>>>UPDATE: I got a chance to try Rice’s Vegan slices (cheddar and mozzarella flavors) and I found them to be much more favorable than any other veggies slices I’ve tried. They have more flavor. As far as melting… they do melt better, but still don’t melt as well as real cheese.

I also had a chance to try another vegan cheese I found at Wild Oats. Follow Your Heart’s Vegan Gourmet Cheese. It comes in blocks. I tried the cheddar and mozzarella flavors. The cheddar melts better. And they are both pretty delicious. I made nachos with this brand and they smelled and tasted delicious. Definitely the best cheese alternative I’ve ever had.<<<

A little while back I wrote about how many veggie cheeses aren’t vegan because of an ingredient called casein (read past blog). WELL, I just saw an ad for a totally vegan cheese made by Rice. “Casein and Lactose Free” it says on the package. And if that isn’t enough proof- it also says VEGAN and 100% NON-DAIRY. Yay! As you may recall I said the casein is used to give the “cheese” more of a cheese-like consistency and to make it easier to melt the cheese. But this cheese claims to have a “smooth melt.” I don’t know how they do it! But I’m eager to give it a whirl.

For more info, you can visit the website www.galaxyfoods.com.

What’s there to do in Utah, one might ask. Besides all the outdoor activities- there’s vegan eating. A restaurant called Addicted Cafe. They’re so hip they even have a myspace page. At 511 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, you can find this little cafe- between Gateway Mall and Club Sound/ In The Venue. They make a mean (as in very nice to animals) BLT. They have a pretty impressive menu, including (but not limited to) a wide variety of sandwiches, mouth-watering desserts, and fancy coffees.

One of the big reasons I stopped eating meat back at the tender age of 13 was because of footage I had seen on how horribly chickens were being treated. It opened my eyes to the very dark side of meat industry. The chickens were packed so tightly into these tiny pens. Their beaks were clipped off so they would not peck each other to death. They were forced to endure a great deal of pain, suffering and neglect long before the slaughter. Welcome to the world of mass-production. It takes on a whole new significance when that “product” is innocent, defenseless creatures.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the big evil-doers out there. No matter how much people complain, they simply refuse to alter their inhumane methods of raising and slaughtering the chickens. 850 million chickens are tortured every year, so families can gorge themselves on their huge buckets of fried chicken.

That’s how the site kentuckyfriedcruelty.com came to be. You can read all about the inhumane treatment, undercover investigations, and celebrities’ fights against the evil chain. I must warn you that some of the descriptions, images and footage are quite graphic. I had an incredibly hard time watching some of the footage, myself. But it is a solid reminder as to why I chose this lifestyle.

prep time: 10 min.

• lettuce
• vegan sour cream
• avocado
• salsa
• soy crumbles
• black beans or refried beans (vegetarian)
• tortilla shell/ chips

I love me my taco salad. This one is great because you can add or take away any ingredients to fit your ideal vision of what a taco salad should be. Sometimes I’ll add some shredded soy cheese, red taco sauce, green enchilada sauce, fresh tomatoes, olives… go wild!

Cruelty to animals is a big concern of mine. I get nightmares about dogs getting left in cars and overheating. Or animals being abused or neglected in their very own homes. I visited Italy briefly and was just dumbfounded by the number of stray pets roaming the area. I hear Detroit’s pretty bad in that regard as well. I freak out when I think about veal. Those poor baby cows. Or chickens being placed in extremely cramped pens, having their beaks clipped off so they don’t peck each other to death. I think about horses in war films (and in actual wars, for that matter)- were they treated well during the filming? And the dairy cows being injected with hormones, slaughterhouses… the list goes on and on.

The ASPCA, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has been around for quite a while. Since 1866, believe it or not. And they share these concerns. Their website is a wealth of information. It’s a great site to keep you informed on issues, to support different causes, shop, adopt, and donate.

I have to pay tribute to the “Just Veggies” company for making some amazing dehydrated veggies. I’ve been eating these things for years. You really can eat the veggies “like popcorn” as they claim on the container. And there are no extra ingredients added, whatsoever. Hence the name. The next big kitchen item I want to get is a dehydrator. I wonder if I can make veggies taste this incredible on my own. They have other items as well like dehydrated fruit and nuts. But the veggies combo (carrots, corn, peas, bell peppers and tomatoes) is definitely my favorite (also comes in HOT). They can be found at health food stores like Wild Oats and Whole Foods. Yum!

