Thanks to Wired magazine, I discovered that Downy contains animal fat. Gross. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Dihydrogenated tallow dimenthyl ammonium chloride: A derivative of rendered fat from cattle, sheep, and horses. Just boil it down and mix with ammonium. After a series of chemical pit stops, out comes a quaternary ammonium compound, or quat– a positive ion in which the hydrogen is replaced by long-chain organic molecules. Quats effectively coat your clothing with lipids, making fibers soft to the touch. These fats also make fabric a bit less absorbent– don’t use on towels or cloth diapers– and the positive charge neutralizes static electricity. There are a few other quats in Downy, with easily pronouncable names like 1-methyl-1-tallowamidazolinium methylsulfate.

The article goes on to explain there are a slew of other chemicals needed in order to tame the animal fat. Calcium chloride keeps it from clumping, PEG 8000 keeps it from separating, kathon CG keeps it from getting rancid, perfume masks the animal smell, Ethanol and isopropanol keep it from freezing and solidifying into lard, and deionized water keeps it from yellowing. Nasty.

Thanks, Wired, for revealing Downy’s disgusting recipe for “cleaning” clothes.

PETA photo

PETA has released new footage of an undercover investigation into the turkey industry. At this point I have not watched it. I’ve only read about it, because I’m already well aware of what goes on…

• Employees stomping on turkeys’ heads, punching turkeys, hitting them on the head with a can of spray paint and pliers, and striking turkeys’ heads against metal scaffolding.
• Men shoving feces and feed into turkeys’ mouths and holding turkeys’ heads under water. Jamming a broom stick 2 feet down a turkey’s throat.
• Workers bragging about killing 450 turkeys with 2-by-4s.
• Fatally injecting turkey semen and sulfuric acid into turkeys’ heads.

…and I know if I watch it, I’ll just cry for days, like I’ve done with all the other incredibly upsetting undercover footage I’ve seen. Once you watch footage so cruel, it never goes away. I can’t imagine how Ingrid Newkirk and other PETA members deal with all the horrors they see on a daily basis.

But some people need to see the footage in order to really get it. To educate themselves about what really goes on in the meat industry. To make the connection between what may be on their plates this Thanksgiving, and the hell it went through to end up there. So, if you know some people like this, show them this video: http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/turkey_investigation/876kgub9p7kmw6d5?

I know it can be a difficult issue when gathering with friends and family for the holidays. There’s bound to be a turkey dinner nearby. How do you deal with it? Thanksgiving is supposed to be a joyous time. A time to be thankful for what you have. Is it too late to convince your friends and family to go without the turkey this year? Possibly. But at least if you send them this video, you know you tried.

You can’t win every battle. But that doesn’t mean you should stop fighting for what you believe in.

Looking for an alternative to Tofurkey this year? Thanks to Garden Protein, Whole Foods has a new veg turkey product available: http://www.peta.org/feat-newveganturkey.asp

And check out Recipe Zaar for hundreds of vegan Thanksgiving recipes: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?categ=vegan%2Cthanksgiving

In the mood for some mind-blowing flower edibility? Trader Joe’s has Dried Sweetened Hibiscus Flowers. As my fiance said, “These look like something I would kill in a video game.” Yes, they do look a little like squid creatures or something. But they taste like dried cranberries. Yum!

Hibiscus flowers contain antioxidants and are known to help lower cholesterol, treat hypertension and liver disorder, similar to red wine and tea.

Note: the ingredients in this product are hibiscus flower, sugar, and sulfur dioxide. I cannot guarantee the sugar refining process is vegan. I tried to get more info but came up empty. Though I did notice them being promoted in a vegan foods section on Flickr.

I made this cake for my fiance’s quarter century birthday. He took it to work. Apparently it was pretty amazing. Because I never even got to try it. I guess his co-workers were obsessing over how moist and delicious it was and couldn’t fathom how it could possibly be vegan. And my fiance, who’s pretty tough to please, also raved about it. Which is a relief since I totally screwed up his cake last year. Oops.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 Cups shredded Carrots (I recommend a few seconds in a food processor if you have one)
• 1 1/4 Cup of Sugar
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
• 2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup of Orange Juice
• 3/4 Cup of Canola Oil

Frosting:

• 1/4 Cup Tofutti cream cheese or other kind of soy cream cheese
• 1/4 Cup Vegan Margarine
• 2 cups powdered sugar (I recommend Florida Crystals Organic Sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Do not use a hand mixer for this recipe, use a ladle or spoon. Mix all the dry Ingredients together. Then mix in the Carrots and the Oil to the dry ingredients. Add the Orange Juice and mix it all together.

