Revolutionary Veganism

This recipe is coming directly from here. You can also find a video demonstration of the recipe in that post.

Since the discussion is in-depth in that post, I'm not going to replicate all of that here but here are the substitutions:

• Replace the egg noodles with the same amount of rice vermicelli.

Do not place paper towel over them once the noodles have cooked as they will stick like hell to it. They will cook through just fine without it, believe me. I have found that Vietnamese rice vermicelli tends to have a tougher consistency than other styles, which is ideal for these sorts of dishes. I use Dongguan brand and they are ideal for fried noodle dishes like this. Try to find the the thicker, tougher looking vermicelli because the very fine vermicelli are a bit harder to work with in a wok. You could also use flat rice noodles - the consistency will be different but I doubt anyone's going to heckle you for it.

• Replace the fish sauce

Fish sauce substitutes are usually overdone in the west. Use some Golden Mountain sauce (ideally), some Maggi sauce, some liquid aminos etc. instead. If you are really craving that true fishy taste (lol why?) then you can add in some seaweed like nori strips or even boil some kelp (Kombu) for 10 minutes and use the water from that.

That's really all there is to it.

This dish is extremely simple and tasty, and it lends itself well to vegan cooking. I'd recommend subscribing to their youtube channel because they have a lot of great authentic dishes and lots of Chinese cuisine lends itself well to vegan adaptation.

This recipe is adapted from here and you can watch Kenji himself making it with a headcam here if that helps you get the process clear in your mind.

The substitutes from the original recipe are the egg and the feta. You can play around with these as they aren't central to the recipe. Simple egg substitutes include chia seeds, flaxseed, and gram flour. Simply use 3 tablespoons of water and mix in 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed/flaxseed meal or 3 tablespoons of gram flour (aka chickpea flour). You could probably use about 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas mashed or pureed, ensuring that they amount to a rounded 1/3 cup. If you're doing this, set aside 3 tablespoons of the bean water (aka aquafaba) for your egg replacement and beat until it reaches a snot-like texture - not whipped until stiff peaks but when it reaches the texture of runny glue with bubbles in it.

For feta I have just swapped it out for firm tofu, a pinch of salt, and a splash of vinegar but you could get fancy and add some nooch or you could ferment the cashews seen elsewhere in the recipe as per vegan cheesemaking recipes or buy some pre-made stuff if that suits your preference. Up to you.

Recipe

• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained [reserve liquid and freeze to set aside for later to use as the egg substitute known as aquafaba]

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

• 1 large poblano pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced

• 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon sauce

• 3/4 cup roasted cashews

• 1/2 cup finely crumbled feta substitute [see discussion above]

• 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

• 1 egg's worth of egg replacement [see discussion above]

• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Method

• Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spread black beans in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and roast until beans are mostly split open and outer skins are beginning to get crunchy, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

• While beans roast, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and poblano and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chipotle chili and sauce and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

• Place cashews in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped into pieces no larger than 1/3-inch, about 12 short pulses. Add to bowl with onions and peppers.

• When beans are slightly cooled, transfer to food processor. Add cheese. Pulse until beans are roughly chopped (the largest pieces should be about 1/3 of a full bean in size). Transfer to bowl with onion/pepper mixture. Add mayonnaise, egg, and bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Fold together gently but thoroughly with hands. Patty mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days at this stage.

• To cook on the grill: Light 2/3 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the medium-high setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Form bean mixture into 6 to 8 patties as wide as your burger buns and brush top sides with oil. Place on hot side of grill oiled-side down and cook without moving until first side is well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Brush tops of burgers with oil. Carefully flip and continue cooking until second side is browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer, topping with cheese if desired.

• To cook indoors: Form bean mixture into 6 to 8 patties as wide as your burger buns. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 4 patties and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until well browned and crisp on first side, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until second side is browned, about 5 minutes longer, adding cheese if desired. If cooking more than 4 burgers, cook in batches, keeping cooked burgers on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in a 200°F oven while second batch cooks.

This is just one recipe, but hopefully you all have similarly easy and cheap ideas.

• 1 zucchini
• Oil (whatever kind, but coconut oil works nicely)
• Salt and pepper
• Tortillas
• Hummus (basically anything but Sabra or Tribe)
• Kale (even if you hate kale, I promise you want it for this)
• Grape or cherry tomatoes
• Red onion
• Vegan cheese (optional but recommended)

1. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut the halves into strips or cubes (I do cubes). Toss in a bowl with oil, salt and pepper. Heat a pan (ideally a grill pan, but it doesn't matter much) over medium heat. Once it's up to temp (splash with a little water and see if it evaporates), dump the zucchini in and spread it around the pan. Leave it alone for 3-5 minutes, then shake it all around and leave it for another 3 minutes. Transfer zucchini somewhere (directly onto your tortilla, if you did step 2 while cooking). Leave the heat on for later.

2. For the tortilla, I spread a nice layer of hummus on one side, a slice of red onion (spread the rings around), some halved grape tomatoes (usually 4 does the trick, but adjust to taste), then a handful of kale.

3. If using vegan cheese, I put it on the other half of the tortilla (usually just one slice of fake Swiss, but use your imagination).

4. Finally, roll that bad Larry up and toss it back in the pan in which you cooked the zucchini, grilling/toasting both sides to get some much needed grease in your gullet.

A medium zucchini will get you two quite filling burritos, so it's good for meal prep or high snacking or whatever.

While we grow this group, I wanted to share my other favorite groups. IRL, i've associated with PETA and DxE, but preferred smaller local groups (working with sanctuaries or school clubs). Also, check out "VegFests" if you are in the US for incredible food options.

Online, I found my favorite vegan social group is r/VeganCircleJerk. They have a discord with a heavy leftist influence and mods ban reactionaries. Also, they are very socially progressive. If you're wondering, r/vegan kisses too much corporate ass in my opinion.

What is the biggest pollutant across the globe? What sector? What industry?

The military, with their tanks, planes, and aircraft carriers? Electronics? Nope.

The greatest global contributor of GHGs is animal agriculture. I've linked to an infographic that always blows my mind.

The abolition of capitalism will save the workers, but to save the environment, we must stop the insanity of animal agriculture. If you are considering alternatives to how factory farming is done, then you're right, there are a LOT of things that could change. And honestly, the single best resource for this topic is a Netflix documentary I saw recently.

I encourage you all to watch Cowspiracy. I never watch videos people link on here, but please give it a shot. In my own words, I'll briefly introduce it: chronicles the story of a devout environmentalist in the USA who was stunned when he learned - like you just have - that animal agriculture was the greatest global contributor to pollution. But this guy is a hardcore treehugger, and is like 30. How the hell did he just learn this? He is a member of "green" groups, but eating animals is never talked about. This dirty secret, i.e. that animal agriculture is never discussed in green advocacy groups, is the "cowspiracy" behind their controlled opposition to environmental destruction. They ask you to drive a hybrid and recycle your plastic straws, but never question the business that is literally slashing and burning the fucking amazon rainforest.

If you do not have Netflix, I can let you "borrow" a copy ;)

BITE BACK MAGAZINE is a vegan activism publication that catalogues direct action by comrades world wide, including sabotage and vandalism against the animal genocide machine.

This is an excellent resource to inspire one another to continue our immensely uphill fight and also, under the prisoners tab, to show solidarity with our comrades who are behind bars by writing letters to remind them that they are not forgotten (there are strict rules about what can be written, find them on the site or ask questions herein).

Share your thoughts and discuss what actions we should take after our pandemic subsides, BUT DO NOT DOXX YOURSELF.

Stay safe and healthy comrades, I love you all