Not all alcohol is vegan. Or vegetarian for that matter. Sad but true. If this comes as a surprise, take a deep breath, gulp down that last sip of potentially non-vegan wine, wave goodbye, and read on.

You might be asking, “what could possibly be in my wine that’s not vegan?” It’s not what’s in the alcohol- but how the alcohol is filtered, or refined. One of the animal parts used in filtering is isinglass (which comes from the swimbladders of fish), another is bone char (animal bone heated at high temperatures and essentially turned into charcoal). Some other animal products found in alcohol are chitlin (crab shells), gelatin, collagen, egg albumen (egg white), ox blood, and Glyceryl Monostearate. It may be somewhat comforting to know only trace amounts of these items end up in the alcohol you drink, but the fact of the matter is, animal products were used in the process. And there are ways to filter alcohol without animal products, such as with Bentonite clay and cellulose filter sheets.

Luckily, there are people out there who have done a great deal of research to find out which alcohol is safe for vegans and which is not.

For BEER go here.
For WINE go here.
For LIQUOR go here.

With beer, the Vegan Society says “As a general rule traditional, cask-conditioned beers (’real ales’) are fined using isinglass. Keg, canned, beersphere and some bottled beers are usually filtered without the use of animal substances. Lagers are generally chill-filtered but a few (eg Stella Artois) do involve the use of isinglass.” I’ve noticed a lot of beers and liquors are vegan (a lot of beers don’t go through the refining process) and a lot of wines are not vegan. I love my wine, so this is disappointing. But there are companies that go out of their way to make vegan wines such as Frey Vineyards, The Pure Wine Company, Wright Wines, The Organic Wine Company and AOC. Note: not all organic wines are vegan.

OMEGA 3

There are 3 types of omega 3 fatty acids: ALA, EPA, and DHA. ALA, or alpha-linolenic acid, is the type of omega 3 that must be obtained through food, for it cannot be produced by the body. Once you consume ALA, EPA and DHA can be synthesized in the body.

For vegans, the best form of this polyunsaturated fatty acid can be found in hemp, walnuts and walnut oil, flax, soybean and canola oils and purslane (a type of plant).

• Men need 1.6 grams a day
• women need 1.1 grams a day
• A woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding should consume between 1.3 and 1.4 grams a day.

I’ve seen all sorts of claims as to how omega 3 is beneficial to your health, including protection against heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, thrombosis, some cancers, and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders to name a few. Some studies have shown it is necessary for the proper growth and development of infants.

OMEGA 6

Omega 6 is also an essential fatty acid, but is much easier to obtain than omega 3. Vegan sources are hemp, nuts, cereals, whole-grain breads, and most vegetable oils.

The body needs both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

It is important to get a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 of 3:1 - 5:1. The typical western diet ratio is much more skewed (between 10:1 and 30:1) According to drmirkin.com “Eating too much omega-6 and too little omega-3 causes clots and constricts arteries to increase risk for heart attacks, increases swelling to worsen arthritis, and aggravates a skin disease called psoriasis. It may block a person’s ability to respond to insulin, causing high insulin and blood sugar levels and obesity. It increases hormone levels of insulin like growth factor-1 that causes certain cancers.”

That’s why flax is such a popular item these days. It actually has a ratio of 1:3, so it has more omega 3 than omega 6. Since we already get so much omega 6, we need to up our omega 3 through flaxseeds and flaxseed oils. Canola oil has a ratio of 2:1 so it’s also a great source. Hemp oil is 3:1. Soybean oil is probably the next best with a ratio of 7:1.

Ever wondered how they go from soybeans to tofu? I know I have. And as luck would have it- I just saw a special on the Discovery Channel (whilst eating tofu, I might add). Check it out! And dance to the music if you are so inclined.

On the Peta site you can find a resource called I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan! There will be some stuff on this list that will blow you away and perhaps cause you to utter the words, “I can’t believe it’s vegan!” It is a helpful site as far as allowing you to grocery shop for processed foods without it feeling like a trip to the library, with all the ingredients you normally have to read.

However, I must stress that there are, in fact, unhealthy vegans out there. When I showed the link to my co-worker he said, “Wow! I’d be a fat vegan.” Try not to let yourself get carried away with eating too many processed foods. It’s always better to stick with the natural fruits, veggies, whole grains and beans as your base. And if you have the urge to have some items on that list, it’s comforting to know that you have the option.