The Post Punk Kitchen: It's a vegan riot

In an era in which so many are going vegan, vegetarian, turning to organic produce and locally grown food, what could be more useful than an online kitchen to provide you with fun, healthy, rockin' recipes that are all vegan?

In the Post Punk Kitchen, friendly cooks lead you through easy recipes such as pumpkin waffles for breakfast, lentil soup with grilled pineapple for lunch or Ethiopian tomato lentil stew for dinner.

Then there's the stuff that will really blow you away, such as the chocolate bomb pudding cake.

We took a little time to chat with Isa Moskowitz, the Brooklyn-born creator of the Post Punk Kitchen. Here's what she had to say about her cooking and the website:

DD: So why did you start the Post Punk Kitchen? Where did the idea come from?

Moskowitz: Well, it started as a TV show on Public Access. The website was for the show. It started six years ago, and it helped people keep informed. I also thought it was a good place to build community.

DD: Are you a vegan?

Moskowitz: Yup.

DD: Was it hard to find vegan/vegetarian options in Brooklyn (where PPK started)?

Moskowitz: No, it was a very vegan friendly city. Portland, the same. Just different things.

Moskowitz moved to Portland, Ore., from Brooklyn. 

DD: How has the Post Punk Kitchen evolved and where do you see it headed?

Moskowitz: It started as a TV show and we don't do the TV show anymore now. Now we write cookbooks. Now the website is larger. And now we're becoming more community-based. People will have profiles; there's social networking. People can upload their own videos and recipes.

DD: What's your favorite recipe? For dinner or dessert?

Moskowitz: I go through phases. For weeknights, for a while, I was cooking and roasting a bunch of things. Roasted vegetables and then a grain and a bean.

For a dessert, I love simple, plain chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache.

DD: If you could share one vegan recipe with the entire world and get them to eat it, what would it be?

Moskowitz: Well, it would be hard to find something that everyone would like. I think a lot of people are already eating things that are vegan. Like falafel, knishes, pasta. We make vegan pizza by blending nuts to make a cheese. And when in doubt, I always serve pesto.

Better than a punk show in Webley Arena, this site has all the goods to keep you healthy and hip.

God save the quinoa!

-- Lori Kozlowski

Photo: Post Punk Kitchen

Comments

[James]

Callie, learning to cook vegan is no more exhausting than learning to cook conventionally; many ethnic dishes, originating from cultures with strong animal-product-free traditions, require no substitutions at all, and modifications to account for eggs and dairy tend to be simple and easy to memorize. You don't have to worry about undercooking meat or getting salmonella from the chocolate-chip cookie dough either!

The rundown of questions at restaurants only has to be done once, and if your server is worth their salt they're usually quite happy to give extra information. Most restaurants now have at least a vegetarian option on the menu, and, if they don't, good chefs tend to enjoy the break in the restaurant routine to put together something special.

As for special ingredients, you can eat a very healthy and diverse vegan diet using items that are common in any grocery store; while it can be fun to experiment with exotic foods, fresh veggies, grains, beans, and nuts can be found anywhere, and their are several great cookbooks out there that eschew exoticism and vegan substitutions (Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Klein's Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen are two excellent options).

[Dave]

Fun story.

Callie,

It isn't as hard as one might think. There are so many cookbooks out there and websites with literally hundreds upon hundreds if not thousands of vegan recipes. Also, vegan ingredients really aren't expensive, it is a lot of bulk ingredients that are very cheap. Pasta, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts can be bought by the pound for only a few dollars, and that would last a long time. My last grocery bill was about $32 dollars, and that will provide almost all of my food for the week. Some things might be harder to find, but that is if you want to be really elaborate, in which case it would be no different than any other style of cooking.

check out www.theppk.com for some recipes.

[Ari Solomon]

Thank you for featuring this piece. Going vegan is not only better for you but it's the best thing you can do for the environment. Many people do not know that animal agriculture is the number one cause of global warming. If you live in LA especially, going vegan is a snap.

[Vanessa]

Callie - vegan ingredients aren't really expensive or hard-to-find, unless you're using lots of fake meat and cheese. Grains, vegetables, fruits and beans are cheap and easy to come by. If you already cook a lot at home, it's not hard at all, and there are lots of good cookbooks with vegan recipes (like Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, one of my favorites!)

[Elle]

Eating vegetarian/vegan is easier than ever and much of that is thanks to the vegan cookbook mavens like Isa. Vegan with a Vengeance is my favorite-- must in every kitchen!

If you're looking for more information about eating vegetarian meals check out: http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/

Thank you for the interview!

[Lisa Bennett]

Eating vegan just takes a little additional planning. After a short while, it's second nature. In some ways, it's simpler than just "cutting down" on your meat and dairy consumption, because you don't have to wonder at every meal whether to eat the meat or dairy. It's just no longer "food" to you, so you don't eat it. That's a lot of decisions already made, which is less mental effort. But if being 100% vegan seems too taxing, then just do the best you can and don't stress about it. Every little bit helps the environment, your health, and the animals.

[Bob Collins]

Love the Post Punk website! I went vegan two years ago to defeat diabetes & high cholesterol (and did! yea!). Now my wife and I love it. Yes, there's more thought involved than just grabbing fast food, but we enjoy the creative process of new foods and tastes. In fact, we eat more of a variety now than we ever did before - plus we feel so much better.
I started a * non-commercial * blog to explain my diet change to our stepfamily group members - which has recipes and ideas. It's at http://step-carefully.blogspot.com

[Megan]

Veganism can be exhausting. Some ingredients can be hard to find, eating at steakhouses is obviously out of the question unless you want a small salad for dinner, people ask a million (sometimes criticizing) questions, etc. However, the benefits (like reading a heartbreaking story about animal cruelty but knowing that you are doing your part to fight against it) make it totally worth it. If veganism or vegetarianism is something you really want to do, you will find ways to make it work.

[Veganknitting]

Callie - it's not that much work. It was a bit at first when I transitioned but I wouldn't take it back for the world. I'm a much better cook now, my nutrition is much better, and I LOVE food!

I'm not sure which hard-to-find, expensive vegan ingredients you are talking about, but it's very easy to eat a vegan diet without any expensive ingredients. In fact, when my husband and I first became vegan almost 9 years ago, we spent a lot more money on food because we were buying pre-made fake meats, cheese, etc. Now we make most of our food without those types of products and it's very easy. Grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, and beans!

[Susan]

I am vegan and I think it is a joy. Yes, I do ask what ingredients are in dishes, but I'm so grateful to know that I'm eating a diet that is based upon compassion, that is more powerful than driving a Prius in terms of saving the environment, conserves precious water resources, doesn't contribute to global starvation and hunger the way a meat and dairy based diet does, and supports my health. I love food and find the vegan diet to be extremely versatile. I admit it took a while at first because I didn't know what to cook. At first I depended upon cereal, salads, curries at a Thai restaurant and a vegan restaurant about 30 minutes away. But once I began learning recipes and getting the basics, now I'm good to go and happy for it.

[Callie]

Eating vegan sounds exhausting. Isn't it a ton of work trying to adapt recipes, ask what is in dishes at restaurants, searching for hard-to-find, expensive vegan ingredients? I was vegetarian for a while and it was quite an effort, especially living in meat-loving Texas...