Back in June I wrote a post about the cruelty of the horse-drawn carriage industry. I just learned that there is a documentary out now called “Blinders: The Truth Behind the Tradition” that focuses on the horse-drawn carriages of New York. I watched the trailer and am very excited about how it could help plead the case of this animal cruelty. Once upon a time, before automobiles, carriages were a means of transportation. But today they are a form of entertainment, and an abusive one at that. Circus animals have long been viewed as neglected creatures, but these horses that are also used for entertainment are malnourished, frightened and abused, and have not gotten enough attention. Hopefully this documentary will open people’s eyes to the fact that their joy ride in a carriage is anything but joyful for the poor creature in front. To get more details about the documentary, go here: http://www.blindersthemovie.com/

To buy the DVD, go here: http://www.blindersthemovie.com/buy-dvd/

As you’ve probably heard by now, Paul Newman, renowned actor and natural food empire owner, lost his battle with cancer. His food line, Newman’s Own, which has been around for 25 years, has done wonders for bringing organic foods into popularity (along with his daughter Nell who founded the all-organic line of Newman’s Own). His foods are all-natural and many of them are vegan.

Newman is a hero in charitable deeds, as his company has donated over $250 million to thousands of charities handpicked by Newman, and as mentioned in People magazine, “Newman and [his wife] Woodward established the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, named for the outlaws in Butch Cassidy. The camp permits seriously ill youngsters to enjoy the great outdoors – at no cost to the kids or their families.” He also founded the Scott Newman Center for drug abuse prevention in honor of his son, who died of an accidental drug overdose, and in 2007, he donated $10 million to Kenyon College, a college he used to attend. source, source2

He’s an inspirational person for his high energy and love of life, as well as his incredible selflessness. It may sound trivial, but next time you’re at the store, consider picking up a Newman’s Own product in honor of his legacy and in honor of charity.

I was invited to submit a post about my blog on a site called food-and-beverage.net. Of course I jump at the chance to help veganism become more prominent in the wide world o’ food. To view the post, go here: http://food-and-beverage.net/2008/09/22/veganism-the-happy-vegetable/

Also, while browsing the site, I happened upon another post that might be of interest to the raw foodies out there. It’s about a raw food restaurant guide. Which reminds me, I recently went to a FANTASTIC raw restaurant called Ecopolitan that I’ll have to tell you about soon! If you’re around Minneapolis, you can’t pass it up. My berry parfait dessert was pure heaven.

Many thanks to the mustlovefood social network for contacting me! On their site you can meet other foodies, find recipes, plan events and a lot more. And it’s free to join.

photo by bobster1985

Yes, we get it. Palin is a tough chick. She’s just one of the guys. She’s a mother of five, a hardcore politician with a wide array of talents under her belt, and a youthful, Tina Fey-like appearance.

Pretty impressive. But even feminists, like ‘Vagina Monologues’ creator Eve Ensler, are steering clear. Now, I’m not going to preach my political views here. But I am going to explain why, as a vegan, you should fight against Palin’s savage methods.

photo by xoque

Let’s start with Palin’s father, the varmint hunter, who’s pickup truck, according to Newsweek, has a sticker that says “VEGETARIAN–OLD INDIAN WORD FOR BAD HUNTER.” Palin’s father also shot a grizzly bear, the skin of which is displayed proudly on Palin’s couch. Also in Newsweek is a photo of Palin holding the large sockeye salmon she caught. Now, one thing I must note is that she and her husband used to kill all of the animals they ate. If the only way people could get meat was by killing the animals themselves, I know there would be far more vegetarians in the world. But she clearly has no problem with this, which actually scares me even more. She loves to hunt. She enjoys watching animals suffer. And it’s quite clear that she kills animals, not just for food, but for sport. She kills far more animals than she could possibly consume.

