I was browsing through other vegan blogs today trying to decide what I was going to make for dinner. If you haven’t heard of the blog Vegan Yum Yum, you really must check it out. It’s a 2008 winner of the Veg Bloggy Awards, and for good reason. Lolo, the creator of the blog, makes the most decadent dishes (and is apparently working on writing her own cookbook!). And they look even more decadent due to her incredible photography. Each dish is a work of art.

So, as I salivated over her amazing goodies, I found one that looked easy enough for a fair-weather cook such as myself to whip up. And I already had most of the ingredients. Score!

What you’ll need:

3 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil
10-12 Oil Packed Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
1 Cup Couscous
1 Cup Boiling Water
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts, toasted
Aceto Balsamico di Modena

So here’s the link to the incredibly delicious couscous dish. I was very excited when I realized the Balsamic Vinegar I had recently purchased, though not exactly what she used, is di Modena, as she recommends. Boy is it tasty.

With all of her creations, she tells a little story about the dish, and shows the step-by-step process for creating it,  which I am so appreciative of. And again, the photos are beautiful! I would definitely make this dish again. Serves two.

my sister and her 6 month old son

My parents recently celebrated their 35th anniversary. In honor of the event my sister and I, my baby nephew, my boyfriend and even my boyfriend’s dad and sister spent this past Saturday over at my parent’s house. We had a great time hanging out outside, going on a boat ride, kayaking, and just hanging out and chatting. But one thing that set this family gathering apart from the others is that my parents made an entirely vegan dinner. My mom has always been very supportive of my choice to be vegan. She is always looking for vegan recipes and trying to adapt some of her non-vegan recipes. But this was the first time they had ever prepared an entirely vegan meal for a group of people. They had vegan appetizers including cowboy caviar (one of my favorites), and for dinner my dad grilled portabella mushrooms and veggie burgers which made one hell of a great sandwich.

Picture this: a vegan wheat bun, atop that add a large, freshly grilled portabella mushroom, a freshly grilled veggie burger, caramelized onions, then add a huge slice of a fresh local organic heirloom tomato (which I brought from the Whole Foods near me- seriously the most decadent tomatoes I ever had), maybe add a little Vegenaise or mustard, condiment of your choosing. Ohhhh man. Sooooo tasty.

In addition my mom made a vegan broccoli salad with Vegenaise, potatoes with olive oil, and a lovely fruit salad. I’ll have to the get recipes from her and post them. For dessert I made those amazing cookies and my mom made vegan chocolate covered almonds. All tasted wonderful.

My boyfriend’s dad teased me and said “I was told I could get a nice juicy burger! What is this all vegan crap?” and I said “Whatever. You liked it.” and he responded with “Actually yeah. I thought it tasted good. Really good. Amazingly good.” He proceeded to tell my parents that because of me, he eats more vegetables now than he ever has in his life. He’s gotten so into eating vegetables and being more health-conscious that when he goes out to lunch with his co-workers they call him “salad boy” because he always gets a nice big salad wherever they go. And no, he’s not vegan. He’s not even vegetarian, but he’s definitely taking steps in the right direction.

It’s moments like that when I feel like maybe vegans are making a mark. Our freakish ways are having an impact. Even while we were chatting my boyfriend, his sister, and my sister (who rarely eats meat or dairy but does eat eggs) all discussed various aspects of the food industry. It was a very positive conversation. Normally I would feel bullied in these conversations, but this was much more agreeable and I wasn’t the only one defending veganism. We all seemed to be in agreement about the positive impacts veganism has on the environment, people’s health, etc. Even when my sister asked what’s wrong with buying free range eggs, it was my boyfriend’s sister that said how you can’t trust store bought items that are considered “free range” because the regulations are so laxed, like keeping birds in tiny cages all day but letting them out for a few minutes can be considered “free range.”

