Day-to-day choices for the ethically handsome man
By Matt Lara
Where the Wild Photos Are:
While everyone was checking out wild fashion at NYC Fashion Week, I was moving out to the wild, wild west known as Los Angeles. My first excursion out of the world of unpacking and back into the world of enjoyment was a visit to the Fahey/Klein Gallery to see A Shadow Falls by photographer Nick Brandt. Little did I know that a fun afternoon trip would turn out to be a private audience with the photographer himself! I was astonished to hear him explain that it was the gorgeous African wildlife that originally drew him in, and that this was the best way for him to honor it. The work is also available as a book. An excerpt from the introduction:
“For me, every creature on this planet has an equal right to live. Whether human being, Serengeti elephant, or factory farm cow. That is why I take these photographs. I hope that maybe you will see these animals, these non-humans, in the way that I do—as not so very different from us.”
App Happy:
According to a friend of mine, I have finally joined the “evil empire” with the purchase of my new iPhone. After figuring out picture-texting and voice activation, I sought out some of the more useful apps for healthy and compassionate ladies and germs:
Vegan Yum Yum has fantastic recipes from their blog, some with photos. I like how you can check off ingredients, which is helpful while in the grocery store.
Dirty Produce from the Environmental Working Group is a quick list of the most highly sprayed crops for when it’s difficult to find all organic produce.
Thanks to Chloe at GirlieGirlArmy for Be Nice To Bunnies which lists companies that test their products on animals. So helpful in those giant drug store aisles.
Whole Foods also has a nice app full of recipes I have been flipping through. They are arranged by category including vegan and gluten-free dishes.
Stir Crazy
Okay, I am still learning how to make astounding dishes a la Joshua Katcher (the DB himself). For now, I am a fan of the “dump-and-stir” recipe. This one looks, feels, and tastes special every time I stir-and-serve it. Therefore, I make it often:
A few days after my big move I grabbed lunch with the man behind those naughty candles over at A Scent of Scandal, Ari Solomon. We laughed and chewed for quite a while over some wonderful dishes at Real Food Daily in West Hollywood. According to his recommendation, I am to come back and stuff myself with their nachos with melted cashew-cheddar cheese. That is after my next stop, the brand-new Veggie Grill on Sunset Boulevard!
Now that I’m pretty much all moved, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a good living space and a good day-job. I’ll keep you posted! If anyone out there has any tips, questions, or suggestion about living Ethically Handsome on the West Coast, please leave me a comment below!
The April77 party at Oak was on the top-10 parties list (Refinery29) for Fashion’s Night Out, kicking off fashion week. I met up with Tommy Über of April77 at OAK to chat and check out some denim customizing!
Concerning April77′s creator and designer, Brice Partouche being a long-time vegetarian and recent convert to vegan, and making a cruelty-free shoe line, Tommy Über had this to say:
We don’t make any leather... It’s important to see the vision of someone that really carries his personal causes into a clothing line… And that’s why people love April77 – because it’s engaged. – Tommy Über, APRIL77
The current April77 collection does have wool, but Brice personally ensured me that all future collections will be free from animal products.
We must start, dear readers, by begging your pardon. Usually, with Whistle While You Work, we endeavor to divine those subtle strands that connect two seemingly distant realms of art; that of culinary alchemy and that of musical conjuration. True, comparing two such separate art forms runs the risk of offending some. For instance, Passion Pit has to be one of my favorite new bands from the last year, but I’m not sure how they’d feel about being compared to mango jicama salad. For that matter, I hear jicama doesn’t really care for the way Michael Angelakos sings. And, to be perfectly honest, I, for some reason, have always absolutely detested most any artist that incorporates food in their work or moniker (by way of example – macaroni art, any sort of fruit sculpture at a wedding, Meatloaf, Pearl Jam, Neutral Milk Hotel, Hall + Oates…this weirdness). But, in an effort to consistently bring you exciting vegan food and superb, often lesser-known musical acts in a not-so-conventional package, we march on, trying our best to coax out such connections between good food and music. This time, however, we just went for a cool name combo. So we give you the summer crisp heat of Heaven + Hell Tacos and the recently unearthed, mind-blowing protopunk from the 70′s Detroit band, Death.
One of the common things you’ll hear people say about the first time they heard Death is something along the lines of ‘it blew my fucking mind.’ I have to number myself among the people who had that same reaction. It was akin to the first time I heard the 60’s brit band, the Action. I couldn’t believe that the sound I was hearing was over 30 or 40 years old and, with both bands, I was shocked to find out that something so good had gone largely unheard for so long.