Grease pan with cooking spray or oil. Put the batter into cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until knife/toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let cool completely

Beat cream cheese and margarine together. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla together with hand mixer. *Add a splash of water if needed. Pipe into a plastic ziplock bag and close bag. When cake is completely cool, cut a little snip off the bottom corner of the ziplock bag and drizzle the creamy frosting over the top of the cake as pictured (I went a little manic with my drizzling). Or spread like normal.

slightly altered from original recipe found here: http://www.grouprecipes.com/44964/best-vegan-carrot-cake.html

photo by law keven

This is a huge victory for animal rights, affecting 20 MILLION farm animals! What, specifically does this proposition do? Taken directly from the yesonprop2.com website:

• Prevents cruelty to animals.
  It’s simply wrong to confine veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens in tiny cages barely larger than their bodies. Calves are tethered by the neck and can barely move, pigs in severe confinement bite the metal bars of their crates, and hens get trapped and even impaled in their wire cages. We wouldn’t force our pets to live in filthy, cramped cages for their whole lives, and we shouldn’t force farm animals to endure such misery. All animals, including those raised for food, deserve humane treatment.
• Improves our health and food safety.
  We all witnessed the cruel treatment of sick and crippled cows exposed by a Southern California slaughter plant investigation this year, prompting authorities to pull meat off school menus and initiate a nationwide recall. Factory farms put our health at risk—cramming tens of thousands of animals into tiny cages, fostering the spread of diseases that may affect people. YES! on Prop 2 is better for animals—and for us.
• Supports family farmers.
  California family farmers support YES! on Prop 2 because they know that better farming practices enhance food quality and safety. Increasingly, they’re supplying major retailers like Safeway and Burger King. Factory farms cut corners and drive family farmers out of business when they put profits ahead of animal welfare and our health.
• Protects air and water and safeguards the environment.
  The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on new factory farms because of the devastating effects these operations can have on surrounding communities, spreading untreated waste on the ground and contaminating our waterways, lakes, groundwater, soil, and air. Prop 2 helps stop some of the worst abuses and protects our precious natural resources. That’s why California Clean Water Action and Sierra Club-California support YES! on Prop 2.
• Is a reasonable and common-sense reform.
  Prop 2 provides ample time—until 2015—for factory farms using these severe confinement methods to shift to more humane practices. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Oregon have passed similar laws. The Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, hundreds of California veterinarians, including the California Veterinary Medical Association; California family farmers; the Center for Food Safety, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the United Farm Workers, and the Cesar Chavez Foundation; Republican and Democratic elected officials; California religious leaders; and many others.

So, as you can see, not only is this a great victory for farm animals, but also family farms, the health and safety of the people, and the health of the environment. These guidelines seem like they should be standard, and yet, without this proposition, factory farms in California would continue to keep animals in horrible, abusive conditions. If you took any part in getting the word out to California voters, you’ve helped propel a monumental movement. California is a hugely influential state and if we can get a proposition like this passed there, perhaps some day we can get the rest of the country to follow suit. Animal rights history has been made! Wooo!

Here are some vegan goodies I’ve been buying lately because they’re great! (and no, I’m not paid to endorse anything)

Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars
Something about the peanut butter they use. It’s so creamy and delicious. Unlike any bar I’ve ever tasted. Made entirely of organic ingredients.

Walden Farms Calorie Free, Sugar Free Ranch Dressing
It’s not easy to find creamy vegan (and calorie free!) dressings. Walden Farms to the rescue! I’ve only tried the Ranch flavor so far because I’m hooked on it, but they do have other vegan products on the market that you may like as well.

Update: the Thousand Island dressing is great, too!

Roundy’s Organics Natural Flavor Microwave Popcorn
I’m sure you’ve noticed that most microwave popcorn you find in the store contains dairy. I did not expect Roundys to be one of the few brands that actually makes vegan popcorn! And it’s good! The only ingredients it contains are: organic popcorn, organic palm oil, and salt.

Trader Joe’s Traditional Hummus with Sesame Tahini
I always end up going back to traditional hummus. You can jazz it up all you want with roasted red peppers and extra garlic, but the original is still my favorite. And Trader Joe’s hummus is fantastic!

Robert’s American Gourmet Veggie Booty
I’ve been a fan of this stuff for years, but I don’t buy it very often. When I do, I go crazy on it, so I have to limit myself. But it’s actually pretty low in calories. And has healthy ingredients like spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and parsley.