A tasty stew that uses up any vegetables you have lurking around the fridge. Enjoy!

Any or all of the following:
• Chopped onion
• A few cloves crushed garlic
• Cubed potatoes
• Sliced carrots
• Sliced mushrooms
• Trimmed green beans
• Shredded kale or collard greens
• Fresh or frozen spinach
• Fresh or frozen peas
• Canned tomatoes
• Crumbled tofu

• 1-2 cups water
• 1 tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• A few drops hot sauce
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (optional)

*The listed spices are enough to flavor a small saucepan of vegetables, about enough for four bowls of stew.
*Adapted from “Lean and Luscious and Meatless”, by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder

Combine water and longer-cooking vegetables (ie carrots, potatoes, and onions) in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add spices, hot sauce, and salt and stir. Cook for about 5-10 minutes and add the rest of the vegetables and tofu. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 more minutes, or until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Add optional vinegar or lemon juice, stir and serve.

At our Meet and Greet, mentors and mentees get a chance to meet each other to develop a relationship that strengthens the success of the program.

Even after our Meet and Greet on 11 April 2012, anyone can still signup for the Mentor Program – it is a rolling enrollment program.

Click here to fill out the sign-up form

Each vegan food basket contains:
- rice cracker trail mix
- sesame crackers
- Snackimals animal crackers
- fruit leather
- seaweed snacks
- Primal Strips ‘jerky’
- multigrain tortilla chips
- instant miso soup
- Luna bars
- single serving non-dairy milk
- Dandies vegan marshmellows, chocolate chip, and vanilla cookie snaps trail mix
- dark chocolate bar

If you have any questions, concerns, or especially certain food allergies (like peanut, tree nut, wheat, or soy), please let us know by sending us an email at pennveg@gmail.com.

When discussing veganism, I promise you someone will pull the cheese card

 (Let us call this someone Johnny.)  A typical conversation usually goes something like this:

Me:  It really isn’t difficult.  I know it sounds extreme, but I promise you anyone can maintain a vegan diet.

Johnny:  Yea, I would really like to be vegan, but I just could never give up cheese.  I love cheese way too much.  I’m like addicted!

Well Johnny, you are not alone.  Most people do indeed feel like they could never give up that coagulated animal secretion.  (Wait, that isn’t supposed to sound offensive, just specific!)  And I understand, I really do.  In fact, it was the cheese factor that kept me firmly rooted in vegetarian land for fifteen years instead of embarking in the wonderful world of veganism.  You could be home in front of the fridge, at an event, or out with friends and some type of cheese would be there.  You couldn’t help yourself, you could not keep your hand for reaching for it.  You gave in to the cheese.  And this should not be surprising.  After all, cheese is addictive.   That’s right folks.  Let us go to the biology behind it all.  First of all, cheese is a coagulation of casein.  For those of you new to the lingo, casein is the animal protein found in milk. It also happens to contain casomorphins, which have about one tenth the opiate strength of morphine (there are plenty of studies working with casein as an addictive substance and you can read more about in Dr. Neal Barnard’s article)!

This shouldn’t be surprising if you stop and think about it.  Remember that milk is supposed to be that perfect life-giving liquid gold, given from mother to child, cow to calf.  Newborns are supposed to want milk, and a little narcotics ensure that they keep coming back for more.  It is perfect in that way–for babies and calves.  The first perplexing variable is much of modern society’s decision to drink milk past the age of weaning.  We no longer need that perfect (for infants) arrangement of fats, carbs, etc.  We can chew our food; we can digest more complex types of food; we have teeth for goodness sake!

More perplexing is the decision to rely on another specie’s milk in our adulthood!  Wait what?!  Humans are the only species to drink the milk from another species.  When I was studying in London, many people’s panties were in a bunch over a local ice cream shop, the Icecreamists, offering human milk ice cream.  Now you probably wrinkled your nose as you read that last sentence–what, human milk ice cream?  Yes.  It seems strange doesn’t it?  Yet every day humans buy gallons of milk and ice cream and pounds of cheese made from cow’s milk.

If, at this point, you still do not think this is all a strange perversion of nature,   let us look to the biology of milk production.  For humans, a woman produces milk when she needs to use the milk to nourish her offspring, that is, when she is pregnant and/or has just given birth.  But wait, this is the same for cows.  They only produce milk when they have given birth to their calf.  Then the baby is weened, the calf is weened (as they move on to actually eating/chewing foods), and the milk production slows and stops.  Is this not nature telling us that there is a time for milk to be consumed?  I think yes.  Of course, the dairy industry warps and twists this cycle, causing the milk you consume today to be plagued with hormones, pus, blood, etc….but alas, that is a story for another day.

So Johnny, I agree cheese is addictive.  In fact, it is more addictive than milk because it has a higher concentration of casein.  But, I promise you that you can overcome this addiction.  I gave it up cold tofurkey and, almost a year later, I can look back and realize that, just like any other addiction, overcoming it first starts with admitting you have an addiction.  Say it with me now…

Johnny:  Hello, my name is Johnny and I am addicted to cheese.