Death was formed in 1973 by three black brothers from Detroit—David, Bobby, and Dannis Hackney—who, by all accounts, had some very nurturing parents growing up. At 20, 18, and 16, respectively, their mother let them replace their bedroom furniture with musical equipment so long as they agreed to practice for three hours every day. They started out playing R+B but switched over to good ol’ rock immediately after seeing an Alice Cooper show (thank you, Mr. Cooper). At first, they were met mostly with confusion by audiences, which makes sense when you consider the date. This was right around the time that the Ramones were just getting going, and they were in New York. The Hackney’s were basically presenting this sound—this bridge between 60’s and early 70’s hard rock and what would become punk—in Detroit. This was also one and two years, respectively, before the Sex Pistols and the Clash had even formed in London. And the fact that they were black and doing this in what would soon become a white-dominated musical genre is all that much more mind-blowing.
Despite the resistance to their sound, and partly in response to it, Death marched on (hah) and actually met with some success in their short run. They recorded a demo tape in ’74 and were signed by the studio’s owner, Don Davis. As the story goes, Don Davis at one point presented the demo to renowned record exec, Clive Davis—who signed acts like Janis Joplin, Donovan, Santana, and the Boss. Clive reportedly loved the sound but hated the name. According to what is sure to now become punk legend, David, the eldest brother, who wrote the groups songs and acted as their driving force, reacted with a fervent “Hell no!” when told that they would have to change their name to reach any real success. Though neither of the Davis’ seem to remember much about this encounter (it was a really long time ago and those dudes are old now) the two still-living Hackney brothers stand by the story. Sadly, David died of lung cancer in 2000, so a true Death reunion isn’t possible. Regardless of what’s true and what’s not, it’s a great story, and there’s absolutely no arguing with the sound the Hackneys produced. Fast-paced, hard-edged, beautiful punk-before-punk songs with political themes and innovative structure. They were truly ahead of their time.
So we should all be thankful that fate put Julian Hackney—son of guitarist, Bobby—randomly heard the rare self-released single at a party in San Francisco last year and recognized his father’s voice. Crazy, right?
After Death…er…died in 1976, in the face of the massive joint take-over of the airwaves by disco and corporate programming, the Hackneys basically moved on with their lives, venturing into other music and being met with varying degrees of success. Bobby and Dannis actually still play the college hackey-sack circuit to this day in the reggae band, Lambsbread. So it was quite a blast form the past when Julian approached his father, asking about Death. The two were lucky enough to uncover the original demo in Bobby’s attic and then be championed by an enthusiastic record collector, who used his connections at the Chicago-based indie label, Drag City Record, to get the demo released this year as “…For the Whole World to See.” Seven songs of utter protopunk might and a highly recommended gem of a recording. Not to mention a kick-ass story to back it all up. Check it:
Rock-N-Roll Victim:
and the insanely awesome Politicians in My Eyes:
So, again, apologies, but I’m not going to attempt to make any sort of ‘so hot they’ll kill ya’ death/Death analogies here, but, for your eating pleasure, I do give you Heaven + Hell Tacos. Why Heaven + Hell, you ask? It’s basically the same premise as the McDLT from back in the day, where McDonald’s gave you the hot side of the hamburger in one part of the crazy terrible Styrofoam container and the cold ‘fresh’ vegetable side of the hamburger in another part of the crazy terrible Styrofoam container. We’re just going for an edgier, some might say more punk (eh?) name. Plus these are tacos. Not hamburgers. The recipe is simple and fairly modular, but it’s based on the idea that you want a base of spicy, savory, protein with some fresh, crisp vegetables that are a little on the hearty side for a more unique crunch. The top it all off with some awesome South American aji sauce (best).
So, here we go. This should make two tacos. Feel free to double or triple if you like lots of tacos.
