Things you should know before we start: Amber McDonald is a DC Vegan who became so about a year and a half ago after working with the Humane Society and reading about the similarities in emotions between dogs and cows. Viewing dairy farms equivalent to puppy mills, she started gradually cutting animal products out of her diet, beginning with dairy and beef, then pork, chicken, and finishing off with fish as the last one to go. Amber has recently drafted the legislation for a resolution to declare DC Meatless Mondays, working on getting restaurants and eventually the DC public school system to eliminate meat consumption on Mondays. She also participates in the animal-friendly groups Vegan Mainstream and PETA Prime. I stopped by Amber's downtown DC apartment which she shares with her amazingly inspiring and non-vegan dog Meanie the day after her CSA shipments came in to catch her fridge packed with as many fresh fruit and vegetables as possible. She is a member of not one, but two CSA's, the popular and picky-eater friendly Washington's Green Grocer and the more upscale Arganica.
LETS GO!
In freezer: bag of scallops expired in 2009, frozen vegetables (broccoli, peas, corn, spinach, mixed veg), naan, Morning Star grillers, hotdog buns, Boca burgers, orange sorbet, garden chicken, vodka, artichoke burger & vegetarian harvest roast (both produced by the Vegan Society based in the UK), spinach pancakes, Amy's enchilada meal, Kashi black bean mango meal, and raw beef marrow bones for Meanie
Top shelf of fridge: club soda, Pellegrino, champagne, homemade ramp & asparagus risotto w/ ramp & Swiss chard pesto (amazing looking, I wanted a taste! going to have to get the recipe), lentil dal burgers, vegan Pillsbury pizza crust, flour tortillas, corn, apple butter, vegan ricemellow cream, macadamia butter, coconut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter
Turning vegan is a continual learning process which involved the help of a lot of different books Amber is still collecting. She is currently reading The Vegetarian Myth, an anti-vegan book, to get an idea of the opposition's view.
The box the produce comes in, with ice in the plastic containers.
Previously on “What’s In Your Fridge?”:
- Josh Sisk, photographer, author of “Under the Strobe Light”
- Todd Kliman, food & wine editor of “Washingtonian”
- Josh Short, pastry chef of BUZZ Bakery
- Robb Duncan and Violeta Edelman of DOLCEZZA Gelato
- Miriam’s Kitchen
- Scott Drewno, of The Source
- Tim Carman, food columnist “Washington City Paper”
Is there a fridge you’d like to see in here? Let us know in comments or at info@brightestyoungthings.com
Previously in What's In Your Fridge?:
- 8/4: Barton Seaver's Fridge
- 5/16: Mike Isabella's Fridge
- 12/28: What's In Your Fridge 2010: A Selection
- 12/27: Matthew Lesko: To the Fridge and Beyond
- 8/6: Whats In Your Fridge?: King Buzzo of the Melvins
- 7/7: Eating with Caution: Tittsworth's Fridge
- 6/3: What's In Your Fridge? Warren Brown of CakeLove
- 6/2: What's In Your Fridge? Washington Post Food Editor Joe Yonan
- 6/1: What's In Your Fridge? Nycci Nellis of TheListAreYouOnIt.com
- 5/28: Whats In Your Fridge? Amanda McClements of Metrocurean
God loves a cheerful giver.
Give me that bag of scallops you dirty hippy!
I never thought I'd be able to make a Homer-Simpson-drooling-noise for a fridge full of greens. Yum.
Best fridge ever! Proof that vegans eat damn good!!!
Earth Balance vegan butter is very very good!
i love amber!
As a Dad I couldn't be more proud of Amber!
How do you eat all that fresh produce before it goes bad? Any tips for keeping produce last longer?
Erin, as a general rule, removing produce from sealed plastic bags and taking off any ties, rubberbands, etc, will extend their life. I may freeze fruits -- like the bananas you see -- which makes for great smoothies, especially mixed with greens, like kale and bok choy. If I have leftover kale at the end of the week, I'll bake kale chips. I also dry tomatoes after mixing them up with some olive oil, garlic, basil and oregano. Finally, potatoes and onions will last awhile if kept in a cool, dry place. Hope that helps!
Oh! And to make wilted celery, aspargus, rhubarb, etc, crisp again, cut off the ends and soak in a glass of water over night.
Vegetable pate? That sounds so disgusting. I never understand why veggies/vegans eat fake meat products - if you're gonna do it, own up and do it right.
The key to enjoying boca burgers/other processed soy products is not thinking of them as "fake meat" products... if you're thinking about how you're eating fake meat its gonna be disgusting! it's a different kinda food.
Also, rockin' fridge you got there.
I have to agree with Nick a bit. I thought that 95% of soy grown is genetically modified and that soy is a known endocrine disruptor?
Soy can seriously fuck your body up if you are a high estrogen producer...
Having issues, then?
I agree that people should limit their consumption of soy. I rarely eat soy, except for fermented soy products (like tempeh, miso and some okara), which don't have the same effect on the body. Of course, the health issues related to soy pale in comparison to the health issues related to animal products.
And, for the record, that mushroom pate is AMAZING. It's made locally at Twin Oaks Community in central VA. Twin Oaks soy products are made from organic, non-GMO soybeans and can be purchased through Arganica.
hehe, i think we are all glossing over the chinese take-out food group clearly present here...
Just wanted to make a correction. The Artichoke Burgers and Vegetarian Harvest Roast are actually produced by Five Star Foodies, an all vegan food and beverage company. Located right here in the USA out of Cincinnati Ohio. You can check out the website at http://www.fivestarfoodies.com
Five Star Foodies is certified by The Vegan Society and currently has 9 great vegan products sold in many grocery and health food stores.
Valerie's right! Recently I was at the new whole foods in Friendship Heights and the Five Star Foodie gang was there demoing. They are a small family company located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Definitely try their other products as well! The ginger cider and sloppy joe are my personal favorites.
So a guy named Michael has experience with soy fucking up his high-estrogen-producing body? hmmm...maybe this is where man boobs come from...
Thanks, Valerie.
And two thumbs way up for those artichoke burgers.