What will the future look like?

Wow. What a difference a few weeks makes. When I posted last month for the first time in a few years, I wanted to get back to writing about vegan living with the occasional recipe thrown in. My husband and I moved to the country last summer and I wanted to explore through words if it was still easy to be vegan, even out here in the boonies. Now that seems a tad trivial, but I still want to write and post. So I’m going to. Some days I’ll write about vegan living, and other days I’ll explore new territory. Today is one of those days.

Scout. Rescued from the Humane Society of Tuolumne County on Dec. 31, 2019.

This morning I was walking my dog, Scout. I adopted him at the end of last year. I’m enjoying our morning walks. It gives me time to think without distraction. I usually leave my phone at home, which helps.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this week the entire state of California has been ordered to shelter in place indefinitely. The county I live in has set April 16^th as the end date, but who can say when this will all be over. While walking Scout, I was thinking about what is next for me.

Some of my goals for this year have been either completely scrapped or delayed indefinitely due to the pandemic. To be specific, I was mainly contemplating my work and career. Many people are experiencing a lot of anxiety over work and money, right now.

So I was wondering, maybe instead of worrying about what’s next because we are in uncharted territory, how about we as a collective start planning what we want the world to be like when this is over. I know I would like the world to be kinder, smarter, and healthier.

So, how will we adapt? What will be needed? Sure many of the same things as last week, but this is our chance to push the reset button and sniff out new opportunities. So, what will arise with that in mind? What will we create?

Read Full Post »

Red Lentil Soup

Hello friends! It’s been a long time–five years since I last wrote a post. Rather than go into a long story of where I’ve been for the past five years or how much the world has changed (OMG. Vegan food is everywhere!), I first want to make an offering: A simple, yet delicious recipe you can make in about 30 minutes. More soon. Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup

Serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil (or small pool of olive oil in pot)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp dill, dried
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp umami salt* (sub: sea salt)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red lentils, dried
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped (stems removed)
2 tbsp lemon juice (or juice from one fresh lemon)**

In a large soup pot add a pool of olive oil over low-medium heat, add the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and sweat for up to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

While the onions are sweating, mince your garlic

Turn heat up to medium-high, add the garlic and stir just once or twice before adding the ground cumin, dill, chili powder, salt, and tomato paste. Stir and combine well. Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, and lentils. Stir.

Cover and bring to a boil. Remove lid and reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the lentils are very tender and starting to fall apart. Turn off heat. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add lemon juice. Stir to combine. Serve and enjoy.

For a hearty meal, serve over brown rice, farro, or your favorite grain.

* When I lived in the Bay Area I would buy umami seasoning at Oaktown Spice Shop, an amazing bulk spice shop that I could browse for hours. You can buy it online too. I don’t live there any more but Trader Joe’s sells an umami salt also. Not as fresh, but does the trick.

**I like to use fresh ingredients but having a bottle of lemon juice at the ready is handy too.

Read Full Post »

Outing a Friend: A Transition Story

Today my friend, Lisa Lubin, over at LLWordTour agreed to be outed as a wanna-be vegetarian after she shared her transition story with me. With her permission, I want to share our recent correspondence about transitioning to the veg lifestyle. She has been moving in the direction of vegetarianism for a while. I think her story is a good example of the struggles people go through. I know it wasn’t easy for me to make the change. It was a lot easier to “compartmentalize”  the issues and continue to eat animal products.

Recently I was having brunch with a new friend who is also vegan. She mentioned that she thought vegans were doing a disservice to others when they say it’s easy being vegan. (Ouch!) But, I do agree with her despite the title of this blog.

The thing is is that vegans need to be cheerleaders for the people willing to make a change—any change—in the direction of compassion for animals. I didn’t always feel this way. This feels soft, gentle—even uncertain. This is not how I normally respond to people and situations. So as others change, I find I’m changing too. Meeting people half way—cheering them on with each success and supporting them when they struggle. And yet, I’m still being a voice for the animals.