Heaven + Hell Tacos
For the protein, we recommend any of the following:
- 4 oz. Seitan (homemade’s great and cheaper, but store-bought is fine), sliced into small pieces or
- 1 Field Roast Sausage or other vegan sausage, chopped into small chunks or
- 4 oz. Shiitake, Crimini, or Portabella Mushrooms, chopped into small chunks
- 1/2 cup Homemade Barbeque Sauce with a little spice added (here’s a nice homemade barbeque sauce recipe we did, just add about 1/2 tsp. cumin and 1/2 tsp. paprika when you’re cooking the protein), or some Adobe Sauce or other spicy, savory sauce
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
For the crispy topping, we recommend:
- 4 medium Radishes, sliced into thin strips, roughly 1/4 inch square and the length of the radish
- 4 Radish Leaves, sliced into thin strips
- 1.5 cup Watercress, stemmed and packed
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into strips to roughly match the radish
- 1 Spring Onion, sliced into thin circles
- Juice form 1/2 Lime
And for the aji:
- 1 Spring Onion, diced
- 3/4 cup Fresh Cilantro, diced
- 1 Fresh Jalepeño, seeded and diced (watch fingers-to-eyes action after chopping this one)
- dash Cumin
- dash Salt
- 1 cup White Vinegar
- 2 Soft Taco Shells or Wheat Tortillas (we like the small fajita ones that are about 6” in diameter)
*Don’t forget tortillas or shells!
DIRECTIONS:
So, basically start by chopping all your fresh ingredients and putting them in small dishes for quick assembly later.
Add the juice from one half of the lime to the dish with radishes and let them soak while you prepare things.
For the aji, simply mix the ingredients in a container and set in the fridge to chill.
Now take whichever protein of your liking and brown it with the olive oil in a cast iron skillet. After 5-10 minutes, add your sauce and let it sauté for another 5 minutes.
Warm your tortillas in a pan or the microwave for a few seconds, toss in the protein, top with your fresh ingredients, and add liberal doses of aji as you go.
That’s that. Enjoy Death and the heaven and hell that follows.
This pioneering, controversial and hilarious film follows PATH founder Kelly Overton, an overachieving activist who has degrees from Harvard, Tulane, Columbia and UMASS, as he attempts to return his diplomas and get his tuition refunded in an effort to bring attention to the dangerous and wasteful biomedical research being done at the universities.
Special guests include:Golden Girl – Rue McClanahan, Actress -Ally Sheedy, International Phenomenon- Princess Superstar, CNN Commentator -Jane Velez-Mitchell, Glamazon Lifestyle Guru- Chloé Jo Berman, Healthy Chef – Alexandra Jamieson, and yours truly, The Discerning Brute- Joshua Katcher. More special guests to be announced!
2. While you were brown-bagging it, have you ever wondered whether your wine or beer has egg whites, lard, or fish guts in it? Find out if your favorite booze is vegan at Barnivore!
3. Party Bags! Vegan Accessories line Malcolm Fontier is launching a new collection. Come out to the party in NYC!
Saturday, June 6th, 2009 Solefood NYC – Tribeca
38 Lispenard St. (between Broadway & Church) New York, NY 10013Get Directions
Gallery, Noon – 6 PM
Stop by and take a leisurely look at the new line and the artists’ work. Hourly giveaways. Party! 7 – 11 PM
We turn it up a few notches with music by Atlanta’s DJ Chris Nicholson, drinks and giveaways. Of course, you can continue to shop for great gear.
4. STAY VOCAL is an awesome re-use website with the mission of encouraging people to reuse whenever and wherever possible. Thanks to reader Jesse Gavin for pointing this out for us! They have some great menswear!
6. Legendary designer, Jhane Barnes’ RHEDUX lineutilizes pristine, high-quality fibers, yarns, and fabrics that would have otherwise have ended up in dumpsters.
7. The Recycled Retriever makes eco-friendly pet products in Provincetown and Cape Cod! They ship and even do gift baskets! Lots of recycled, hemp, and organic toys and beds and stuff!
1. Rob Bigwood is a professionl arm wrestler. That’s right, and he’s vegan. Rob is a 26 year old Brooklynite who has been winning titles and making a name for himself in the arm wrestling community. Watch out for this guy, and for my interview with him soon!
2. Owain Yeoman and Jamie Bamber are only two of the Discerning Brutes that PETA has featured in their recent campaigns. Jamie, who plays Lee “Apollo” Adama in Battlestar Galactica is calling attention to the use of bear-fur on the hats of the Royal Guards in the UK. Owian, star of The Mentalist, is featured in a vegetarian testimnial ad, and his video has an eloquent expression of why this dude is veg.
These guys rock, and you should check out their videos with PETA:
3. Custom Vegan Seaks? That’s right, artist Tony Price will make you a pair of custom-painted Vans at his Etsy shop!
4. Non-Silk Ascot from Jaanj. Don’t act like you never considered wearing an ascot. You can make it rock-n-roll, and you know it.