My sister asked about free-range eggs because my parents live in farm country and they have neighbors that sell free range eggs that are actually the true definition of free range. They are very happy chickens that run around the yard all day. But how many people really live in areas where they can just grab a couple of free range eggs from their neighbors? Very few. And therefore you have to place your trust in the stores to let you know what is “free range” and what isn’t. Check out this link to see the dark side of free-range farming: http://www.peacefulprairie.org/freerange1.html. Not to mention we don’t need to be eating the eggs of other animals to be happy and healthy.

In all it was a pretty great weekend filled with vegan goodies, good weather and good conversation. How lovely.

It was recently brought to my attention that if you view my site via Internet Explorer, not only does the design look totally bonkers, but you can’t leave comments! I’m a dedicated Firefox user (I highly recommend it) and forgot to even check my site’s compatability with IE. If you use Safari or Firefox, you’re golden. If you’re using Internet Explorer please be patient with me as I sort out the kinks. Thanks so much and I am very sorry about this. And I’m very sorry to anyone that’s been trying to leave comments but could not.

My flat-faced cat, Sophia.

So this is a controversial topic in the vegan society. If you are a vegan, how can you feed your cat meat? It was brought up on a Vegan Freak Radio show as well and it inspired me to relay my input on the situation.

I have a cat. My cat eats food containing fish. She loves her salmon. She is a picky eater but is a big fan of the natural foods I buy her. People have asked me many times if I feed my cat a vegan diet, or if I plan on converting her. And I’ve considered it since I don’t like to promote the use of animal products in any form. But I have come to the conclusion that my cat will most likely continue to eat meat. I may try out some vegan foods with her at some point but I cannot deny the fact that cats are, in fact, carnivores.

Putting this in perspective, I started watching the BBC show Planet Earth recently. Beautiful, awesome, and mind-boggling, by the way. I highly recommend it. Given the fact that it is, for all intents and purposes, a nature show, they do show animals capturing and eating prey. As upsetting as it is for me to watch, I cannot deny the fact that it is completely natural for some animals to eat meat. Just as it is completely natural for other animals to eat plant-based diets. Dogs can be totally healthy and happy on a vegan diet just as they can be healthy with meat in their diets. Humans can be totally healthy on vegan diets. Cats, however, tend to have health problems. As much as I would like for cats to be vegan, it just isn’t natural for them. And since I love my cat dearly and want what is best for her, I will give her the nutrition her body needs.

I know it can be a tough concept to grasp, but we have to remember it’s not just about human interaction with animals. Just because humans don’t need animal products does not mean we can deny the rest of the creatures on earth what they require to survive. That would be animal cruelty in itself. Animals out in the wild have survived out there for a long time using their instincts to know what they need to eat and how they need to get it. Just as they know how to make mating calls, how to migrate, when to hibernate, etc. And though house cats don’t need to hunt for their own food anymore, their bodies are still designed to get nutrients from meat.

There was a time when humans survived out in the wild by hunting their own food. But that’s not to say meat was what humans were intended to eat. We don’t have claws to grab our prey. We don’t have teeth designed for ripping flesh. We killed these animals by creating weapons because we were incapable of killing animals without them. In other words, our bodies are not designed for meat consumption. Planting seeds, collecting fruits and vegetables and grains- this we can do. But cats are natural hunters. I accept this fact and give my cat the nutrition she requires to stay happy and healthy.

In 2005, a vegan couple wrote a book called Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World, which is one of the more popular vegan books out there. I’ve read quite a bit of it, and have enjoyed it, and do plan on reading the rest… It covers a lot of bases and I feel it is an especially important book for people who are newer to veganism to read, as well as those who are merely interested in the vegan concept.

I was perusing the internet for more vegan podcasts. I’m getting kind of addicted. Anyway, I didn’t realize it, but the authors of the book, Bob and Jenna Torres, have a radio show. I’ve listened to several installments and I really have to give them kudos. They are easy to listen to, and are fun but informative. They keep it interesting. I don’t get bored when they talk. And they’re brutally honest with their opinions, which I appreciate. And they know their shit. They know a lot about veganism, without coming off snooty. Also, I think the fact that they are a couple makes it feel more personal and cohesive. It just seems to work really well.

If you have iTunes, you can get the episodes from the iTunes store FOR FREE of course. They also have a website: veganfreakradio.com. Anyway, check them out.

