Vegan Breakfast Burritos

You will need:
Some music to rock out to while you cook
1 block of firm tofu
Garlic, 2/3 cloves
Onion (white or red), 1/2 medium-sized one
Tomato, 1/2 medium-sized one
Mushrooms, 2 or 3 large (I used shiitake cause they're cheap here!)
Jalapenos, 2 or 3 (depends how spicy you like it!)
Corn or flour tortillas (how many you use will depend on their size and how full you want them to be)

For seasoning:
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional but I like it)
salt and pepper to taste

Recommended additions: avocado slices, hot sauce!

Instructions (as if you didn't know how to make scrambled tofu!):

1) Press your tofu between two plates. Put something heavy on the top one to help squeeze that tofu juice out... If you're lazy, you can skip the pressing - it's not totally crucial.
2) Mince your garlic, or chop it into teeny-tiny pieces by hand. Chop up your onion, tomato and mushrooms into small bited-sized chunks. Slice your jalapenos and make sure not to put your fingers in your eyes afterwards.
3) Heat about a tablespoon of oil or vegan margarine on medium heat in a frying pan and add your garlic and onion. Fry it all up until the onions start to get soft and you've inhaled enough of the delicious aroma.
4) Add your mushrooms, tomato and jalapenos and fry for a couple of minutes.
5) Sprinkle the turmeric, paprika and soya sauce into the pan and stir it up for 20 seconds or so. Add the nutritional yeast too if you're using it.
6) Crumble your tofu into the pan and give it a good stir around. You want to try not to mash it down too much but retain the chunkiness.
7) Now reduce the heat to low and let your tofu cook for about 10 minutes. If you find the mixture is sticking too much, you can add a splash of water.
8) Taste your tofu and and add salt and pepper as you like! If the mixture is still watery (you didn't press your tofu did you, you badass!) then keep it cooking on a low heat until the liquid has cooked off.

To serve:
Toast or pan-fry your tortillas to warm them up. Spoon a generous helping of tofu into each one, garnish with some fresh avocado slices and splash on the hot sauce...... yum!


P.S. This scramble is delicious with some refried beans smeared onto the tortilla first! Also, you might like adding spinach, diced red pepper and/or chipotle if you're feeling saucy. Have fun!

-- Sarah

I Love You, but You Love Meat

My reason for this post was initially because of this article in the NY Times.

“If you can’t allow your partner to have latitude in what he or she eats, then maybe your problem isn’t about food”

Yes, exactly. My problem is not about the food - it's about the exploitation, abuse and murder of billions of animals, wasteful and wanton destruction of the environment, the repulsive economic agenda of the dairy and meat industries and the resistance to one of the biggest and most oppressive capitalist industries.

The "freedom of choice" and "respect for other people's opinions" arguments seem to be annoyingly frequent ones which I personally have had thrown at me for years. Whilst of course I agree that people should be allowed to live their lives however they see fit (hence I believe in de-criminalising all illegal drugs), I only support the assumption of personal liberty as far as it affects the individual.
For example, I like tattoos and piercings and if I choose to tattoo myself, the only life affected is mine. I didn't harm or hinder anyone else's life in the process. Choosing to eat meat, however, is not a personal choice for the other party involved - the animals have no choice at all to give up their lives.
A veal calf has no choice when it is removed from it's mother at only a few days old; a piglet has no choice when it is castrated and has it's tail and ears cut off; a cow has no choice when it is dismembered and butchered while conscious; a dolphin has no choice when it is crushed and drowned in a drag net; a male chick has no choice when it is ground up or suffocated because it was born the "wrong" sex.

So you can argue that it's a humans "personal choice" to eat meat, wear leather and fur, drink milk etc. But I can't support someone's choice to beat their wife. I can't support someone's choice to have slaves. I can't support someone's choice to commit rape. And I can't support someone's choice to eat meat because, just like in the previous cases, the victim has no choice at all.

I can't respect someone's right to cause harm and suffering to another sentient being. Whether it's human or non-human animal, unecessary suffering is still unecessary suffering.

Respect Life, Go Vegan!

-- Sarah

Gyoza

This recipe is super flexible, you can add what you like and change the amounts depending on your preference.

Ingredients:
480g tofu or 1 pack
1 carrot, diced
4-6 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 cups hakusai or a cabbage, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
salt and pepper
40-50 gyoza wrappers (check they are vegan)

Directions:
Press the tofu between two plates to get out any excess water.
Chop all the veggies, garlic, and ginger.
Crumble the pressed tofu into a large bowl.
Add all the ingredients and mix together, except salt, pepper and sesame oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Fill the gyoza wrappers with about a tablespoon or 2 of the mixture.
To seal them, wet the edges with water, then press them closed.



Then cook them in your favorite way!
- You can put them in the oven to bake for 10 minutes on each side (low fat!)
- Fry them in a bit of the sesame oil and water covered for 10 minutes or so (my preferred way)
- Steam them.

The finished product!

*disclaimer*I didn't measure exactly so change them if you want. You can really add any vegetables you like. You can also vary how you cut the veggies, chopped,shredded, etc.

380ｇ　豆腐　（一丁）

１本　にんじん、みじん切り

4－6枚　しいたけ、みじん切り

２カップ白菜、みじん切り

2－3かけ　にんにく、みじん切り

大さじ２　ショウガ、みじん切り

1/4カップ　青ねぎ、みじん切り

[A]

大さじ１　ゴマ油
大さじ１．５　醤油
大さじ１．５　酒

塩、こしょう、少々
40－50枚餃子の皮

１． 豆腐の水けを切る。
２． 野菜とにんにくとショウガを切る。
３． ボウルに豆腐入れてつぶす。
４． [３]のボウルの中に[２]の全部を入れてよくませる。
５． [A]の調味料を加えてよく混ぜる。
６． 大さじ１ぐらいずつを皮で包む。
７． 皮にあんをのせて端に水をつけ二つ折りにしてひだをつけながら包む。
８． フライパンを熱してゴマ油大さじ２をなじませ、ギョウザを並べる。ギョウザの高さの１/２くらいまで水を注ぎ、ふたをして蒸し焼きにする。
９． ポン酢をつけていただく。

-- Pamela

Inagural Post

This blog was started to supplement the zine, 'Punk You' that Sarah and I are working on. This blog will include English translations of the Japanese zine, plus way more. Such as recipes, restaurant reviews, help for being vegan in Japan, stuff about music and politics. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but you get the idea. It's also just a fun outlet for us to post our food porn on.
Hope you enjoy our blog!

-- Pamela