Hi Christine,

Did I tell you I finally watched Vegucated? I am really trying to transition here. It’s taking years and I am still not sure where I’m headed, but I am happy where I am now and how far I have come. I haven’t bought meat or milk of any kind for home for 2-3 years, and now I’m mostly choosing veg options at restaurants. I really want to cut out pork next. I rarely eat chicken and don’t miss it at all. I think I will still eat the occasional bacon or prosciutto and a burger every now and then…and cheese. But I am excited to keep going in the right direction. I am excited about finding some farms in NJ near Chris where I’m comfortable buying eggs. I’m excited about this challenge. It’s hard and heart breaking at the same time. I really struggle with the hypocrisy of how much I love animals and then occasionally eating something that I KNOW suffered and lived a shitty, sick life that would make me crumble if I saw it in person. EVEN animals raised a ‘bit’ better…I know I still wouldn’t be happy with their existence for them. SIGH…

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

It’s good to hear from you and thanks for sharing your transition story. It took me 19 years to become vegan but when I did, I did it “cold tofu” in a way. Had I done it in a more conscious and step-by-step way, I probably would have been able to make the transition sooner. Hindsight is 20/20. Anyway, what I did experience once I decided to give up all animals products is a freeing of the mind. I was carrying around a lot of guilt for eating animals that I knew suffered and once I committed to being vegan, it was such a gift (and relief) to not feel this guilt anymore. I only say this to let you know what you could possibly expect as you move down this path.

On the other hand, it hasn’t been an easy journey despite the title of my blog. It’s absolutely easy to eat vegan and avoid wearing animal products, so that is why I chose that title. Initially, I thought finding vegan food and clothes would be hard. It hasn’t been at all. What is hard, is the social aspect. Sometimes—even after eight years—it’s hard for me to stand by my values when I know that means I will be left out, not invited, seen as radical, etc. My whole life I have just wanted to fit in and this lifestyle certainly does nothing to facilitate fitting in. It really just widens the gap. People are often offended by my not eating meat and what that really means is that they feel judged…which I’m not judging, but they are judging themselves. I had an experience recently with family that really broke my heart. I haven’t been so hurt in so long and it was about food. I’m still recovering from it. The thing is though is that I will not waiver from where I stand. It is too important to me and in my heart, it’s how I want to live. So, I understand your journey and understand it’s not easy. I’m glad you watched Vegucated. I thought it was a really well done documentary. I’m here if you need me.

Christine

Read Full Post »

Healthy Vegan Snacks Revisited

Recently I read a report on 2013 food trends. Not only did it mention meatless meals and veganism, it reported that mini-meals and snacking were on the rise. Below is a  post I wrote in 2011 — offering readers 12 healthy, vegan snacks. Check it out, and remember to always keep a healthy snack at the ready. Enjoy!

Recently I read a blog post about nine quick and healthy snacks to keep you going until dinner. Animal products made up five of the nine snacks. Not too healthy in my book.

My definition of healthy may be narrower than the average consumer, but it is based on science.* I came up with 12 vegan snacks (not nine but 12 because I love you.) to keep you going anytime of day. All are plant-based, whole foods and simple.

12 Healthy Vegan Snacks

1. Raw nuts and seeds: Just a handful.
2. Piece of fresh fruit. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Better yet, switch it up. Variety is the spice of life.
3. Sliced apple with peanut butter: Make sure the PB is just peanuts and preferably organic.**
4. Raw veggies and humus.
5. Whole grain crackers with peanut butter or humus.
6. Dried fruit
7. Smoothie: Make it green for an extra nutritional punch.
8. Homemade trail mix: Again, just a handful.
9. Half of a peanut butter & banana sandwich. (Try other nut butters such as almond too.)
10. Air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast***
11. Toast (whole grain) with Mexican butter, aka avocado.
12. Edamame

*Good news! Science supports a compassionate diet. Not only is a vegan diet good for you, it’s also good for the planet and all the creatures that live here. Get the facts on healthy vegan diets from the experts:

• Neal Barnard, M.D.
• T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
• Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D.
• Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
• Michael Greger, M.D.
• Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., C.P.T.
• McDougall, M.D.
• Ginny Messina, R.D.
• Jack Norris, R.D.
• Jeff Novick, M.S., R.D., L.D., L.N.

