Why I am not a vegan

[Monica]

Thanks for the info. What kind of places are selling those vegan cheses? I will definitly try them out if they do have aged cheese. I suspect the price will be high though.

There are many vegan cheeses at health food stores such as Whole Foods Market, and even in mainstream grocery stores. My local grocery now has a vegan section, featuring tofu, tempeh, vegan hotdogs, and several varieties of vegan cheeses. I live in a large city and the large grocery chains all carry the vegan items now.

The early vegan cheeses didn't melt well but they've gotten much better. Some of the newer ones are quite convincing! Some are pricey, true, but then, the money saved by not buying meat could go towards vegan cheese!  

Here is a recipe for homemade vegan cheese. There are many others.

Cheese is often said to be the biggest hurdle when wanting to rid your life of cruelty. With so many vegan cheeses on the market today, there is no reason to worry about deprivation. However, we enjoy making a large batch of this versatile cheese sauce to use for mac & cheese with a sprinkling of smoked paprika, over baked potatoes with broccoli and tempeh bacon, or as a dip spiced up for nachos! Ditch the dairy and let us know how you plan to use your cruelty-free cheese!

Ingredients: Makes about 4 cups of sauce

+ 1 ½ cups yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 medium potatoes)
+ 1 cup carrot, chopped (about 2 large carrots)
+ ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
+ 2 cups water plus another ¼ cup, divided
+ ½ cup coconut milk, full-fat preferred
+ ½ cup raw cashews, pre-soaked in water for 30+ minutes- 4 hours to soften, then rinsed
+ ¼ cup nutritional yeast
+ 1 tablespoon ground flax seed, optional for Omega-3 boost
+ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
+ 1 teaspoon salt
+ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, optional
+ salt and pepper, to taste, black pepper will enhance the health effects of turmeric by 10x

Directions:

Simmer the potato, carrot and onion in a covered pan with 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Soak cashews while vegetables simmer.
After 20 minutes, pour the veggies and their water into your blender.

Drain and rinse the cashews and add them to the blender, along with the nutritional yeast, ground flax, turmeric, sea salt, garlic powder, coconut milk. Save the remaining ¼ cup of water to see if the cheese needs thining.

Blend on high until the sauce is creamy and smooth, if a thinner consistency is preferred, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, and blend again. If a thicker consistency is needed, add another handful of cashews and re-blend. If a cheesier taste is preferred, add another cup of nutritional yeast. Season to taste.

Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe rights reserved to LOV3 Foundation: LIFE CRUELTY FREE™

Sorry, I no longer have the original link. Here is an excellent book showing how to make your own:

Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner

Concerning the debate, I have always tried to bring the discussion toward oneness in hope that those who suffer can learn how to see things in a point of view where they don't need to suffer, not because we should not give a f*** but because understanding and accepting the process brings

In regards to human suffering, I agree. A large part of ending suffering is getting out of the mindset of suffering. But, in regards to directly supporting the suffering of higher 2D entities - who are, essentially, our younger brethren - it's a different situation because it is the humans who are causing the suffering.

But once the discussion becomes full of hate and suffering I do think it is best to move on. But seeing you go like that I think it means everybody loses in the end. I would have hoped both side could find the strenght to reconcile or at least find a way to keep the discussion meaningful whatever the direction is. Another opportunity toward oneness has been lost.

I would have preferred that too and tried my best, but I'm Not the Energizer Bunny.  It will be 7 years in April since someone started the first meat thread. (It wasn't me.) Over the past nearly 7 years, a number of people have contacted me privately to thank me and the other vegans for our dedication in championing the animals, and for the information we provided. A few even went vegetarian or even vegan as a result. And obviously, there are a lot of lurkers who read those threads. So the other vegans and I know that it wasn't all for naught. And of course, it has been a learning experience for all of us, meat-eaters and vegans alike, hopefully.

But nearly 7 years is a long time. This isn't the first time personal attacks were directed at me, but it is the last. (Hopefully the mods won't allow a free-for-all-insult-fest after I've left.) I'm retiring from this venue.

Peace and Blessings to you!

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