5. Tie-Ups makes recyclable belts. The color combos will make you trip, but the facts that you can stick these Italian-made accessories in the recycling bin, and that there’s no animal products is great! Tie-Ups won’t go off in a metal detector, they are weatherproof, hypoallergenic, and just really cool! $89 at Nordstrom
6. Check out FRESH: New Thinking About What We’re Eating
Mark your calendars! I am collaborating with Farm Sanctuary to do a scrumptious food demo at the BUST Craftacular on May 17th.
Sunday, May 17th, 12-3pm (Waffle Demo at 2pm)
The Warsaw, 261 Driggs Avenue in Brooklyn NY, Bedford Avenue L stop.
BUST Magazine’s Spring Fling Craftacular: 12:00 PM – 7:00PM
*Your entry ticket also gives you a shot at winning a BUST-load of booty in the Craftacular Raffle.
The BUST Craftaculars are probably the coolest and biggest craft fairs that happen in NYC – it’s a really young, DIY, cutting (the dotted) edge crowd full of smart, creative types. It is also a really big crowd, so it’s a perfect opportunity to reach out with amazing food and surprise people who believe the stereotype and the stigma that vegan food is gross! Clearly those people have never experienced the joy of plain iceberg lettuce, raw tofu, or grazed in their backyard for twigs and weeds. Yum!
If my protein and calcium-deficient arms don’t snap before sunday (where do I get my protein?), I am going to do a presentation on how to healthfully replace everyday products like milk, eggs, butter and meat by making big ‘ol fluffy waffles for everyone! I’ll provide the recipe, explain why to avoid animal products, and answer questions. There will also be other food goodies to sample, so make sure to be there!
There’s something about living in New York that really makes you hunger for warm weather. Maybe it’s the massively long, brutal winters that, while technically more forgiving than other cities’ winters, seem just that much more confining as most of us are car-less and forced to trudge through terribleness and weather the storm for months, so to speak. Regardless though, New York at the end of winter—or, in this case, in the midst of a unseasonably cool, rainy, craphats spring—starts to burst at the seams in anticipation of those fabled sunny, jacket-less times. We all start to come out of this wake-work-home-sleep hibernation and begin to remember that, hey, being outside used to not suck.
I, for one, am beyond psyched that those times are nearly upon us, and, with them, all the light summer fare that graces fresh meals and food-centric get-togethers. One dish that’s great for most any warm-weather occasion is Mango Jicama Salad. Super-easy to make, yet still intensely tasty and fresh, this is an especially great addition to any park-side or backyard soirée. Mango most everyone knows and likely loves by now. But the key to this salad is the addition of the lesser known jicama, a sweet-tasting Mexican root vegetable with the texture of a water chestnut. Mix in some lime and a little cayenne for that surprising twist of spice, and you’re about ready to impress your friends and put all those humus and cracker platters to shame (sorry, Sabra).
Of course, with warm weather and outdoor parties also comes fun, dance your ass off party music. No more boarding yourself up and listening to the Cure all day long. No, no. It’s time to get out there and dance. And I can think of no one better band to shake your booty to right now than Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Passion Pit. I know I get on stuck on these bouts of musical fixations, but I’ve been obsessed with their music since I first heard it last summer. http://www.myspace.com/passionpitjams
Passion Pit started in 2007 when mastermind and vocalist, Michael Angelakos, recorded a six-song EP to give to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day (thanks for upping the ante there, Mike). The EP, titled Chunk of Change, then started making the rounds at Emerson College, where Angelakos went to school at the time. Now, as a full-on group with reportedly wildly fun live shows, the band is set to release their first full-length, Manners, May 19th on NYC-based French Kiss Records (also home of faves Cut Off Your Hands and The Dodos). Based on the little bit I’ve heard so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the best records of the year.
In short, simplistic terms, the music is great and you must obtain as much as you can right now. I’ve waited long past my required month to make sure I’m not just caught up in an auditory fad, and I love these guys. Angelakos’ voice is high-pitched, strained with positive emotion and far from perfection in the most perfect of ways. Webbed under his singing is a glitchy, mess of electronics and percussion that’s skillfully molded into poppy, beautifully written and wholly original pieces that make you feel like skipping down the sidewalk as you listen to them. Think emotive, post-modern disco. Fruity, exciting, and enticing, their a perfect match for Mango Jicama Salad, I have to say.
Two of my favorite tracks from Chunk of Change: Smile Upon Me
I’ve Got Your Number
Along with a few tracks form the forthcoming full-length, Manners:
The Reeling
Little Secrets
and the not as upbeat but quite beautiful Moth’s Wings
Yes, that is a man singing. Really.
