Ganymeder

4-5 Tab olive oil

4-5 onions, chopped (more if you wish for a thicker soup)

salt and pepper to taste

Herbs de Provence, dried

1/2 – 1 whole head of garlic

2 cans cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans)

1 or 2 lemons (for juice) OR 2/3rd cup lemon juice

Roasted garlic (optional)

Bread

Vegan Parmesan, for topping (optional)

Balsamic vinegar, for topping (optional)

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Heat olive oil in a large pot or pan.

When about medium heat, add a LOT of chopped onions and sautee til translucent.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Add dried herb de provence, and continue to heat til onions start to brown. (I either smush the herbs between my fingers or crush with pistol and mortar to give it more flavor).

While cooking, crush garlic cloves with pestle and mortar. ( I use 1/2 to a whole garlic head. I like the trick where you lay the knife over the clove with the skin on it, and then pound it to get the skin loosened. Take the skin off, and then crush the cloves with the pistol and mortar. )

When onions become a deeper brown, and the herbs start to make everything smell great, add garlic. Turn heat down a little to make sure you don’t burn the garlic. (Burning the garlic will ruin the dish)

Meanwhile, drain and rinse 2 cans of cannellini beans.

Stick beans in food processor with enough lemon juice to make a thick but slightly liquid mixture -about 2/3rd cup of juice. If you have any roasted garlic, you can throw a little of that in too. Puree.

Boil some water.

Add small quantity of water to onion mixture. Stir, and add a little of the bean mixture to thicken up. Alternate adding water and beans until you get the creamy consistency you want.

On the side have some thick bread, garlic preferably. Maybe add a little vegan parmesan to the top of the bread and toast slightly in oven to brown the top.

Put bread in bowls, and ladle soup over bread. Top with a little balsamic if you like.

This soup is very filling with the bread. It can be a whole meal in itself or with a nice salad. Enjoy!

*I made this soup up mostly myself, but my initial inspiration came from Dino Sarma’s podcast for the Alternative Vegan.

During the holiday weekend, I was lucky enough to attend Farm Sanctuary’s annual Fourth of July Pig-Nic (Watkins Glen, NY). The sanctuary cares for victims of the animal agriculture industry. When we stopped at a convenience store along the way, I was struck by the smell of hot dogs, cheese, and other assorted animal products – the very reason the sanctuary exists in the first place. So I wrote a poem about it.

*Just a friendly warning: I use different words to describe these everyday things, so some may consider the poem graphic. In my opinion, its no more graphic than watching someone eat a chicken sandwich.

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The Road to Farm Sanctuary

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Road through the Poconos. Convenience store

sells meat from dead cows. The stench fills the room,

chips and soda next to secretions and gore

stolen from mothers, a belly their tomb.

*

On the road driving to an oasis,

kindness in our flesh based society,

compassion for all their only basis.

Rights for the weak not only the mighty.

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A farm picnic free of slaughterhouse death.

Rub a pigs belly, and call him by name.

Cows nuzzle their calves and feel their warm breath,

Care for their babies. In that we’re the same.

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Contrast our world to this one peaceful Farm

Be kind. Go vegan. Do others no harm.

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I wrote the next poem in response to someone who told me they thought “The Road to Farm Sanctuary” was extreme. (Same warning applies)

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Extreme

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Extreme… what does that word mean anyway?

You use the words that others don’t use,

Live what you think, and mean what you say,

Call things what they are and not hide your views.

*

Dairy and cheese are secretions from cows.

Meat is flesh. Call it by its proper name.

“Beef” once was living, Pork- hogs, piglets, sows.

Nice euphemisms are used to kill blame.

*

Walk past the mass grave marked “Meat Department.”

Put “Go veg” cards on the Live Lobster tank,

Feel their cold prison with your fingers bent,

doomed to die so butchers go to the bank.

*

In a world where innocents have no voice,

being extreme is the only sane choice.

