, so jump over to the flock section to find out how! And John is also sharing another recipe from The Cheesy Vegan, just for flock members! The recipe? Tomato Gratin with Cheddar Crumbs and Basil Chiffonade!
(By the way, just for joining the OHH flock, you will receive a copy of the award-winning documentary Vegucated, as well as a copy of Defiant Daughters: 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and the Sexual Politics of Meat [Lantern Books, 2013]. You’ll also receive exclusive flock content, giveaways, discount codes, and inside scoop from the coop. Help keep vegan indie media alive by joining the flock today! It’s tax-deductible, y’all.)