Vegan Thanksgiving!

On Saturday, November 17 at 2:00 p.m., the Humboldt Vegetarian Society will host a vegan Thanksgiving potluck at the Humboldt Area Foundation Community Center, 373 Indianola Road in Bayside. Entertainment will be provided by local singer-songwriter Josephine Johnson!

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. Attendees should bring one or two vegan dishes to share, as well as their own plates, cups, and utensils. (Vegan means no animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, etc.)

Hope to see you there!

Potluck & Film Screening

FREE Vegan Potluck
and Film Screening

Sunday, May 6
noon - 3:00

Humboldt Area Foundation
Community Center
373 Indianola Road, Bayside

Vegucated is a feature-length documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. But can their conviction carry them when times get tough? What about on family vacations fraught with skeptical step-dads, carnivorous cousins, and breakfast buffets? Part sociological experiment, part science class, and part adventure story, Vegucated showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three people who share one journey and ultimately discover their own paths in creating a kinder, cleaner, greener world, one bite at a time.

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. Attendees should bring a Cinco de Mayo themed vegan dish to share, as well as their own plates, cups, and utensils. (Vegan means no animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, etc.)

The potluck will start at noon and the Vegucated screening will begin promptly at 1:00. Guests are welcome to attend just one portion of the event or the other if they wish.

Vegan Chili Cook-Off Recap

Our third annual chili cook-off was lots of fun, with tons of great food and good company. Thanks so much to all who participated!

Here are some pics from the event, and I'll be posting some (hopefully all eventually) of the winning recipes soon.

The winners, left to right:
Suzanne (best overall chili for her chili pie)
Valerie (best side dish for her chili mac)
(best dessert for gluten free jam thumbprints)
Brooke (most unique chili for her sweet potato chili)

2013 Event Schedule

 Coming Soon!

Vegan Thanksgiving Celebration

On Sunday, November 20 at 2:00 p.m., the Humboldt Vegetarian Society will host a vegan Thanksgiving potluck at the Humboldt Area Foundation Community Center, 373 Indianola Road in Bayside. Entertainment will be provided by local singer-songwriter Josephine Johnson.

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. Attendees should bring one or two vegan dishes to share, as well as their own plates, cups, and utensils. (Vegan means no animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, etc.)

Long time no see!

Well, it's been a while (I guess we all got busy during the summer) - but we're still here! And ready to plan another event...



On Sunday, October 23 at 1:00 p.m., the Humboldt Vegetarian Society will host a vegan potluck and free film screening at the Humboldt Area Foundation Community Center, 373 Indianola Road in Bayside.

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. Attendees should bring one or two vegan dishes to share, as well as their own plates, cups, and utensils. (Vegan means no animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, etc.)

The potluck will start at 1:00 and the film will begin at 2:00. Guests are welcome to attend just one portion of the event or the other if they wish.

Dinner Out this Saturday!

We've settled on a time and location for dinner Sat. night - 6:00 at Annie's Cambodian (across from Renner on 5th Street just before you head North out of Eureka). Those who will be attending, could you please give me one final RSVP so I can get a head count to the restaurant? Thanks!

Valerie's "Don't Be A Jerk" Black Bean Chili Recipe

Thanks so much to all who attended our second annual vegan chili cookoff last Sunday!

Here's the recipe for the chili that won the "best overall" prize. Enjoy, and thanks Valerie for sharing!

"Don't Be A Jerk" Black Bean Chili

4 large onions, finely chopped

1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 Tbls olive oil

1 Tbls each mustard powder and chili powder

¼ tsp cumin

1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes

3- 15 oz cans low sodium black beans (drained and rinsed) and 1 cup veggie “chicken” broth

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

½ of a 13.5 oz can coconut milk

Jerk sauce mixture

3 tsp ground allspice

1 Tbls ground chipoltle peppers

3 Tbls tamari (or soy sauce)

3 large cloves garlic

2-3 green onions, chopped

1 ½ tsp dried thyme

2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup maple syrup(can also use raw cane or coconut sugar)

Flesh of 1 mango, chopped

In a 5 or 6 quart kettle, cook onions and green pepper in oil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and the green pepper is soft.

