“Ask A Vegan” says goodbye

Lonely cone says goodbye
 
I took this picture only a few hours ago at Clearwater beach, about 40 minutes from Tampa, FL. This can only mean one thing; the spring semester is over and it’s time to enjoy summer! This was also my last semester here at USF, which also makes this my last Ask a Vegan post! 
 
I don’t expect to have made anyone go vegan (did I? please tell me!), but I hope I’ve at least caused a few people to consider their eating habits. Regardless of how you eat, I hope everyone has a lovely summer!
 
Here is one last question, which isn’t vegan-specific so I’ve been putting it off for ages!

 
What is one kitchen-item you couldn’t live without?
 
This is tough to answer; there are many things in my kitchen that make cooking so much easier. I would probably have to say that my pressure cooker has been the most cost effective, and the smartest purchase I’ve ever made. My pressure cooker cost me $24.99, and has paid for itself many times over.

How? Pressure cookers are like magical cooking pots that can cook a bag of dried beans in 10 minutes. TEN MINUTES.  It takes hours in a normal pot!
 
You know how a can of black beans gives you a little over a cup of beans for $0.99+? Well, a bag of dried beans (2 cups/1 pound) gives you SIX (sorry for the caps, it’s worth being overly emphatic about) cups for the same price, although I often find bags of beans for less than a dollar.
 
Yes, you can make these beans in a normal pot and just cook them, but in my experience they don’t come out the same, and as previously mentioned – it takes several hours to cook. I’m not very patient. Many people think veganism is expensive, but this has been my greatest trick.
 
One cup of black beans provides 16 grams of protein (a little more than a third the daily value for women!), 15 grams of fiber (60% the daily value) and iron (20% the daily value). All that for a sixth of a dollar: $0.17?? Yes, please!
 
Anyway, I hope my posts have been interesting to someone. If you want to contact me about anything, please do! My email address is rmbisho2@mail.usf.edu. I’m also around some message boards as soymakesyougay ;)