**See this post for information on my favorite, all-natural peanut butter.

***What the Heck is Nutritional Yeast? from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Read Full Post »

Who Thinks It’s Easy Being Vegan?

A few weeks ago on Facebook, I asked “Who thinks it’s easy being vegan?” Here are some of the responses. Turns out  a lot of people agree that it’s easy being vegan!

I was pescatarian and went vegan by accident. So, yeah, it’s very easy.

Easy as can be! I used to be a total meat and potatoes person. After viewing Forks over Knives, I changed my diet the next day. I just veganize all the dishes I used to eat. I don’t miss a thing.

Being vegan easy? Well, easier. Easier than worrying about who is on my plate; easier than worrying about higher risks of obesity, heart disease, stroke, numerous cancers; easier than violating my Buddhist precepts of not killing and to not taking what is not given; easier than feeling guilt about the animals I eat being the source of the 51% of humanities GHCs from carniculture; easier than feeling guilty about feeding crops into ‘my’ cow, which could have been fed to people; easier than knowing how ‘my’ turkey, cow, chicken, pig, fish lived and died; easier knowing that what I do wrecks the environment less that what an omnivore does. The hard parts: reading every label, being a ‘pain’ to friends, family, employers and restaurants, having to learn to cook (buts it’s cheaper and better and more fun than another frozen vegan lump from the store, or a third day of the same ethnic leftovers from a restaurant), wanting a steak or pizza and I know there are pretty decent fakes. Remembering why I’m vegan makes the hard parts easier.

This guy! It was hard for like the first month because I didn’t realize how much I actually COULD eat, but the next three years have been simple.

So much easier than it was 20 years ago, but it was always easy enough compared to the guilt I felt about spending my first 18 years non-veg and then a couple more just vegetarian.

Way easier than I thought it would be — mainly because it feels natural and coherent.

Not particularly to be honest. But it’s easier on the animals and easier on the conscience so that’s why I continue.

For me it’s not hard to not eat animals. What I found hard in the beginning was knowing what to eat and having to learn to cook different meals. I don’t really like to cook and find cooking for one takes time. As time went by I did research and found amazing sites on line, like yours, and found great recipe ideas and tips on how to be vegan. Now I am finding it easier. Still learning how to plan meals for the week and shop properly for the stuff I need that week and not over spending on stuff I think I might use, then end up throwing it out! I make a lot of soup and freeze some so I will always have something on hand. So the answer is yes and no! Very easy to not eat meat, not so easy at first figuring out the rest!

Vegan is so easy! It’s being gluten free that is a challenge.

So what do you think? Is it easy? What are your challenges? Use the comment section below and give us the details.

Read Full Post »

Sarah-Approved Israeli Couscous Salad

This is an easy and tasty salad I created on the fly. Turns out it was a hit. My fiance’s daughter loved it. It’s nice when someone appreciates your cooking, isn’t it?! We enjoyed it with Falafel sandwiches. Give it a try.

Israeli Couscous Salad
Serves 4-6

1 cup Israeli Couscous, cooked
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced in long strips
1/2 carrot, shredded
1 large radish, shredded
3 tbsp of green onion, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil (more if desired)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the couscous, cranberries, sun-dried tomatoes, carrot, radish, green onion and pine nuts. Add the dressing to the other ingredients and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving.

Read Full Post »

Tofu Salad

Tofu salad is a good substitute for egg salad. It’s great on sandwiches, in a wrap or over a bed of greens. Try this simple recipe if you’ve never made a tofu salad before.

Tofu Salad

1 package (14 oz) extra firm tofu, cubed
1 medium carrot, diced or shredded
1/4 cup dill pickle relish
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tsp. Turmeric
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Press the tofu to remove the liquid. Chop it into to small cubes. Add diced carrots, relish, minced garlic and mayo. Mix well. Add more mayo if you want the salad to be creamier. Add Turmeric, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Chill in the fridge for about an hour  before serving. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Why I Gave Up My Favorite Food

Yesterday Mercy for Animals released a new undercover video from an Idaho dairy farm. It documented horrific animal abuse. Workers are shown beating, kicking and jumping on the cows while the cows struggle and moan in pain.