I came across these gems recently in Whole Foods near the salad dressings. They are snap peas that are baked. They have a texture and crunch comparable to Cheetos but they’re actually healthy and natural. The ingredients are: green peas, corn oil, rice, salt, calcium carbonate, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). No artificial flavors or colors. You can eat 22 of them for 150 calories. Each bag contains a little over 3 servings.

I find them to be incredibly addicting. I bought some to share with our friends that were visiting over the weekend and they were a huge hit with everyone, including their toddler. I just wish there were bigger bags of them available because they went fast! You can read more about this snack and the company on their website snacksalad.com.

You can order them in bulk on Amazon. Get twelve 3.3oz bags for $16.50
Calbee Snack Salad Snapea Crisps, Original Flavor, 3.3-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)

photo by law_keven

Sometimes it’s nice just to hear some wise words from like-minded folk to keep you energized about your vegan lifestyle. When it feels like the world is against you and you’re the only vegan at the table remember– you are not alone.

My refusing to eat meat occasioned an inconveniency, and I have been frequently chided for my singularity. But my light repast allows for greater progress, for greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension. -Benjamin Franklin

Being vegan helped me realize I can say and do what I believe is right. That’s powerful. Nothing’s changed my life more. I feel better about myself as a person, being conscious and responsible for my actions and I lost weight and my skin cleared up and I got bright eyes and I just became stronger and healthier and happier. Can’t think of anything better in the world to be but be vegan. -Alicia Silverstone

I just could not stand the idea of eating meat – I really do think that it has made me calmer…. People’s general awareness is getting much better, even down to buying a pint of milk: the fact that the calves are actually killed so that the milk doesn’t go to them but to us cannot really be right, and if you have seen a cow in a state of extreme distress because it cannot understand why its calf isn’t by, it can make you think a lot. -Kate Bush

My perspective of veganism was most affected by learning that the veal calf is a by-product of dairying, and that, in essence, there is a slice of veal in every glass of what I had thought was an innocuous white liquid – milk. -Rynn Berry

I think and speak clearer since I cut the dairy out. I can breathe better and perform at a better rate, and my voice is clearer. I can explore different things with my voice that I couldn’t do because of my meat and dairy ingestion. I am proud and blessed to be a vegetarian, everything became clear. -Common

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. -Thomas Edison

I don’t understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives. -Dean Ornish, M.D.

If you don’t want to be beaten, imprisoned, mutilated, killed or tortured then you shouldn’t condone such behavior towards anyone, be they human or not. -Moby

I do not like eating meat because I have seen lambs and pigs killed. I saw and felt their pain. They felt the approaching death. I could not bear it. I cried like a child. I ran up a hill and could not breathe. I felt that I was choking. I felt the death of the lamb. -Vaslav Nijinsky

The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined.  If beef is your idea of “real food for real people” you’d better live real close to a real good hospital. -Neal Barnard

I began to wonder why we cuddle some animals and put a fork in others. -Henry Spira

Behind every beautiful fur, there is a story. It is a bloody, barbaric story. -Mary Tyler Moore

Animals are my friends… and I don’t eat my friends. -George Bernard Shaw

In their behavior toward creatures, all men are Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they’re the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought. -Isaac Bashevis

Nothing more strongly arouses our disgust than cannibalism, yet we make the same impression on Buddhists and vegetarians, for we feed on babies, though not our own. -Robert Louis Stevenson

Recognize meat for what it really is: the antibiotic- and pesticide-laden corpse of a tortured animal. -Ingrid Newkirk

A man of my spiritual intensity does not eat corpses. -George Bernard Shaw

Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds theirs. We live by the death of others: we are burial places! I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look on the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men. -Leonardo da Vinci

I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other…. -Henry David Thoreau

Some people are still going to want to eat meat. We do agree though that vegetarianism is a healthier diet. -David Stroud (of the American Meat Institute)

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. -Ganhdi

The beau’s been a bit stressed the last few days due to a work project he’s rushing to complete, so I figured home-made cookies might help ease the tension. And who better to bake with than my sweet and loving mother who was visiting. So, wine glasses in hand, we set to work to make some amazing cookies. I found this recipe in Vegetarian Times and was very pleased with the results. Yum!

