First off, did any of you read the article about Al Gore's electric bill. What the heck? His bill for the year is more than 20 times the national average. I suspect the national average is higher than someone who is environmentally conscious. Come on Al, use some fluorescent bulbs, turn off some appliances, or get some solar panels.
Don't get me wrong, I really respect what Mr. Gore is doing as far as educating the public. He has really opened so many people's eyes. On the other hand, if you don't practice what you preach then some of your credibility is certainly lost. The Inconvenient Truth was a very thought provoking movie. After watching the movie there were two nagging items in the back of my mind.
1. He was never seen in a hybrid vehicle in the movie. Al was always driving these gas guzzling huge cars.
2. He never mentioned the major effects that the Western diet has on the environment versus a vegan/vegetarian diet. Maybe he was afraid he wouldn't be taken seriously if he touted diet as a way to help. Even so, has he made any diet changes of his own?
I'll step down from my soap box now and post some food pics.
First up Lemon Cous Cous from The Mcdougall Quick and Easy Cookbook
. This recipe was quick and easy, but lacked a little in taste. I chopped up some extra dill and added sun dried tomatoes the next day.
Next I made pumpkin cream cheese swirl brownies and orange ginger tofu for the PPK Boston potluck. We had an orange theme, hence the pumpkin. The recipe is a conglomeration from a veg cookbook and some recipes I veganized off the net. If you'd like I can post details. I failed to take a photo of the tofu and I'm using lolo's pic of the brownies.
A cauliflower recipe from My Kitchen in Spain
. My sister though the house smelled like bacon because of the smoked pimenton. This cauliflower was ok, but honestly I would have preferred to eat the vegetables plain. 
The Gumbo z'Herbes with Cajun Tempeh Bacon at Fatfreevegan caught my eye. I made up a batch of this soup which was humongous. The recipe could have been cut in half or quarters. Honestly, I hated the soup. It just wasn't flavorful enough. With every bowl, I found my self adding more herbs or spices or thinking of other ways to use it. I skipped a photo of the green soup, but here's a shot of the Cajun Tempeh Bacon which I enjoyed. When I make it again, I'll use more spices and less sweetener. BTW - This was made with Lightlife tempeh, there are links for a $1 off coupon in other entries below if you'd like one.
Now that I've been introduced to the PPK forums, I see even more great recipes. Isa (VwaV) posted a new recipe for lemon bars. In the past I was never a huge fan of lemon bar, but cooked these up anyway. Pure lemony goodness! Perhaps fresh lemon juice and real sugar make them more satisfying than the processed monstrosities I've tried in the past.
The crust was ok with 1/4 cup less margarine and it could also cook for about 10 minutes less time. It was crispy, but good. This photo was snapped really quick this morning sans flash and since it was overcast, the color isn't great.
Last pic is my lunch today. I had some Lightlife cold cuts left from the freebies they sent. Before my veg days I obliviously enjoyed a sub on french bread that went by the name of South Beach Club. This was no diet sandwich. Today's incarnation of it was much healthier. Besides being half the size it contained veggie turkey, veggie bologna, 2 bacon smart strips, a slice of toffuti cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a bit of vegan mayo. In a pinch these deli convenience foods are handy.
I'll be making the blog rounds over the next few days. Sometimes lurking is bad, I forgot to stop by PiscesPlace and wish Kleo a belated birthday. ...Must leave more comments.
7 comments:
I have to defend Al Gore here.. first of all, his estate is HUGE and contains a guest house and security provisions, so it's not like he's chilling out in a villa the same size as the average home. Second, he purchases green energy, from companies that use renewable resources and that is part of the reason his bill is so high. He is being charged a much higher rate than someone who is draning the power from the local energy company.
That being said, it does bother me that he leaves out the Vegan and even Vegetarian diet in his presentations. If people chose to EAT GREEN, it would make such an amazing difference.
melody, thanks for the comment. It is good to hear different points of view. Certainly I hope the green energy plays a big part in the price tag.
His bill last year was well over 30x mine and I was working with a 24 year old heater. Ratio wise that is a huge difference even if I were to estimate his house being 5-10x bigger than my place.
I'm hoping to see my electric bill drop even more now that my heater has been replaced.
Though buying green energy to offset your energy consumption is great idea, I'm not sure that it negates the need to lower your own utility use. I could be incorrect, but I'm under the impression that buying green energy just helps support sources that are using it. It doesn't necessarily mean your house is receiving green energy.
Anyway I'm not perfect either, but I saw the articles about this awhile back I was surprised.
Al Gore puts himself out there, he has to be ready to face the music. I agree that some of his "ways" are not very environmentally smart, but i'm not gonna judge him 'cause i'm not exactly in a place to pass it! My car may be a Scion xA but it's not a hybrid. And i waste stuff more often than i should in all sorts of "bad" ways. His eating habits are what cause me the most chagrin... ya know, Jod? i'm right there w/you on the soapbox on THAT...
Love the photos AND the food. Pumpkin cream cheez swirl brownies. Oh yeah!! I need to clear out chumetz before Pesach but i would love some of those!!
And by the way, THIS:
"...veggie turkey, veggie bologna, 2 bacon smart strips, a slice of toffuti cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a bit of vegan mayo..."
is MY kinda sandwich. OH YEAH GIRLFRIEND!!!
:o)
Great to see you "back."
How about a birdie update, too???
The way I see it, Al Gore saw the light when it came to his family's involvement with tobacco farming, maybe he'll see the light about cattle ranching/eating meat someday too. Unfortunately, our messed up society (95% of it anyway...) will NOT take someone seriously if they advocate a vegetarian diet. (Forget vegan.) The best a mainstream politician like Gore could do would be to advocate meatless mondays or something like that...
Gosh, I'm having a pessimistic day!
On to the yummy food: those lemon bars look so great! I also never liked lemon bars before being vegan (they taste so much like egg! they have that eggy smell!) but now crave them. I bet Isa's are great- I'll look at them. Also, if you'd be willing to share the pumpkin brownie recipe, that would be great. I love pumpkin and have been craving brownies lately!
Too bad about the soup and cauliflower? Some times veggies are better off alone. Bazu, is actually 5% of the population vegetarian? I thought it was only 1%!
I haven't had a sub in ages. Sounds like a great idea. I'm very interested in hearing about your potluck event. Bazu over at Where's the revolution posted about one in her city. I'm so envious, so I'll live vicariously through you! :o)
I did hear about Mr. Gore's electric bill. Hmmm?
I'm also very interested in orange ginger tofu! Is there a recipe somewhere? I know I would like that! Too bad that some of your recipes were a bust. Happens to all of us. How can something that sounds so delicious be such a let down? At least you're adventurous and try.
Hi Liliy,
I just pulled the 95% figure out of thin air! I've also heard that only 1-2% of the population is veg., but I'm guessing a few more percent are at least open to hearing about it- that's all I meant.
5%- I wish! =)
Post a Comment