Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local
I often comment that if I hadn’t married a dairy farmer, I could potentially be a vegetarian.
Before you leave my column for good, know that I have nothing against meat necessarily, with a few caveats: for the animals’ sake, I value well-raised; for the eaters’ sake, I value minimally processed; and for the planet’s sake, I value conscious consumption. But I personally get kind of tired of eating it, if it’s by itself, and I don’t love touching it raw, so I could easily just slide into a mostly meatless lifestyle.
My dad has always worked for non-profits (he still does), so in my childhood our food budget was never excessive. No one went hungry by any means, and my mom did a masterful job keeping my brothers and I satisfied and well-fed with healthy and varied meals, but meat was too expensive to be featured prominently. We would often have ground beef or shredded chicken in things, like stews, curries, casseroles, but not as the thing itself. It didn’t help that neither of my parents enjoy meat that much either, particularly not on the bone nor with any speck of schpeck (is that a Dutch word? I mean gristle or fat). I don’t actually remember an instance of my mom cooking a straight-up piece of meat, except for on a holiday or something maybe, and while I could be wrong, I don’t think I ever had a steak before Brian and I were dating.
That brings us to the present situation, where I’ve married into the farm family, and beef is one of the “cheaper” things around; it’s always in the freezer. The cows would have to literally be living in my house to get any more locally raised, and as I look out my window to see our Holsteins grazing in the adjacent field or listen to my husband talk about cow comfort, I don’t have many qualms about their good lives. (Waste chocolate is part of their daily nutritionist-formulated ration, for goodness sake; could they be happier?)
Even so, I have to admit my personal style still gravitates away from meat, and towards things like vegetables, beans, and cheese. Lots of cheese…hence why I could be a vegetarian by happenstance, but never a vegan. Because dairy.
I don’t make choices for other people though, of course, and I’m well aware there are realistic moral or health arguments for following a plant-based diet. I had the opportunity to expand my vegan cooking capabilities last weekend when I catered a retreat for a group with multiple dietary needs, and I really enjoyed (some of) the challenges. I hollered when I took my first taste of the tofu-based mayo, grabbing the jar of Duke’s out of the fridge for a side-by-side taste test — it’s not an exact replica but it is so stinking close. I made a couple gallons of my archetypal yogurt, delivering some plain and whisking up a jar of brown-sugar vanilla; but also tried my hand at using homemade coconut milk to make into coconut yogurt, and was pleasantly surprised at my success.
And honestly I was a little offended at how well the vegan baking went. I take joy in using my hens’ eggs, any number of homemade dairy products, and local honey in my baked goods, and even the science of baking changes when techniques turn plant-based. But with the help of some solid ingredient stand-ins and some respectable recipes, my cakes, scones, and cookies all turned out beautifully.
I will, however, tactfully decline from comment on the soymilk ricotta and melty cheese. Our dairy cows have good job security there.
Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes
I borrowed most of this recipe from the Great British Bake Off — like I said, a credible resource. It’s similar to one-bowl “wacky cake” if you’re familiar with that, but with a spot more panache. Rich and moist, these cupcakes were so easy because they didn’t require creaming the butter (since there was none); just a whisk can get the job done. I did finish them with a butter-free “buttercream” frosting, but they were so good, I’m not even sure they needed it.
Prep tips: I had a little extra batter after filling a dozen cupcakes, so I made a few mini ones as well. Use cute paper liners and you have the perfect little springtime snack.
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¾ cup white sugar
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ cup veg oil
vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
¾ cup pumpkin puree
Mix milk and vinegar; set for 5 minutes. Whisk in sugars, oil, and vanilla. In a mixing bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda, salt, and espresso. Whisk in wet ingredients, adding pumpkin. Transfer to paper-lined cupcake pans, and bake at 400° for about 20 minutes. Let cool half an hour in pan before cooling on racks.