photo by peupleloup

“She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.” (Eve Ensler) Aerial hunting is a method of hunting from an airplane, which gives the hunter an unfair advantage over the animal (I mean, even more unfair than just using a weapon). In addition “animal rights activists call it inhumane, since airborne gunmen rarely get a clean (i.e., relatively painless) kill.” source This lifetime member of the NRA offered cash incentives for hunting wolves.

photo by dobak

According to journalist Glenn Hurowitz in his Huffington Post exposé on Palin, one of her first acts in office was to offer a $150 bounty for “private hunters [to] take a small plane and chase down wolf packs until they’re exhausted and can’t move” and then “shoot them from the air or land and execute them at point blank range” and then “strap the wolf to a plane, cut off the wolf’s left forearm, and bring it to the state Department of Fish and Game for their cash reward.” for more of this interesting CityBeat article go here.

This “hunting” includes allowing the Department of Wildlife Conservation to enter wolf dens and shoot wolf pups in the head. The reason she wants the wolves gone is because they prey on moose and caribou, animals which hunters like to kill for their own dinner. She claims it’s “wolf control”. New York Times Article.

photo by ucumari

Polar bears are clearly suffering the effects of global warming and are dying rapidly, yet Palin feels they should be taken off the endangered species list. Even if she does think global warming is a myth, can she deny the fact that this beautiful species is clearly approaching extinction? NWF article.

The polar bear should be removed from the endangered species list because its protected status will hamper drilling for oil and gas in Alaska, the state’s Republican Governor has demanded.

Sarah Palin is suing the Bush Administration over its decision last week to place the animal under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, claiming that climate models predicting the continued loss of sea ice – the main habitat of polar bears – are unreliable.
-Tim Reid, The Times

Her complete disregard for wildlife preservation is nothing short of frightening. In addition to polar bears, she wants beluga whales removed from the endangered species list. When asked about environmental issues, Palin said, “Having a clean record on environmental regulation is critical to getting ANWR open and maintaining our fisheries, mining, timber, and tourism industries.”source

In honor of unnecessary drilling, she is willing to risk the extinction of several species. She encourages people to eliminate wolves while elsewhere in the country people struggle to preserve the drastically diminishing wolf populations. Not to mention it’s cruel and unnecessary. PETA Article.

For the sake of the animals, for the sake of wildlife, and for the sake of humane practices, we cannot allow this woman any more power than she already posesses. We’ve come so far and have much more work left to do. We cannot afford go backwards.

There are endless hours of footage all over the web showing animals being abused. But it never gets easier to watch or to believe. I am convinced there are people in the world who flat out don’t have souls. They care so little about the well-being of others that they actually get a sick enjoyment out of torturing other creatures. And people we know are supporting this abuse by buying the “products” these companies are selling. It’s easy to go through one’s life buying and eating animal products assuming that there’s nothing wrong with it. But as compassionate vegans, it is our job to spread the word that it is not ok. We need to get the footage out there to show people it’s everything BUT ok. And to support those who are willing to go undercover for the sake of enforcing the ethical treatment of animals. As Paul McCartney said “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”

..

Call on Hormel to make changes for animals!

for more information: http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/p2_iowa_sows
and here: http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iowa_pigfarm_abuse2″

POW! engagement ring shot
I think about the posts I should be writing, and the studying I should be doing so I can become a master web designer, but I keep finding myself distracted. You see, this weekend, I got engaged! My boyfriend and I have been together for about 3.5 years now and he’s been wanting to tie the knot for quite a while now. But me, being non-traditional in many senses, saw no reason for marriage since we were so happy already! But then my mom gave me her diamond, which had been my dad’s grandma’s before that, and I ended up customizing a setting for it. It took a while to get the setting the way I wanted it, but we picked up the finished product over the weekend. We had been talking about the possibility of getting engaged within the next year, but my sneaky boyfriend ended up proposing as soon as we got home!