Also, a bizarrely awesome remix/cover of Sleepyhead (from Chunk of Change) by the Murmurs (remember them?) via Palms Out Sounds –
Alright, on to the food!
1 Ripe Medium to Large Mango
1 Medium Jicama (about 1 lb. In weight)
Juice from 2 Squeezed Limes
1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
1/4 Cup Chopped Mint (any variety)
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Ground Cayenne
First off, when you use the mango, make sure it’s solid, not squishy, but gives a bit to the touch. Usually, the more red it is, the more ripe it is. Score the skin of the mango with a knife in quarters and then carefully peel it from the meat of the fruit. If the mango is too ripe, the fruit may be a little harder to separate from the skin, so just go back and cut the excess from the pieces of peel.
Carefully (it can be slippery) slice the mango into thin rods, about 1/2 of an inch square and two or three inches long.
Throw it all in a large mixing bowl.
Next, carefully cut the brown rind from the jicama. I usually use an actual knife rather than a peeler, as the rind can be a bit tough for most peelers. At this point it’ll look pretty much like a giant macadamia nut.
Quarter the jicama and then slice it into 1/2 inch slices. Now cut the slices into rods that approximately match the mango pieces in size and shape.
Add the jicama to the bowl.
Next, chop your herbs, add them to them bowl along with the lime juice, salt, and cayenne, and mix thoroughly but gently, to avoid breaking up too many pieces of jicama or pulverizing the mango.
Chill for half an hour or more, and you’re good to go. Get out there and enjoy that weather!
Last year, we highlighted 3 Earth Day Doozies: the Holocene Extinction Event, the Overpopulation, Meat, and Food Crisis problems, and the problem of Greenwashing:
We all know that recycling and changing light-bulbs is not going to solve the ecological crises we face. So why does every media organization keep feeding us this crap? And why is going vegan not on any list of “10 simple things you can do…blah blah“? If raising livestock is the #1 cause of Global Warming, the most effective thing we can do is go vegan! Duh. Check out these charts from Scientific American.
In addition to being the leading cause of global warming – according to Farm Sanctuary:
Inevitably, intensive animal agriculturedepletes valuable natural resources. Instead of being eaten by people, the vast majority of grain harvested in the U.S. is fed to farm animals. This wasteful and inefficient practice has forced agribusiness to exploit vast stretches of land. Forests, wetlands, and other natural ecosystems and wildlife habitats have been decimated and turned into crop and grazing land. Scarce fossil fuels, groundwater, and topsoil resources which took millenium to develop are now disappearing.
Meanwhile, the quantity of waste produced by farm animals in the U.S. is more than 130 times greater than that produced by humans. Agricultural runoff has killed millions of fish, and is the main reason why 60% of America’s rivers and streams are “impaired”. In states with concentrated animal agriculture, the waterways have become rife with pfiesteria bacteria. In addition to killing fish, pfiesteria causes open sores, nausea, memory loss, fatigue and disorientation in humans. Even groundwater, which takes thousands of years to restore, is being contaminated. For example, the aquifer under the San Bernadino Dairy Preserve in southern California contains more nitrates and other pollutants than water coming from sewage treatment plants.
Being from the south originally, there are a number of things I miss, now living in the big Yankee city. There’s the random, and now sometimes unsettling friendliness of strangers (seriously—on a trip last summer, this woman passing by said ‘hi’ to us in the friendliest manner and, I’m sad to say, it freaked us out.) There’s the slow, easy, nearly-foreign-now calm to almost everything. And then there are the impromptu, unassuming means of entertaining—swimming holes, house parties, garage shows… Obviously I need a vacation. But, point being, the thing I miss most of all is the food. Being vegan, a lot of that food’s totally out of reach. But, having grown up around it and having those tastes imbedded into my gustatory memory, they’re foods I’m constantly trying to replicate and improve upon, vegan-style, yo.
One of those foods is buttermilk biscuits. These warm, savory, buttery blocks of awesomeness were a mainstay of my extended family from Virginia and something that could be found on the table every Sunday and holiday. Being the transplant that I am, though, this particular recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from the Waverly Inn + Garden in the West Village.
These biscuits bring to mind slow, winding mornings with strong coffee, sleepy cats, and folksy southern tunes. I’ve never been much for a lot of the actual southern-rock-alt-country-whathaveyou, but, thankfully, much like the northerner’s take on biscuits, there are a bevy of excellent northerner bands right now who seem to be yearning for this same, rootsy, easy sound that traditionally came from the south. Call them phony hipsters-turned-hayseeds if you like, but I love their take on the genre and how it’s now been pulled into it’s own world. Bands like Seattle’s The Cave Singers (ex-Pretty Girls Make Graves, and Cobra High) and NYC’s O’Death bring their new world talents and takes on traditional music and transform it into something else altogether. And it’s excellent.