Add mustard powder and cook, stirring for one minute. Add chili powder, cumin, tomatoes with their liquid, beans, “chicken” broth and tomato paste . Stir until well blended.

Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to low and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes.

While chili is simmering, place all Jerk sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Then carefully poor into chili mixture on the stove and stir until totally mixed in. Then add coconut milk and stir until completely incorporated. The color may seem a little odd at first. But it will darken after it cooks for a while.

Simmer with the pot partially, uncovered for about an hour. Stir often to keep it from scorching. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

Note: Like most dishes of this nature, the longer it simmers, the more flavorful it becomes. If you have the day to spare, let this simmer on a very low temperature for several hours and it will be well worth it!

Upcoming Events - January/February

Hello friends,

I hope you all had an excellent holiday season and are settling in nicely to the start of 2011! After a short hiatus, the Humboldt Vegetarian Society is back in full swing and ready to host some fun events...

On Friday, January 28th, some of us are going out to dinner (sans kids) - we haven't decided for sure yet where we're going but I think we have it narrowed down to either Bless My Soul or Restaurant Hana (both in Eureka). If you'd like to join us, let me know and I will keep you apprised of the details as they firm up next week.

And on Sunday, February 6th, we have a really cool event planned - it will be a free fair trade chocolate tasting and screening of the film 'The Dark Side of Chocolate', which investigates allegations of child slavery in chocolate production on the Ivory Coast. You don't need to bring anything - just your sweet tooth and an open mind - we'll provide fair trade chocolate snacks, coffee, and tea to enjoy while we watch the film, which I believe runs for about an hour. I'm also trying to line up a guest speaker from Sjaaks Chocolates, though that has not yet been confirmed (if it doesn't pan out you're just going to be stuck listening to me). The event will start at 2:00 in the afternoon and will, as usual, be held at the Humboldt Area Foundation Community Center at the intersection of Indianola Road and Indianola Cutoff in Bayside.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please let me know, and I hope to see many of you at one or both of these upcoming events.

Take care.

Tamara

2011 Schedule of Events

Exact dates are yet to be determined, but we've put together a tentative outline of Humboldt Vegetarian Society events for 2011 -

January 2011

• Adults' dinner out
• Fair trade chocolate tasting and screening of 'The Dark Side of Chocolate' (late January or early February)
  

February 2011

• Potluck (and film screening?) hosted by Valerie in Eureka
  

March 2011

• Vegan chili cook-off at the HAF Community Center
  

April 2011

• Adults' dinner out
• Outreach event - distribute vegan hot chocolate and vegan literature in front of the Arcata Co-op
  

May 2011

• Potluck and film screening (possibly The Cove) at the HAF Community Center

June 2011

• Vegan picnic (possibly at the pump station East of Arcata)
  

July 2011

• Potluck and speaker at the HAF Community Center
  

August 2011

• Vegan ice cream party hosted by Tamara in Bayside
  

September 2011

• Local foods themed potluck at the HAF Community Center
  
• Possible cooking class with Jennifer Raymond, either in combination with the potluck or on a different day

October 2011

• Adults' dinner out
  
• Potluck hosted by Heather in Eureka
  

November 2011

• Vegan Thanksgiving at the HAF Community Center
  

December 2011

• ???

If anyone has ideas for additional projects or events, please feel free to organize something using either our Yahoo group and/or Facebook page.

Vegan Thanksgiving!

Please join us for a truly happy turkey day celebration!

Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck
Sunday, November 21st, 2:00
Humboldt Area Foundation Community Center
(Indianola Cutoff in Bayside, between Eureka and Arcata)

Questions? Email us.

October Potluck and film screening 10/16

Hey everyone. Valerie again.

Marc and I will be hosting this month's potluck at our place in Pine Hill.

We will be showing the film The Witness. This Tribe of Heart documentary is an intriging story of a construction contractor from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood who becomes an impassioned animal activist.

Our plan is to show the film at 4pm and then for those who are comfortable, to share where they are on their vegan/vegetarian or animal protection/rights journey or the reasons behind their decision to investigate these issues.

Everyone is welcome to share(or not), no matter what stage they're at.

The film is only about 45 minute long, so potluck and discussion will start at 5pm.

You can also watch the entire film online from the link above and just come in time for the potluck.