After I learned about the video, I posted it on my personal Facebook page and wrote this:

There is just as much cruelty in a glass of milk, grilled cheese sandwich or egg omelet as there is in a hamburger. That is why I’m vegan. This video is hard to watch but it shows what can happen at a dairy farm.

Almost immediately someone disagreed because “family farms” from her experience were humanely run. This video is from a large “factory farm” and I agree that this type of cruelty is less likely to happen at a family run dairy farm. The men in this video behave like barbarians. However, family dairy farms are far from humane. Consider the following:

• Humans don’t need cows milk. We are the only species who drinks another species milk. Human milk is for our babies just like cow’s milk is for theirs.
• Dairy cows are artificially inseminated, even at small family farms.
• Once the calves are born, the males are taken away from their mothers to become veal.
• Once dairy cows are spent, they are sent to the slaughterhouse to become beef.
• Cows can live as long as 20 years but cows raised for food often live just five short, miserable years.

Watch this short video to learn more:

Cheese used to be my favorite food. I ate it everyday and smothered salads, pizzas, quesadillas, crackers, hamburgers then veggie burgers, and omelets with it. I was one of those people who often said, “I could never give up cheese” and yet I did. It’s been over seven years since I’ve had it. I don’t miss it — despite being certain that I would.

After eating cheese and drinking milk most of my life, it was hard to change. Change is hard, but there are great non-dairy foods available that make the change easier than it’s ever been.

My favorite dairy substitutes include:

• Daiya vegan cheese
• Tufutti cream cheese and sour cream
• Almond milk (unsweetened vanilla) – any brand
• Soy milk (unsweetened) – any brand
• Mindful Mayo
• So Delicious Dairy-Free ice cream

Cookbook Resources

• Artisan Vegan Cheese
• The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook

If you believe the cruelty at this Idaho dairy farm is an isolated case, you will find more Mercy for Animals undercover investigations here. MFA has filmed at four dairy farms and has documented animal abuse at all four farms.

Read Full Post »

Make a Healthy Meal in Minutes

From time-to-time, I rerun posts I consider classics from It’s Easy Being Vegan. This is one of them. Eating vegan and healthy can be quite simple.

It’s a myth that all veg-heads live on salads alone, but salads make a hearty and healthy meal when done right.

Best of all, you can prepare about five days worth of ingredients in about an hour, making a salad an easy go-to meal when you don’t have much time. Get your veggies ready on Sunday and you’re all set for the week. Then all you have to do is throw a salad together each day and a meal is made. Easy.

Salads are a staple of my diet. It makes me feel good mentally and physically to eat healthy. I never beat myself up mentally after I eat a salad, but I sure do after I eat a bunch of crap. My goal is to eat one salad a day to fuel my nutrient-dense diet* and salads are a good way to do that.

Suggested Salad Fixin’s

• Greens (obviously). Use different types of lettuces each week to maximize your nutrient intake.
• Grape or cherry tomatoes. Wash and dry. Nothing else to do but drop a few in your salad.
• Brown rice or quinoa. Adding a grain to your salad will make it more like a meal.
• Tofu. Baked tofu works great. Plain will do.
• Beans. Try a new type each week. Again to maximize your nutrient intake. Drain a can of bean and store in a seal-tight container. They will last about a week.
• Peppers: red, green, yellow or orange
• Onions. Any type will do.
• Olives
• Carrots
• Celery
• Nuts and seeds such as walnuts, almonds, pecans or sunflower seeds
• Dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries

Top off your salad with a simple dressing. Buy it in a bottle or make this quick and easy recipe:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 balsamic or white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp mustard (Dijon is best)
• Drizzle of agave or maple syrup, if desired
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Store in glass bottle in the fridge

Store everything in tightly sealed containers, and you’ll have at least five meals ready to go in about five minutes.

