Vegan group hosts potlucks at the library

[Guest guest]

What do you eat? How do you get enough to eat?" Although vegetarian and vegan diets have been in the public eye for several decades, Jeannie Trizzino says people still ask her these questions. She and members of a group she helped start about two years ago, called VegChico.com, decided to let their food speak for itself. "It's the ambassador," she said. Saturday marked the start of a series of potlucks the group will host to give the public a chance to sit down and have a vegan meal. Vegetarians don't eat meat, but some of them eat poultry and fish. Vegans don't eat any kind of animal product, including eggs and dairy products. More than a dozen VegChico.com members chowed down on vegan meatloaf; basmati rice with turmeric and peas; brown rice with cumin seeds, cloves and bay leaves; pasta primavera with basil and red peppers; macaroni and cheese sauce made with soy milk and nutritional yeast; a spiced chickpea dish called chana

masala; potato salad; three kinds of green salad; baked apples; homemade bread; chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies; and vanilla cupcakes with espresso-flavored frosting, dusted with chocolate shavings. The potlucks are in the public meeting room of Chico library, 1108 Sherman Ave. The group will meet and eat again at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17 and March 17. Trizzino said if people don't want to bring food, they can bring beverages, such as soft drinks. Trizzino said VegChico.com is an informal group, with about 80 people on its mailing list. She said members met at a Web site called Vegan Represent. She said the group provides an opportunity for vegetarians and vegans to get together and to do community education and outreach. A little over a year ago the group sponsored the showing of a film at the Pageant Theatre about factory farming called "Peaceable Kingdom." Several members of the group are vegans because they object to the killing of

animals. Sarah Downs, who has been a vegan for five years, is an administrative coordinator at Farm Sanctuary, an animal protection organization near Orland. She said watching a video about pig farming convinced her to become a vegan in an instant. "They were beating the pigs," she said. "There is no part of animal production that isn't tainted by suffering and cruelty," said Trizzino, a vegan for almost 20 years. "There is no humane way to kill animals," said Coleen Harvel, who has been a vegan for six years. She said there's no reason for it. "A plant-based agricultural industry could provide far more food." Even if animals are raised humanely, they are still sent to a slaughterhouse, said Danny Toms. "A slaughterhouse is a terrible place. Can you think of anyone who would want to visit a slaughterhouse?" Beverly Newman has been a vegan since she became a member of the Hare Krishna movement more than 30 years ago. "Every living being

has a spirit soul," she said. "If you want to advance spiritually, you have to stop eating meat. Eating meat is a violent act." When the group found out the Chico Natural Foods board was thinking about selling meat, it organized field trips to Farm Sanctuary. When the food co-op's board decided to allow meat to be sold, VegChico urged the store to post notices alongside the meat stating "Chico Natural Foods cannot verify the humane production or slaughter practices claimed by the producers of the animal products sold here." In a phone conversation Monday, Chico Natural Foods General Manager RachelOriana Schraeder said a committee is working on the wording for the signs. She said the board and VegChico members agreed the choice of the word "humane" was "problematic and probably a misnomer." She said the board would discuss the committee's recommendations for the signs at its next meeting Monday. She said the store is trying to be as "honest and open" as

it can in educating shoppers about food choices. But she said it's not the store's role to "promulgate a message" about what people should buy "and even if it were, it would be impossible to do that. There are so many varying points of view about food, and we have to try to respect all of them." Daniel Donnelly, who has been a vegetarian since 1981 and a vegan since 1990, said at Saturday's potluck that it's easier now for vegans to find food in Chico than it was 10 years ago. He said Grilla Bites and Moxie's have vegan dishes, as do the Thai restaurants "and now the Indian food place." He said he buys vegan chocolate chip cookies at Trader Joe's. "I take them to my students at Butte College, turn the bag around and then have them taste them." He said the cookies are just one example of "the good vegan junk food that's out there." Tom McQuaid said Saturday that he has been a vegan for 17 years and was a vegetarian for 15 years before that. He said

concerns about killing animals have become his main reason for being a vegan, but he also also believes a vegan diet has health benefits. "Look at me; I'm 85," he joked. "I have no serious health issues." McQuaid is 58. For information about VegChico.com, visit its Web site at www.vegchico or give Trizzino a call at 570-2309. NOT YOUR MAMA'S MEATLOAF 4 cups ground seitan 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1 cup fresh, whole grain bread crumbs, firmly packed 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant) 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter or other nut butter 1/3 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

leaves, crumbled 1/4 cup minced, fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes 1/2 cup tomato sauce Place the oil in a 9- or 10-inch skillet and heat it over medium-high burner. When the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside to allow the vegetables to cool. Preheat the oven to 350. Mist an 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside. Place the ground seitan, bread crumbs, rolled oats and cooled vegetable mixture in a large mixing bowl and toss them together until they are thoroughly combined. Place the remaining ingredients except the parsley and tomato sauce in a medium mixing bowl and stir vigorously until creamy and smooth. Add the mixture to the seitan along with the parsley and combine thoroughly, using

your hands. Pat the seitan mixture firmly into the prepared loaf pan. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the top. Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooking rack. Let the loaf cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes. To serve, cut the loaf into thick slices and, using a spatula, lift the slices out of the pan. Serve warm or cold, accompanied with ketchup or tomato sauce, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Staff writer Steve Brown can be reached at 896-7755 or sbrown.Peter H

 

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