One of the more recent finds for me in this category is Providence, Rhode Island’s John McCauley, who plays under the moniker,Deer Tick. McCauley started out at the age of 18 making home recordings on his nylon string guitar and giving them out at shows. Five years later, he’s toured extensively, firmed up a once rotating cast of supporting band members, worked up a pretty devoted following, and released his first “official” album, “War Elephant,” on Partisan Records. With McCauley’s cool, rough, howl of a voice and the rolling push of the music, there’s a definite feeling of looking back at what’s come before these songs, be it the southern rock of Creedence<!–, or the high hills music of Appalachia, but, again, with the cast of it being played by people almost foreign to the original thought that gave birth to that sort of music. It almost feels like Deer Tick and these other bands are reaching back to the nostalgic, romanticized world of our parents and childhood—for many of us, the simplified and sadly beautiful 70s, mustaches and all. Whatever the reason, the resulting music is excellent. And goes superbly with south-by-north biscuits on slow, warm mornings. Check them out –
These Old Shoes
Long Time
Dirty Dishes
Art Isn’t Real
Still Crazy After All These Years (Paul Simon Cover)
The biscuits are best right out of the oven, with maybe a little vegan margarine on them and some preserves. They’re also excellent with a vegan sausage gravy. Or, if you want to get fancy, mix some maple syrup with cold margarine to make a vegan maple butter. The trick with cooking these is to keep them as cold as possible when missing them and to touch them (warm hands) as little as possible too, so the pieces of margarine—which make them flakey—don’t melt. Make the whole batch and them freeze what you won’t eat for later. They make for great Tofurkey sandwiches and BBQ pulled seitan sandwiches (still refining that recipe….) And this recipe can be doubled if you’re cooking for some sort of vegan army.
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour (we like King Arthur brand)
3/4 Cup Oat Milk (you can use Soy Milk if you prefer)
1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Egg Replacer equal to One Egg (we like Bob’s Red Mill brand)
Like most things, I like to make these biscuits completely by hand, though many prefer to use a heavy-duty mixer. I like to try to keep them as old-world as possible. You know, without the lard and dairy-based butter.
First, combine the dry ingredients in a large, preferably metal bowl.
On a cutting board, dice the margarine into small cubes, about one inch square. Really try to touch them as little as possible, using a utensil to slide the cubes off the knife, and toss a little flour onto the pieces as you add them to the bowl of dry ingredients so they don’t stick together.
Take a stiff rubber spatula and mix the dry ingredients into the margarine, using the spatula to firmly break the cubes into smaller, pea-sized pieces, cutting the margarine into the flour mix. Be very thorough with this part, making sure you break up all the cubes into tiny pieces. This is what makes the biscuits flakey.
In a measuring cup, mix the oat milk and vinegar together to simulate a buttermilk. If you’re not a huge buttermilk fan, use less or no vinegar, compensating with the oat milk so the total mixture equals one cup. Slowly add this to the flour-margarine mixture as you stir with the spatula. Once it’s mixed together, the dough will look pretty wet, which is a good thing with this recipe.
Now, flour a clean counter-top and turn the dough out onto it. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and, using your hands, gently fold the dough over itself three or four times, evening it out and flattening it down a bit each time.
Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out so it’s about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. You can form an oval or keep the edges rough, for an old-world, uneven look.
Using a knife, cut the biscuits into rough squares a little smaller than the size of the desired finished biscuits. I usually make mine a little big—about 4 inches square.
Put these on a cookie sheet and refrigerate them until you’re ready to bake at 375 degrees. They should only take 7-10 minutes, so watch them carefully, waiting until they get a golden brown look.
Take ‘em out and eat ‘em up. Have a warm and flakey weekend!
A few days after my big move I grabbed lunch with the man behind those naughty candles over at A Scent of Scandal, Ari Solomon. We laughed and chewed for quite a while over some wonderful dishes at Real Food Daily in West Hollywood. According to his recommendation, I am to come back and stuff myself with their nachos with melted cashew-cheddar cheese. That is after my next stop, the brand-new Veggie Grill on Sunset Boulevard!
Posted by TheDiscerningBrute 
In order to begin production on the film, the legendary artist
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