*If you haven’t read Eat for Health by Dr. Fuhrman, consider reading it. Learn about the importance of nutrient-dense food and your health. To learn more about weight-loss, I recommend reading Eat to Live.

Read about my Eat to Live experience:

• Live to Eat or Eat to Live?
• Eat to Live: 3 Weeks Down, 6 Weeks to Go?
• Eat to Live Follow-up
• Tofu Ranch Dressing

Read Full Post »

A Day in the Life of a Vegan: Meet Bob

I’m happy to introduce you to Bob Shinn — just another normal guy going vegan! It’s happening everyday.  Bob recognized the benefits of a plant-based diet after watching the movie, Forks Over Knives. Like so many others after seeing this film, he switched to a vegan diet and noticed the benefits right away. Read on to see how his life has transpired.

Name: Bob Shinn

Age: 53

Where do you live? Colorado Springs, CO

How long have you been vegan? 10 months

Wake up: Between 6:00 and 6:30am

Breakfast:  I’ve never been a big breakfast person, so I start the day with a banana, peach or apple.

Morning activities/work: I usually get to the office around 8:30am. I’m the chief technology officer and a co-founder of an Internet company. Mornings are spent reviewing our progress from the day before and coordinating/prioritizing all software development and IT activities for the day.

Lunch: I eat a light lunch that is usually a homemade soup followed by another serving of fruit. My favorite lunch is a bowl of vegan chili followed by some mixed berries. Immediately after eating lunch, I walk my first four mile loop of the day. My walk takes me into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains so I get to enjoy some beautiful scenery and I usually spot some wildlife along the way.

Afternoon activities/work: Most days my afternoon is filled with emails and calls to customers but if I’m lucky and if things are going smoothly, I can get in a few hours of writing software. This probably qualifies me as a nerd, but designing and coding software is my bliss. I think it’s the creation aspect that appeals most to me. It’s probably akin to what a writer or artist feels when they are in the act of creation. Time ceases to exist when I’m in that mode.

Dinner: My wife Cathy and I have dinner together every evening. She is not (yet) a vegan but she always prepares a vegan dinner for us. She is an accomplished home chef so the dinners she creates are amazing. Sometimes they are based on recipes she has found online and then made her own, and other times she just combines whatever she has handy into a great meal. The variety of meals really keeps it interesting for me. Tonight we had one of my favorites – spaghetti squash with marinara sauce and a side of baked butternut squash and sweet potatoes.

Activities: Right after dinner, we go on another 4 mile walk around our neighborhood. We have a great trail system that cuts through nearby Cottonwood Park so we get to enjoy seeing all the activities going on at the park and the views of Pikes Peak. After the walk it’s time to wind down for the day and catch a TV show or watch a movie.

Lights out:  Around 11:00pm. Prior to my lifestyle change, I had trouble sleeping so there would be times I was up most of the night. Since I’ve been on a plant-based diet, I have had no problem sleeping seven or so hours a night.

Favorite Cause: Since I’ve been walking quite a lot lately, I found a group to sponsor my twice daily walks. Charity Miles has an iPhone application that records my walks and then donates money to Feeding America and my local food bank based on the distance I cover. At my current level, the donation amounts to 21 meals per day.

Favorite animal or vegan book? Eat To Liveby Dr. Joel Fuhrman. This book is very informative and introduced me to some nutritional concepts that I have successfully used over the last few months to accelerate my progress towards reclaiming my health.

Favorite animal or vegan movie? There are many great movies that helped me to reach the conclusion that I needed to be living a vegan lifestyle. “Food, Inc.”, “Supersize Me” and “Earthlings” opened my eyes to how food is produced in our society and were enough to convince me to never eat fast food again and to distrust heavily processed food. But my favorite vegan movie has to be Forks over Knives— This movie introduced me to the research of Doctors Esselstyn and Campbell regarding the health issues caused by obtaining your dietary protein from animal sources. Since I had been experiencing many of the health issues that they detailed in the movie, I saw their recommendations as a road map back to health. Up until then, I wasn’t sure that such a path even existed.