The next step is to find a delicious replacement.  If you view veganism as giving things up, you will probably have a negative perception of the entire eating experience.  Instead, think of the new types of foods you will try, the new flavors and textures.  And you can rest assured that when you eat this food, it isn’t trying to manipulate your brain into the slippery slopes of mindless addiction.  Personally, I replaced cheese with avocado.  It has that indulgent fatty quality we sometimes crave, but a healthy fat!  And, best of all, I didn’t steal it from some baby calf somewhere and it isn’t killing the environment in the process.  Win win!

Simple Guac that will knock your socks off! (no need to worry about measurements, taste it as you go!)

–Start with a ripe avocado (or two if you are sharing!) cut it in half, scoop out the goods and mash it up in a bowl (you can leave it chunky if you so desire).  Squeeze in some lime juice, add in chopped tomatoes, onion (diced really fine) and a bit of chopped cilantro.  Add just a teensy pinch of salt to taste.  (optional ingredient -> roasted garlic!)

Enjoy (on veggie burgers, with chips and salsa, on a salad, just straight from the bowl…you get the picture)!!!

Okay dears, I hope this post starts to turn some cogs in those amazing brains of yours.  My advice is to always step back and think about what you are doing, why do you accept your habits?  Is it because everyone else is doing it?  And, like your mother I say, if everyone else jumps off a bridge, would you?  Probably not.  So, just because everyone else is addicted, question your own addiction!

Have a happy and healthy day!

~Molly Armstrong

I’ve tried to make nut butter in it before but it took a lot of time and sometimes it came out more like ground nuts than nut butter. That’s probably because I didn’t follow the directions exactly. What can I say? Turning on a Vitamix to full power is pretty scary. I’m glad I tried again; the results are scarily good.

Photo courtesy of Chocolate-Covered Katie

I’m a visual person so I found this video helpful for showing the steps. My previous mistake was not turning the speed all the way up to 10 and using the tamper to push the nuts down into the blade. When I did this, I had nut butter in under 60 seconds. Amazing. If you have a food processor, feel free to use that instead but it might take longer.

I used a combination of walnuts and hazelnuts but you can use any nut you fancy. Toasting them first at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes brings out their flavor and makes them easier to process.

Once my nuts had turned to butter, I removed half of the butter into a jar and stirred in some vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Yum!

Leaving the other half in the Vitamix, I turned my nut butter into a vegan Nutella! I based it loosely on Chocolate Covered Katie’s “Better Than Nutella” recipe. It came out deliciously rich and creamy. I’ve never had packaged Nutella so I can’t give a direct taste comparison but my creation was pretty darn good.

Not only is homemade nut butter tastier and fresher than anything you could buy, it’s also cheaper and it allows you to personalize your nut butter with your own touches: salted/unsalted, chunky/creamy, and add-ins like I did.

The conference aims to embolden and empower vegan activists in their work throughout the Ivy League, build a lasting and powerful network of colleagues, and expand and modernize the definition of veganism for the 21st century academic. We expect an attendance of approximately 100 students from across the Ivy League.

- To learn more about the iV Conference, click here or visit our new Facebook Page.

- To register for the conference, click here.

- To find out how you can support the conference, click here.

- To see more about the speakers and workshop tracks, click here.

Alternatively, at the top of your screen, you can scroll over the tab titled “IV 2012″ to see the drop-down list of related pages.

1. Black bean and salsa soup- puree the contents of one can of black beans with 1/2 cup salsa and enough vegetable broth or water to make  a soupy consistency; add hot sauce to taste.

2. Hummus wrap- spread tortilla with hummus, add lots of chopped raw vegetables, wrap and eat.

3. Balsamic rice bowl- brown rice, walnuts, raisins, broccoli, drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Pita Pizza

4. Pita pizzas- spread pitas with tomato sauce and layer vegetables of your choice; sprinkle with Italian herbs and vegan cheese if desired; bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

5. Grilled peanut butter banana sandwich- self-explanatory.

6. Tofu stir fry- keep it simple, you don’t need much seasoning besides garlic and soy sauce; experiment with marinating the tofu if you want to bump up the flavor.

7. DIY burrito bowl a la Chipotle- rice, beans, guac, salsa, sauteed peppers and onions

8. Pasta with sauteed vegetables-try any combo of zucchini, mushrooms, onions, peppers, broccoli, or spinach; sprinkle with dried basil and balsamic vinegar (can you tell I love balsamic vinegar??).

9. Sweet potato and apple casserole- this one isn’t necessarily quick but once you get it in the oven, you can clean up the kitchen, start your homework ,and play with your cat for a while: cube or slice sweet potatoes and apples (peeling optional), sprinkle with lots of cinnamon, a little maple syrup, toss, and stick in the oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes and apples are tender.

Tofu Stir fry

10. Split pea soup- this one can survive many variations of ingredients and seasoning; I like to add lots of sliced carrots and curry seasoning.

