The Vegan Butcher

As I sit here writing the fifth post in our “Into the Woods” series, my dear readers, I am listening to the soundtrack of another wicked Stephen Sondheim musical, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”. While it’s an amazing musical and I love it more than most people love cake, I cannot see it inspiring a blog series anytime soon (unless anyone has any ideas for finding a vegan substitute for human flesh). No, for now I think we’ll stick to the slightly happier and definitely more vegan-friendly Sondheim musical, “Into the Woods”.

So far in this series we have discovered Cinderella, Little Red, Jack, and Milky White. In this post we are going to learn more about the villain of this tale, the witch who lives next door to the baker and his wife. (more…)

For the past three years I have worked at a leading health insurance company and it has been wonderful. I love my company and I am crazy about my coworkers. This is my last week working with them because in a week and a half I will be hopping across the pond to live in London. I will miss my company terribly; it just happens to be on the wrong continent.

Whenever we have something to celebrate in the sales department we always, always have a “food day” (potluck). These food days are the perfect way to share recipes, show off cooking skillz, and socialise. We love ‘em! (more…)

I was in the grocery store the other day (or as Jerri and I have taken to calling it, the brocery store—don’t ask) and as I wandered through the produce section I happened upon a vegetable I had never seen before.

“What in the hell is that?” I asked Jerri, who was wandering with me at the time.

“Kohlrabi?” she read from the sign. “I have no idea. Are those slugs?”

I dropped the kohlrabi I was holding because for a second I thought it was, indeed, covered in slugs. I picked it up, called her a bitch as she laughed at me, and put it in the cart. (more…)

Welcome to the first and (I would say with almost definite certainty) not the last “Drunk Vegan Cooking with Tracy” post!

Since I work seven days a week and all holidays I have very few opportunities to get good ‘n’ drunk nowadays. There have been so few in the last year, in fact, that if you wanted I would be able to name the specific dates and occasions. It’s sad, really.

Anyway, since it’s almost time for me to blow this popsicle stand and move across the pond to Londontown, Jerri and I decided to each book a vacation day and get hammered on a school night. Drunk Tracy and Sober Tracy are similar in that they both love to cook. Where they differ is in their judgment calls and ability to make good choices. This post chronicles that night and those choices. (more…)

It’s time once again to head out of the kitchen and into the woods! This is the fourth post in our series on “Into the Woods”, Stephen Sondheim’s wonderful Broadway musical. Are you confused? New to theveganbutcher.com? Behind on the times? Living under a rock? Fret not! You can catch up here, here, and here.

In “Into the Woods”, Jack (of the classic tale Jack and the Beanstalk) lives with his mother in a tumbledown home with no money and only an old cow to their name. Said cow, Milky White, is Jack’s only friend, but she must be sold to bring some much needed gold into the household. Milky White hadn’t given milk for a while before they decide to sell her, which sets up this recipe perfectly: (more…)

I went over to my darling bestie Jerri’s house the other day. The days are getting shorter, the nights chillier, and the summer is clearly dying. Before it gives its final death rattle we wanted to have one last BBQ hurrah. Jerr Bear had a supply of mini hamburgers and mini buns and was going to make mini sliders.

NEEDLESS TO SAY (but you know I’m gonna say it anyway), I got very jealous. I wanted to have mini burgers too! As I sat there grumping Jerri and I came up with a plan: mushroom sliders! If we couldn’t find vegan mini buns we would make our own with cookie cutters and bread! IT WAS ON! (more…)

I am having a full-blown love affair with the cookbooks of Joni Marie Newman and I don’t care who knows it! She’s absolutely genius. This post chronicles the first meal I made from her new book with Celine Steen, Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites.

As the title clearly states, this book includes nothing but recipes for substantial, filling food. You’re not going to find recipes for dainty salads in here, I’ll tell you that much for free.

I cracked open this cookbook on a hot, humid, Halifax summer weekend. My friends Jimmy and Kaleigh were coming over to visit that afternoon. I didn’t want to go to the grocery store and I wanted to cook outside. Those were my parameters while I flipped through for a recipe.

I found a recipe for the Ultimate Patty Melt topped with Smoky Pub Cheese, a burger served on sourdough bread.  I sounded delicious and it fit the bill. I was happy. (more…)

It’s time for our third post in the “Into the Woods” series! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, where have you been? Do some back reading now to get in the loop.

Another fairy tale character involved in Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” is dear Jack, of Jack and the Beanstalk fame. In this story Jack and his mother have fallen on hard times and she sends him into the woods to sell their cow—his one and only (and rather beloved) friend, Milky White.

So off goes Jack, with explicit instructions from his brilliant and shockingly beautiful mother (can you tell which role I played in our high school production?) to get as much gold as he possibly can for the worse-for-the-wear creature.

Jack, being a bit of a dolt, is tricked into giving up Milky White for five magic beans. Were I really Jack’s mother, this is what I would have done with them. (more…)

Today I’m going to tell you about one of my favourite little spots in Halifax: the Heartwood Bakery & Café. (more…)