What’s the best part of being vegan? For me it’s the health benefits. When I made the commitment to this lifestyle, it was due to some health problems that I was experiencing. Like many people, I had a very unhealthy relationship with food. I was eating fattening, low-nutrition foods for most meals. I would eat at restaurants for every weekday lunch and at least 3 dinners a week. Over many years I had gained so much weight that I became severely obese and my health had greatly declined. I was battling hypertension and high cholesterol and, despite taking a variety of medications, I was continually getting sicker. I got the shock of my life when my physician ordered a routine EKG and I discovered that my heart was producing irregular patterns. I was referred to a cardiologist who ran me through a battery of tests that showed that I also had plaque buildup in my arteries that would only be expected in someone 80 years old. I was told that I had bad genes and though I didn’t smoke and rarely drank, I would probably only live 10 more years as long as I stayed on all the medications. I didn’t accept the prognosis and I began looking for a way to gain some control over my conditions. I found hope in the promise of a path back to wellness through a vegan lifestyle.

What do you want people to know about living vegan? Living vegan is really easy once you commit to it. The promise of increased health is real. I’m living it right now. If I can do this, anyone can.

I recently had my first annual checkup with my cardiologist since the lifestyle change and he is thrilled with the results I’ve achieved. In just 10 months I’ve lost 88 pounds. I no longer need any of the medications I had been on. I no longer feel sick every day and I have more energy than I have had in twenty years.  All my labs are in the normal ranges for the first time since I got sick and my LDL (bad cholesterol) is so low that my arteries are releasing the plaque buildup that was threatening an early death. Sometime over the next year I hope to have completely removed the blockages just by this lifestyle change.

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Week: Rice Pudding and a Giveaway

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you should consider getting one. You can make delicious food without much effort. I use my slow cooker often. It was only five bucks at a yard sale. (By the way, yard sales rock and so do used book sales. More on that later.)

I own one slow cooker recipe book, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals that are Ready When You Are by Robin Robertson. I’ve only cooked one recipe in my slow cooker that wasn’t from this cookbook. One of my favorite recipes in this book is a rice pudding. It’s easy to make and Robin gave me permission to share it with you.

Before I do that, I want to mention that Robin has a new slow cooker recipe book coming out soon called Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker: 200 Ultra-Convenient, Super-Tasty, Completely Animal-Free One-Dish Dinners. Notice the difference in the title? Love it!

Brown Rice Pudding with Golden Raisins and Toasted Almonds
Serves 4 to 6
Slow cooker size: 3-1/2 to 4 quarts
Cook time: 3 to 4 hours
Setting: Low

2-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1-1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar or a natural sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup golden raisins or other dried fruit
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Combine all the ingredients, except the raisins and almonds, in a lightly oiled 3-1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, stirring to mix well. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, stirring once about halfway through — add the raisins at this time.

Serve warm or cold garnished with the toasted almonds.

It’s Easy Being Vegan Note: I have made this recipe numerous times and have made the following adaptations with success:

• Used unsweetened vanilla soy milk
• Used dark raisins
• Used an equal amount of maple syrup instead of brown sugar
• Skipped the salt
• Used raw almonds, skipped the toasting.
• Added the almonds when I mixed in the raisins.

Now for the Giveaway Just for Subscribers!

As I mentioned I got my slow cooker at a yard sale. I have found some great things at yard sales. I also love used book sales. The Newberry Library in Chicago hosts a huge annual used book sale. This year I found a copy of Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker for a steal. It looks brand new. Since I already have a copy, I would like to give it away to a subscriber. For a chance to win the book, subscribe to receive blog post updates by email (not RSS feed) below. If you are already an email subscriber, you are automatically entered — lucky you! Contest closes on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 5:00am CDT. I will notify the winner via email. Contest open to US residents only.

Read Full Post »

A Day in the Life of a Vegan: Meet Sally

Vegan Library Display by Sally

Have you ever wondered who is typing the captions for live TV? I know I have. Well, meet Sally. I met Sally last year at the VegNews Yoga Retreat in Mexico, and now I’m happy to introduce this passionate activist to my readers. Be sure to read about her vegan library display below. It’s impressive!