These goodies get extra crunch and fiber from rolled oats. Feel free to stir in more add-ins such as 1/2 C chopped nuts, raisins or even small candies. -Vegetarian Times

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Beat or stir brown sugar, shortening, and oil until smooth and fluffy. Add peanut butter, and beat until well combined. Stir together 5 Tbs. water and egg replacer powder in measuring cup. Beat egg replacer mixture and vanilla into brown sugar mixture until smooth.
2. Beat flour mixture into wet mixture, then add chocolate chips and mix until combined. Scoop 1-Tbs. dollops of dough 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten dough balls to 1/2-inch thickness with fingers.
3. Bake 12 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown and dry on top. Cool on wire rack.

Per cookie: 148 calories; 2g protein; 7g total fat (2g saturated fat); 19g carbohydrates; 0mg cholesterol;  97mg sodium; 1g fiber; 12g sugars

photo by markhillary

I was flipping through a holistic journal called Edge over the weekend and found an informative article about milk, by Dr. Shannon O’Keefe. The true identity of milk is starting to take shape in the mainstream as more research is revealed, so it seemed like a good time to write another post about it. I thought I’d share with you a bit of what she had to say about milk and calcium. (Here’s another article of hers that was a precursor to this.)

Dairy, calcium and osteoporosis: Milk and other dairy products contain only small amounts of magnesium. Without the presence of magnesium, the body only absorbs 25 percent of the available dairy calcium content. In turn, the excess remaining calcium can cause problems. Calcium builds up the mortar on arterial walls, which becomes atherosclerotic plaques. It can be converted by the kidneys into painful stones that can block urinary tracts. Excess calcium also contributes to arthrisits. Osteoporosis is not a problem that should be associated merely with lack of calcium intake.

Can dairy consumption cause calcium loss? The massive amounts of protein in milk results in a 50 percent or greater loss of calcium in the urine. In other words, by doubling your protein intake, there will be a loss of 1-1.5 percent in skeletal mass per hear in post-menopausal women – and this, multiplied over 20 years is considerable. The calcium contained in leafy green vegetables is more easily absorbed than the calcium in milk. Don’t get us wrong… protein is very important for other bodily processes. However, if you are concerned about calcium intake, getting your calcium from milk may not be the best option. Douglas Kiel, M.D., of Harvard Medical School states, “Normal digestion produces increased acidity. In this environment, bone acts as a buffer base. Minerals are drawn out of the bone to neutralize the acid , thereby reducing the strength of the bone. Fruits and vegetables help to prevent this loss of bone mineral density, because they create a more alkaline environment in the body. They neutralize the acid without depending on the buffering effects of the bone minerals.”

Where should I get my calcium? For a refence point, 1 oz of cheese has 270mg and 8 oz milk has 300mg of calcium.

The amount of calcium in the following:
1 C collard greens 357mg
1 C rice milk (plain, calcium fortified) 200-300mg
1 C turnip greens 249mg
1 C black eyed peas 211mg
1 C kale 179mg
2 TBSP sesame seeds 176mg
1 C okra 176mg
1 C bok choy 158mg
5 medium figs 135mg
1/4 C almonds 97mg
1 C broccoli 94mg
1/2 C amaranth 74mg
1/2 C dried apricots 43mg
1/2 C quinoa 25mg
1 TBSP blackstrap molasses 137mg

Alternatives to Dairy – Nut and Rice Milks: Non-dairy milks are good choices for those who choose to avoid cows’ milk. You can use them for cooking or on your cereal for breakfast. Nut milks (e.g. almond milk) are usually the most nutricious, since rice milk is almost purely carbohydrate (and therefore high glycemic and not recommended for diabeteics) and soy milk may act as a hormone imbalancer.

For more info about dairy milk check out my previous post about milk which focuses on the false claims of the National Dairy Council.