************************************

- Thank you to my wonderful hubby for taking me to Farm Sanctuary for my birthday. Also, thanks to my friend, Angela, for encouraging me to post my work.

Usually that term “Left of Center” refers to deviating from the correct path, whether in traffic or philosophically in life. I have swerved slightly left of center to avoid driving too close to a bicyclist on the right side of the road. No traffic was coming from the opposite direction, no cars to hit head on. The bicyclist was safe; I was safe; and all was well.

Are there other instances when its okay to swerve left of center? When regard for another might cause you to slightly alter your ethical course?

When is it okay to break the rules?

Henry David Thoreau said that, to slightly modify his work “Civil Disobedience”, that we are obligated to break the rules when obeying them means committing an immoral act. One example is that if a runaway slave comes to you for shelter, you are morally required to help them whether or not that assistance breaks the law.

But could you extend this further? What if you break into the slaveholder’s plantation and free the slaves yourself? Thoreau’s rule wouldn’t necessarily apply because you are not legally required to do something first. You are taking the initiative by breaking into a slaveholder’s home and “business.” I guess you could say that once you were at the home, you felt it morally imperative to free the slaves, and the law would legally prohibit that. It’s food for thought. I really need to reread “Civil Disobedience.”

That’s the trouble with law and ethics. They tend to sway and define each other. The law is supposed to be a reflection of a society’s ethics, but at the same time how do you define a Universal ethical standard that everyone agrees on? A few hundred years ago, slave holders in the States thought their position was morally justifiable. Very few villains think of themselves as such; Rather they are the heroes in their own lives, and, in their opinion, society is skewed.

I think Thoreau had the right idea that you have a duty to break the law when obedience requires an immoral act. But perhaps we should be selective about the things we choose to act on, curbing our aggressive tendencies into gentler actions, lest we commit immoral acts ourselves. Does the world really need another holy war?

Finally, let our left of center leanings create newer avenues of thought. Not forcing others to follow our path, but rather encouraging others to follow (as I did with the bicyclist) the path that harms no one. Breaking the law should not be a light matter. But neither should the safety and welfare of others, which always comes first.

Sahara Grille: A Vegan-Friendly Oasis in North East Ohio

Yes, dear reader, you read that correctly. Not only do the staff at Sahara understand what the word “Vegan” actually means, but on my first visit they actually walked me through their buffet and pointed out all the vegan items. If they didn’t know something for certain, they found out.

Their mostly vegetarian buffet, with a few exceptions, offers a great selection of vegan foods. Pretty much the only flesh-based selections are the Kibbie, fried chickens, and a green bean dish with bacon. A few items contain cheese or egg, such as their Zucchini Balls or Grecian Salad. Among other Middle Eastern fare, (vegan) Lentil soup regularly features in the buffet.

My family have visited Sahara many times since that first visit, both for lunch and dinner, weeknights and weekends, and have never been disappointed. Their falafels are fabulous. Their Mama Ganouse is mouth watering, and their Humos is Heavenly. My husband swears their Baba Ganouse is the best he’s ever tasted. When not serving buffet, the staff bring out pitas and vegan bread to dip in spice and olive oil. The bread is incredible! But my little boy’s favorite is the spinach pie.* It’s a great way to get your kids to eat their spinach.

Middle Eastern music plays in the background as you sit in their spacious, lovely dining room. Their friendly, knowledgeable staff go out of their way to make you feel warm and welcome. The lighting, music, even the color of paint on the walls, all create a wonderful atmosphere. And if that isn’t enough, on certain Saturday evenings, a Belly Dancer, Angela, performs for the entire room. This is simply one of the most enjoyable places you’ll ever eat.

*Do not confuse their spinach pie (vegan) with the spanakopita (contains feta cheese).

map

http://saharagrille.com/

video

Hours: Everyday 10:45 – 9:30

Buffet: Wed 5-830, Sun 10:45 – 2:30

4794 Dressler Rd. NW

Canton, OH 44718

330 492-4647