Name: Sally Bennett

Where do you live? I divide my time between Cambridge, OH and Savannah, GA.

How long have you been vegan? Seven years

Wake up: I usually wake up at 5:15 AM. Sometimes it’s 3:30 AM., but only occasionally.

Breakfast: It’s always evolving. Usually I eat leftovers warmed in the toaster oven, or more recently since I purchased a high-powered blender, I’ll turn foods from my garden into a nice, warm soup. For a quick breakfast on the run, it might be a Tim Hortons bagel with Tofutti cream cheese and home-grown chives.

Activities/work: I get up early to start my job as a broadcast captioner. I provide real-time captions on live TV, so I usually start off with three hours of a morning show. I work from home.

Lunch: This is where I’m trying to turn my habits for lunch and dinner around. I’m trying to have a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner, so I have more time to burn calories. Sometimes I’ll eat out for lunch and enjoy some Indian Aloo Mutter or go to Loving Hut. I’ll almost always take some home to have for lunch another day. If I’m home, I’ll either warm up leftovers or just start tossing things together to make either a soup or stew of some kind. My son calls it my “Whatever’s-in-the-Fridge” soup. I have shelves full of onions, garlic, celery, carrots, kale, peppers, pomegranates, figs, mangos, kiwis, oranges, pears, tomatoes, eggplants, star fruits and cabbage. I either make a plate using a mixture of those foods, or I turn them into soup. Other times, I’ll enjoy some delicious home made Thai food made by my son who’s amazing in the kitchen.

Activities/work: More captioning work or perhaps hanging laundry on the line or walking around our orchards and woods to meditate (a valuable lesson I learned while at the vegan yoga retreat with VegNews last year) or reading or harvesting tomatoes or giving a dog a bath. It’s always different. I’ll usually make a blender drink and now I’m using organic aloe juice, celery, peanut butter and a banana. I might toss in a piece or two of kale.

Dinner: Usually a plateful of fruit and maybe a generous salad of spring greens, julienned beets, apple and carrots, a scoop of organic (canned) beans, avocado if I have it and a few walnuts, topped with some Bob Evans Colonial salad dressing. I know Bob Evans is not a very vegan-friendly restaurant, but I love its Colonial salad dressing. I buy it by the quart to take home. Since attending Summerfest this year, I picked up a tip to keep an open can of organic beans in the fridge and spoon some in all kinds of things. So if I make tomato soup, for example, I’ll toss a spoonful of beans in the VitaMix along with all the other ingredients. It makes it easy to get the health benefits of beans.

Activities: Catching up on the Young & the Restless (a habit I’ve had for 23 years) or watching reruns from TVLand or a movie with my family. I take yoga classes twice a week and really should do it daily, but it’s a challenge to do yoga in a house with cats. They like to get involved!

Lights out: Never early enough. I try to get to bed by 10 PM, but I’m happy if it’s before Midnight.

Sally’s a well-read vegan. She displayed her vegan books at her local library for one month.

Favorite Cause/Current Project: I support many groups which are working hard to protect animals. I only donate to groups which also promote veganism and whose members live the vegan lifestyle. I prefer to donate to smaller, grassroots groups which appreciate every dollar they get and take nothing for granted. On a personal level, I’ve participated in several informational protests including at an embassy, a fast-food giant and a department store that still sells fur. A few months ago I was able to put together a beautiful display of my collection of vegan and animal-rights books at my local library. It stayed there for a month, and they said that they had more compliments on that display than any other they’d had. I hope it caused people to rethink their eating habits and to start their journey to a compassionate lifestyle.

What else do you want people to know? I’ve never been happier than I am every day now that I’ve grown stronger as a vegan animal advocate. I came to the vegan lifestyle because I despised animal cruelty and was disgusted by the thought of eating animals. I’ve evolved as a vegan by learning that while it’s easy to be a lazy vegan and not care about nutrition, that there really is a better way, and it’s fun to learn how to be healthier.