So now my mind has turned to mush. I can’t stop staring at the foreign object on my finger, nor responding to our friends’ and families’ many praises. Every time I think about doing something productive, I find myself googling “exotic vegan weddings” and “vegan weddingmoons.” Weddingmoons is a new word in my vocabulary, as of today. It’s the merging of the wedding with the honeymoon. Sounds nice! I’m trying to formulate some sort of plan for having a private wedding in an exotic location. I’ve never been the kind of girl who dreamed of a big formal wedding and a big fluffy white dress. I think I was born without that gene that gets girls excited about planning weddings. Don’t get me wrong- I enjoy parties and love being around family and friends. And attending other peoples’ big expensive weddings are fun, but just not the route I’m thinking of taking for my own wedding.

photo by Sir Mervs

Basically I’m looking for a no-fuss relaxing exotic beautiful weddingmoon getaway that caters to vegans. If anyone out there has any thoughts or suggestions, I’m all ears. Because so far, I’m not having a whole lot of luck I’m also very indecisive so I’m open to all sorts of suggestions.

Vietnamese Mock Beef and Three Cup Tofu

As you jaunt down to the basement where Evergreen resides, you may come to a halt and think…did I just walk into a cafeteria? Because as far as appearances go, this place is certainly lacking. The tables and chairs look like they were stolen from a high school, and the wall decor is something you might find in an assisted living establishment.

But there is good news! Don’t scurry back up those stairs just yet. Sit down. Browse the menu as they bring some water and hot tea to your table…nice!  What this place lacks in classy decor, it makes up for in amazing vegan dishes. Ever wanted to try mock fish? shrimp? duck? beef? chicken? I have never known a restaurant to carry more mock meats than Evergreen. And they’re good too! I ordered the Lemongrass Beef, my boyfriend ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken, and my mom ordered Cashew Chicken. All three dishes with their faux meats were amazing! Simply amazing. And they give generous portions, too. So I’m happy to say I have leftovers to nosh on. They have a wide array of items listed as “vegan” and items that are not vegan can easily be prepared as such upon request. And the food is very reasonably priced. They also offer soymilk and soy smoothies. You can check out their extensive menu on their website: http://www.evergreen-chinese.com/index.html. They specialize in Taiwanese, Cantonese and Hakka dishes.

Evergreen Chinese Restaurant
2424 Nicollet Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55404
(612) 871-6801

A little red curry paste can add a world of flavor to a dish. The curry I used was Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste.

It’s got a nice sweetness to it. Warning- tofu must marinate for a few hours, so plan ahead with this one. And don’t be intimidated by all the steps. They’re simple steps to follow.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. jar red curry paste
• half block firm tofu
• 8 waxy potatoes
• a few handfuls string beans
• half a red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• a few leaves fresh basil
• a slice of red onion
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy milk
• olive oil
• 1 cup lentils
• cilantro for seasoning

Step 1
Mix up a tablespoon of red curry paste with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Pour onto a half block of firm tofu and let sit for a few hours.

Step 2
Boil 8 waxy potatoes for about 10 minutes. Add string beans and boil a few more minutes. Drain water.

Step 3
Slice up marinated tofu and grill until crisp on outside. (I use a George Foreman so I can grill in the kitchen)

Step 4
Cut up half a red bell pepper, a clove of garlic, a few leaves fresh basil, and a slice of red onion

Step 5
Mix together 2 tablespoons red curry paste, 2 tablespoons soy milk, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and saute for a few minutes. Stir in veggies, garlic, basil, and a little cilantro and saute for a few minutes.

Step 6
Cook 1 cup of lentils- I used

Stir in a little red curry paste mix to add some flavor, if you like.

Step 7
Put veggies and lentils onto plate, add grilled tofu and enjoy!

A dear friend of mine (also named Emily) was in town on business and asked me if I’d like to tag along with her to Morris, MN, a tiny little town 3 hours from Minneapolis, where she had work to do at the hospital. Road trip! Yay.