If interested in coming, please email me for directions to our place. vsimone316@yahoo.com

And as always, please bring a dish to share that contains no animal products. (meat, fish, dairy, eggs, gelatin, honey, etc)

Looking forward to seeing you!

Dinner at Chapala Cafe, 10/1

Join us for an adults-only dinner out on Friday, 10/1 - enjoy great Mexican food, margaritas, and live music by the Tumbleweeds! Please RSVP if you plan to attend (just leave a comment here) so I can make the reservation for the correct number of people.

Ice Cream Party

Hi guys, Tamara here. :-)

I'm going to be hosting a vegan ice cream sundae party at my house in Bayside on Sunday, September 19th at 3:00 in the afternoon.

If you'd like to attend, please let me know that you're coming so I can plan accordingly. It would also be great if you could tell me whether you plan to bring ice cream or toppings so I can be sure to have a reasonable amount of everything we need.

If you need directions, email me and I will send them to you privately.

If the weather is nice, feel free to bring bathing suits and water toys for the kids (or adults, who knows!?). If the weather is crappy, it may have to be a hot chocolate party instead. We'll see. :-)

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Vegan Baking/Desserts

Here is some excellent material compiled by Heather G. for last weekend's vegan dessert class -

Butter Substitutes

• Vegan Margarine – Earth Balance is often used since it has natural ingredients. To avoid trans-fats, look for non-hydrogenated. Keep very, very chilled when using for pie crust and chill before cutting and again before baking. Unless margarine is unsalted, reduce amount of added salt by half.
• Coconut Butter/Oil – Great for pie crusts (adds a little flavor.) Not good for cookies as they may turn out very flat. Don’t refrigerate before using for pie crust as it will be rock hard!
• Vegetable Oil – Use 25% less oil than butter.

Milk Substitutes

• When baking, use a fattier milk for better results, such as soy, hemp, coconut, or nut milks. Less fatty milks, like rice, will give lesser results.

Buttermilk Substitutes

• Use an equal amount of soymilk mixed with a little lemon juice. Allow the mixture to thicken 5 minutes before using. For 1 cup buttermilk, mix 1 cup milk with 2 Tbsp lemon juice.
• Use an equal amount of vegan sour cream substitute diluted half and half with water. For 1 cup buttermilk, mix 1/2 cup vegan sour cream with 1/2 cup water.

Sour Cream Substitutes

• Use a vegan sour cream substitute. One recommended brand is Sour Supreme.
• Use soy yogurt in a 1:1 substitution ratio.1 cup sour cream = 1 cup vegan sour cream.

Cream Cheese Substitutes

• Use a vegan cream cheese substitute. Recommended brands are Tofutte (non-hydrogenated version) and Follow Your Heart.
• Use coconut cream with lemon juice; mix a dash of lemon juice with heavy coconut cream.

Egg Substitutes

Eggs are used for either binding the other ingredients and thickening or they are used for leavening – helping the dessert to rise and be light and fluffy. It is best to identify the egg’s purpose in a recipe in order to best replace it. You may need to experiment with this! And while you won’t be able to create some very light items, most baking with one to four eggs can be replicated.

- In cookies and muffins, no binding agent is generally needed.

- In quick breads and cakes both leavening and binding is needed.

- In custard pies, like pumpkin pie, eggs are mainly for thickening.

For Leavening (cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads, etc.)

• Use soymilk with lemon; mix 1/4 cup soymilk with 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice for one egg equivalent.
• Use sour cream substitute with baking soda; mix 1/4 cup Sour Supreme + 1/4 tsp. baking soda for one egg equivalent.

Optional: In cakes and quick breads, add 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch/arrowroot powder to the dry ingredients for each egg being replaced. This will bind the ingredients and give a nice soft texture.

For Thickening and Binding:

• Use finely ground flaxseeds whipped with water; mix 1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds with 3 Tbsp water for one egg equivalent. Note: flaxseeds are strictly a binder, so where leavening is also needed, one solution is to mix in a little bit of Ener G Egg Replacer.
• Use cornstarch with pureed soft tofu; mix 3 Tbsp. pureed tofu with 2 tsp. Cornstarch. (Good for quiches and custard pies.)
• Commercial Egg Replacers – Ener G Egg Replacer is a popular brand. Note: some people notice a bitter aftertaste.
• Use soy flour mixed with water; mix 1 heaping Tbsp. soy flour with 1 Tbsp. water. Note: Add more water if it seems too dry.