What is the best part about being vegan? The peace of mind it gives me — knowing that I’m not responsible for the suffering or death of any animals. I appreciate the feeling I get from just being in close proximity to animals. I live in the country where there are many farms where animals will one day be killed. I see them as blessings to brighten my life as they go about theirs. And as a bonus, my health is good! I spend $0 on prescription medications.

If you would like to participate in the “Day in the Life” series, send an email to itseasybeingvegan@gmail.com. We’d love to get to know you too.

Want to Set Up Your Own Library Display

A library display is a great way to raise awareness for veganism and I wanted to know more about Sally’s efforts. So I asked her about it.

When you set up the library display, was it just a matter of approaching that particular branch and working with them? Yes, all I did was go to the library and ask if I could do a display of my collection of vegan and animal-rights books. The head librarian is who they told me to speak with.  It’s a small town and he remembered me from when he started working at the library. I was taking my then-young children in for story hour. I described the kind of books I wanted to display and he said that would be fine. He told me what month was available and that was it. I added photos taken from an old Farm Sanctuary calendar to add color to the sidewalls, and I added some toy animals to attract even more attention hopefully from young visitors, and also included a big selection of decorative vegetables and fruits for even more color throughout the shelves of books. I categorize them, somewhat, with medical/scientific books on one end, vegan cookbooks in the middle, and animal-rights to vegan lifestyle books on the other end. But there’s plenty of overlap.

Read how to set up your own library display from Mercy For Animals.

Read Full Post »

A Day in the Life of a Vegan: Meet Mickey

I met Mickey when I started volunteering with HEART in Chicago. I really love what this group does, so here’s a quick shout out. HEART’s mission is to foster compassion and respect for all living beings and the  environment by educating youth and teachers in Humane Education.

Humane education is a field of education that focuses on teaching young people how to use critical thinking and problem solving skills to address problems that are faced by people, animals and the environment.

For more information on HEART, read the About page. HEART is based in New York City with chapters in Chicago and coming soon to Portland. If you would like to volunteer or donate to HEART, click here.

Name: Mickey Kudia

Age: 25

Where do you live? Chicago

How long have you been vegan? 5 years

Wake up: My alarm went off at 7am, but I hit the snooze and slept for another 15 minutes.

Breakfast: I had a fruit smoothie (a little bit of kale, frozen fruit, a banana, and rice milk), muesli with almond milk and coffee.

Morning activities/work: While I was drinking my coffee, I read for half an hour. Right now, I’m reading Nonprofit Kit for Dummies, but usually I’m reading something for grad school. Then I went to the HEART office a couple blocks away from my apartment. There, I answered emails and prepared for meetings. I met with Leona, another HEART humane education instructor, about a new lesson we’re developing about gender inequality in the developing world. For anyone interested in the topic check out the GirlEffect.org.

Read Full Post »

Recipe of the Week: Sun-Dried Tomato and Artichoke Burger

I have been slowly working my way through The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet by Joni Marie Newman. This week we made the Sun-Dried Tomato and Artichoke Burger. It’s a winner and Joni has kindly given me permission to share the recipe with you. Enjoy!

Sun-Dried Tomato and Artichoke Burger
Makes 8-10 Burgers

• • 2 tbsp olive oil*
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
  • 6 oz roasted red peppers
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 3 cups cooked brown rice**
  • Oil, for frying (optional)

Read Full Post »

Promoting Veganism

T-shirt from Mercy for Animals

There are some vegans who promote this lifestyle using the term, vegetarian. But, calling myself a vegetarian is not telling the whole story. The popular definition of vegetarianism is one who does not eat meat or fish, but still eats eggs and dairy.

If someone goes “vegetarian” to help end animal cruelty, they will likely be disappointed to learn that dairy and eggs are major contributors to animal abuse. Then what? They give up because they can’t do it all?

Kathy Freston suggests “leaning into” change. Perhaps this is a more suitable route for some. But let’s tell them the whole truth and they can decide for themselves how they want to live based on the facts. I believe mixed messages and “spin” muddle the message of veganism. What do you think?

Read Full Post »