A (sort of) vegan-friendly round-up sure to get you talking.

A New York Times article is giving a renewed platform for animal rights activists and vegans worldwide to sound their horns about animals as part of fashion and home decor. With West Hollywood – population 36,000 – leading the charge, Animal Cruelty Activists Spark New Debate For Fashion and want you to pay attention.

To the uneducated, vegan diets are bland, boring and filled with massive amounts of soybean products shaped into blocks that look like astronaut food. In 7 Delicious Meat Alternatives (And Not a Lick of Tofu in Sight), we get to explore quinoa, tempeh and mouthwatering veggie burgers packed with more healthy protein than a meat lover can shake a hot dog at.

When it comes to fashion, eco-friendliness and veganism are often perceived as being in different camps (though some brands are getting better, for sure). Still, it’s a fine line, and in Is Vegan Fashion Sustainable?, we explore why there are still differences in opinion.

Can a principled vegan woman find it within herself to fall for a meat-eating man? “Marinate on that a minute,” says Sex by Numbers columnist Abigail Wick. In Can a Vegan Woman Love a Meat-Eating Man? Wick ruminates “As much as a man’s virtues and joie de vivre might make my heart sing, I simply cannot conceive of spending my life – much less creating a family – with someone who chooses to overlook the implications of his morning bacon and eggs.”

How about if I just pull a quote from the article The Conscious Case Against Veganism: “Eating ethically is not a purity pissing contest, and the more vegans or vegetarians pretend that it is, the more their diets start to resemble mere fashion – and thus risk being dismissed as such.”

And now I’m going to run for shelter.

We’re talking about soy this month – its environmental and social impact as a monoculture crop as well as its nutritional profile. Traditional soy products, both fermented and non (tofu, miso, and tempeh) are nutritious and tasty and can be used in so many ways. It’s the processed soy products that aren’t so good for our bodies. As part of our soy series, you’ll be seeing recipes using traditional, minimally-processed soy foods.

This first recipe is easy to put together, flavorful, light, and fun to eat. Try it as an appetizer or serve it as part of a Southeast Asian meal presented family style.

Southeast Asian Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Serves 6 for an appetizer

You will need:

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce

Garnish:
Peeled and finely chopped cucumber
Finely diced red onion
Finely chopped cilantro
Finely chopped mint
Finely chopped Serrano chilies, with seeds (mixed red and green is good)
Chopped roasted peanuts

Filling:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
12 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce

Whole iceberg or large leaf lettuce leaves, washed and dried

To make:

Prepare the ingredients for the dressing and whisk together in a small serving bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside. (Note: use organic ingredients whenever possible.)

Chop the ingredients for the garnish and place on a large platter in little piles or in individual bowls.

Heat the peanut oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the tofu and let it cook, stirring occasionally to keep it from breaking up too much until it is warmed through and beginning to brown. Add the soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce. Cook, stirring for a few minutes, until the flavorings fully coat the tofu.

To serve:

Place the tofu filling in a bowl and serve with the garnishes and the dressing on the side, with the lettuce leaves on a separate platter.

Let each guest fill their lettuce leaves with tofu and vegetables, spooning the dressing over each portion. Roll and eat

Recipe copyright Vanessa Barrington 2009

Image: マユミ

(Note: image also depicts grilled eggplant)