Fat Free Egg Replacers

• Pureed fruit (applesauce, pureed banana, squash or pumpkin) works as a binder. They are low in fat but some flavor may transfer over to the finished product. 1/4 cup puree substitutes as one egg equivalent.

Gelatin Substitutions

• Agar agar flakes, powders, or bars. This will thicken as it heats. Note: agar agar sets more firmly than gelatin.
• Commercial substitution – There are some commercial products for Jello available. (Natural Desserts Gluten-Free Vegan Jel Desserts is available at Eureka Natural Foods.)

Honey Substitutions

• Alternative liquid sweeteners. Agave, maple syrup, liquid FruitSource can be substituted in equal measure. Varying in sweetness are frozen fruit-juice concentrates, malt syrup, brown rice syrup, sorghum syrup; with these experimentation may be necessary.

Sugar Substitutions

• Alternative dry sweeteners. Beet sugar, fructose, evaporated cane juice crystals, unbleached cane sugar, turbinado sugar, palm sugar, date sugar, maple crystals, and granulated FruitSource are alternatives. Note: some dissolve better than others, so experimentation may be necessary.

Note: Many vegans do not eat sugar since some sugar is refined using bone char from animals.

Tea Party Pics

All I can say is... yum!!!

June Event

On Saturday, June 19th at 2:00 p.m., the Humboldt Vegetarian Society will host a vegan dessert tasting and cooking discussion at the Humboldt Area Foundation Community Center, 373 Indianola Road in Bayside.

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. A tea party themed potluck and dessert tasting will be followed by a roundtable discussion on preparing vegan desserts, including information on easy substitutions as well as lots of free recipes. Attendees should bring a vegan dish to share (finger foods, desserts, and/or teas are encouraged), as well as their own plates, cups, and utensils. (Vegan means no animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, etc.)

May get-together details

Please join us for an adults-only dinner at Bless My Soul in Eureka on Friday, May 21st at 6:00 pm. Sweet Mama Janise has promised a vegan dessert option and I'm working on talking her into making some vegan corn muffins as well. There are several vegetarian/vegan options on her regular menu. I need a head count for the reservation so please let me know ASAP if you're planning to attend. :-)

Fun Times at the HVS Chili Cook-Off

We had a great time at our first Humboldt Vegetarian Society Chili Cook-Off yesterday. Thanks so much to everyone who attended, and especially to those who entered the cook-off. Here are the talented winners of the event -

(left-right) Valerie McGowan, Suzanne Crothers, & Holly Young,
winners of the 2010 Vegan Chili Cook-Off

Valerie won in the 'Best Overall Chili' category with her delicious three bean chili (recipe coming soon). Suzanne's white bean chili took the 'Best Mild Chili' category, and Holly took the award for both the 'Best Spicy Chili' and 'Most Unique' with a delicious sweet potato chili. Congratulations ladies, and enjoy your prizes!

SHS Humane Gourmet

For the last couple of years, the Sequoia Humane Society has been hosting a fundraiser called the 'Humane Gourmet'. I haven't attended personally in the past, but I've heard that it's an upscale vegetarian meal, plus entertainment (live music, I think?) and some kind of auction event. In the past, the vegan offerings have been somewhat scarce, but things are set to change this year. (Yay!)

The event will take place on Saturday, January 30th at the Eureka Women's Club, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

This year's chef will be the wonderful and talented Jennifer Raymond, who runs the Humboldt Spay/Neuter Network and has authored various vegan cookbooks including The Peaceful Palate. (I also give Jennifer full credit for my own conversion to veganism some eight or so years ago.)

Thank in large part to Jennifer's involvement, this year's menu will be almost completely vegan. I'll post ticket sales information here as soon as I have it, but in the meantime I want to help get the word out that Jennifer is looking for volunteers to help with food preparation, food serving, clean-up, etc. If you would like to volunteer your services for this exciting fundraiser, or if you have any questions, please contact Jennifer directly.