We arrived in the quaint little town with empty bellies and decided to stop for lunch. We dined at a cute Italian restaurant called Bello Cucina. The aim of this dainty little place is to “bring artful cuisine in combination with high quality fresh foods to smaller communities that pride themselves on quality of life.” Awe. The food was amazing. Fresh dishes in perfect proportions. And they even had vegan dishes! I had Broccolo Misto Rigatoni which is Broccoli and sundried tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and fresh garlic then tossed with rigatoni. All ingredients which I love dearly. If you ever find yourself in Morris, MN for any reason you should eat there!

Bello Cucina
located at 506 Atlantic in Morris, MN
http://www.bellocucina.com/home.asp
open 11am – 10pm Mon-Thurs
11am – 11pm Fri-Sat

Ah, but the fun didn’t end there. Oh, no. After we left the restaurant we headed over to the hospital so Emily could get her work done. About two blocks from the hospital, we were on a residential road, going about 25 mph. We came to a yield sign, didn’t see any traffic, and continued through the intersection. Suddenly, a car appeared, coming up a hill and t-boned us right in the intersection! We did a 360 and ended up on the other side of the street in the opposite direction with a popped tire, a bent axl and a bumper falling off. Ahh! Luckily, the car struck near the back right tire instead of the front right or we might have been much worse off. But Emily and I were injury free, aside from some whiplash and a feeling like I had been punched in the arm from slamming into the door. The girl in the other vehicle, who was 19, was fine also. The front of her car was pretty smooshed and she was certainly shaken up, but injury free, thank goodness!

Now the benefit of being in such a tiny town is that our accident occurred 2 blocks from the police station, so we had assistance immediately. The police officer could not have been nicer. He was helpful and friendly and stayed with us until all the insurance details were sorted out and our car was towed away. Thank goodness Emily’s company was able to cover the damage and her HR person was a great help.

So, with no car, and being so close to the hospital, we walked the rest of the way so she could get her work done. Even with the shock of the ordeal, she managed to complete her work in a few hours and we were on our way! Oh, except for one small detail… we had no car and no way to get back to Minneapolis. Luckily, the rental company based out of the Minneapolis airport was able to send someone out to bring us a new car! We just had to wait for it to arrive.

So we headed over to the police station to pick up the police report of the crash, then a very friendly police officer drove us to the junk yard so we could get our car out and paid for, so the rental company could towe it back to Minneapolis. Even the men at the junk yard were friendly and talkative. Really the whole day was made so much less stressful due to the kindness of the Morris locals. People really went out of their way to help us. Maybe I’ll retire there some day…

my dear friend Emily standing in front of the Police Station/Courthouse.

We had a little time yet before the rental company would arrive to bring us the car so we went to an adorable coffee shop called Common Cup Coffeehouse. I had a fantastic iced soy latte as we bided our time filling out the police report. In no time, our new car had arrived and we were on our way! Even the towe truck driver for the car rental company was as friendly as can be.

Emily filling out the police report.

On our way out of town, we stopped at a cafe to use the bathroom (coffee goes right through ya!) and encountered yet ANOTHER incredibly kind person, very talkative and sweet. I can’t get over the over-the-top kindness of everyone. The whole experience really made me realize how precious and fleeting life can be.

We arrived back in Minneapolis around 9PM and headed over to the Bad Waitress for a fantastic late-night dinner. A lovely end to a crazy day.

It’s a dreary day outside, I just took the written driver’s exam in order to get a local driver’s license (never did like the DMV), and the RNC is in town causing madness all up in this place. A bizarre day like this calls for a warm, soothing recipe.

What you’ll need:

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 lb mushrooms
• 4 C veggie broth
• 2 C orzo pasta
• a couple of onion slices
• a few leaves fresh chopped basil
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large, heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, mushrooms, basil, and garlic. Pour in broth, boil. Stir in orzo, reduce heat, cover. Simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes- be careful not to overcook so orzo doesn’t get too mushy). Remove cover and cook off remaining liquid. Season. Throw on a few roasted pine nuts if you like.