Diet and Disease

On 29 February, PVS is bringing renowned biochemist T. Colin Campbell to campus to present on his paradigm-shifting work in nutritional biochemistry and its ramifications for health/bioscience-related fields and the healthcare system.

Dr. Campbell will be giving two presentations on that day.
- Daytime lecture (12-2PM) in the TRC-Rubenstein Auditorium intended for those in the biosciences and medical/healthcare communities. [see flier for this below below]
- Evening lecture (7:30-9PM) in Irvine Auditorium intended for the general Penn population as well as anyone who did or did not attend the daytime lecture.

Both events are free and require no tickets or reservations. We encourage you to bring as many guests as you would like.

The evening event would not have been possible without our sponsors:

- Bob’s Red Mill
- The Fresh Grocer
- Dr. Martin Mulders and Integrative Medicine
- The Social Planning and Events Committee (SPEC) at Penn

Specialist Event

Here are the links to:

1. our Facebook event

2. the Bon Appetit at Penn homepage (with our advertisement)

3. the Food Studies @ Penn webpage maintained by the Penn Libraries (our event can be found on the events page)

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Check out the video of the event here.

Like sex? Good sex? Yeah, we do too. Though if your vasculature is getting clogged from your diet, you might want to reconsider what that means for your sex life. Oh, and even if you’re as young as 18, you can still experience trouble with arousal (for any sex organ). Watch the above clip where the creators of Forks over Knives explain the link between impotence (for both men and women) and cardiovascular disease.

Perhaps I could write an extended, critical essay characterizing the societal ills of food genderization, though I think it would be more effective simply to present some exemplars of this phenomenon.

Esquire - Eat Like a Man

Exhibit A: Esquire’s Eat Like a Man

By far one of the most blatant examples of food genderization I have come across, ‘Eat Like a Man’ is both a cookbook and a blog maintained by Esquire.

Explicit statement: ‘Here is what men eat: Meat.’

Implicit statement: ‘If you do not eat this, you are not a man. If you are a man eating vegetables, then you must be some kind of… ladyboy or… something equally non-manly. Not only is not eating meat feminine, but femininity is something that only women can ever have: feminine men should not cannot can never exist. Take note: femininity has a lower societal value than masculinity. In our minds, male=man=masculine’

A Moment of Intimacy

Exhibit B: Klondike’s ‘The Hand Hold’

Simple: two hypermasculine men resolve that they shall endure nothing less than a true gauntlet in order to complete their quest for gustatory glory.

Explicit statement: ‘Our ice cream product is delicious and desired by hypermasculine men. They will do anything to acquire it… even something so horrifying as a moment of intimacy.’

Implicit statement: ‘We don’t like the idea of two men holding hands. Frankly, we find it repulsive. Though straight men, our target audience, would be willing to perform such a vile act as hand-holding. However, it should be noted that our prized heteronormative men would only even consider doing such a thing because they intend to live out their manly desires in seeking our delicious frozen dairy confection. Real men eat our ice cream.’

Exhibit C: Hillshire Farms – Go Meat!

Hillshire Farms recently came out with a new campaign simply titled, “Go Meat!” While I have no personal investment in seeing meat go anywhere, I do have problems with the way that some of their commercials portray gender expression and its tie to food consumption.

Explicit statement: ‘These masculine men have had their fancies tickled by our meat-in-a-tube products.’

Implicit statement: ‘These men are representative examples of how all you married, middle to upper-middle class men should be living your lives. They are real men because they have neutral-color clothes, are a bit overweight, have deep voices, are outside in ‘nature,’ and are cooking animal parts over open flames. Because our society is a hegemonic patriarchy, these men are the most valued members. If you don’t fit all of these classifications, then you are less valued.’

"Real Men Eat Vegan"

Why is this such a big deal?

At birth, we begin receiving societal programming signals of what is and is not acceptable behavior based on who we are. Thus, in this context men are told that their food choices are crucial to how they express their value are “real men” to the rest of society. Men don’t eat salad. Men couldn’t even tell you what kale looks like. But they can burn you some meat on some flames. They can also eat ice cream bars and cheesesteaks in front of you to show how masculine they are.

Essentially, we have created a culture that demands men to perform their gender expression through reckless abandon of their bodies. While some may make arguments about the difference between what they might call “lean meat” (geared more for manly athletes) and “fatty meat” (geared more for the average middle-aged, middle-class father and husband), I would simply suggest that the similarities in gender performance expectations in both of these examples are extensive. The emotional and mental effects of eating meat, of eating another animal, are similar across the board regardless of whether it is was a goat, chicken, dolphin, antelope, cat, or puppy. Eating the flesh of another animal is a way of reinforcing power, dominance, and aggression.

Thus, we as people who identify as men might hear something like:

So, you’re considering being vegan? What nonsense! That would make you at least one of the following: a woman, gay, effeminate, weak, or otherwise worthless.

This is an enormous problem. We are essentially losing our ability to choose how we act out our lives lest we can bear the social aspersions cast upon us for what our food choices allegedly say about who we are.