Living Without Meat

“Emily Deschanel just came up to me and started talking about cheese!!!!” said a very excited friend to me while we were volunteering at the Farm Sanctuary Gala in May.

Apparently, Emily has a brand of vegan cheese that she highly recommends: Dr. Cow.

Dr. Cow makes natural, vegan, living products. The company sells two superbly yummy-sounding granolas online, as well as a sprouted nut blend, and an instant oatmeal-like product that has no oats! Instead, the Que!Meal is filled with quinoa, sprouted nuts and seeds, raisins, and more.

But the product that Emily was raving about - a completely raw, vegan, tree nut cheese - is only available in certain stores, none of which I’ve heard of, and all of which seem to be in NYC. However, they will do large shipments to other states, so request it at your local coop or other vegan food haven.

For now, I am thinking I may have to try both the Que!Meal and the two kinds of granola - cocoa bean and regular.

Stores that carry Dr. Cow’s Tree Nut Cheese are: Pure Juice & Take Awa, Westerly, Organic Avenue, Live Live, High Vibes in Manhattan, Marlow & Son’s, Park Slope Food Coop, and Pumpkin’s Organic Market in Brooklyn.

She’s perhaps one of PETA’s most outspoken celebrity supporters. Spending her time serving food to those in need, speaking up when the media assumed that the hot dog she was eating was made of meat, and starting a petition to help the harp seals.

Who is the wondrously outspoken, animal-rights activist? Why, it’s Pam Anderson, of course! And now she’s found yet another way to act on her beliefs.

Not long after holding a fund-raising, private estate sale at her home, Pam will be auctioning off her beloved 2000 Dodge Viper (shown here) to collect more money for PETA. Anderson’s Viper will be auctioned off during the “Julien’s Auctions’ Summer Entertainment Sale of Hollywood Memorabilia” event on June 21 and 22 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

“I’ve been working with PETA for 15 years. They’re kind of my ethical advisers. With them, I see actual results,” she told reporters with the AP.

What have you done for the animals lately? Remember, it doesn’t have to be a huge gesture: every small detail makes a difference. As Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see.”

This silver grocery tote is the bag that was filled with samples and given out to guests - and volunteers! - after the Farm Sanctuary Gala this past weekend. It’s a Matt & Nat! M&N are very well known within the vegan realm as quality, vegan designers of bags, purses, and wallets.

They are not the cheapest buys, but they are so worth it. And now, I have one that I got for free! You can get this great bag (sort of) for free, too.

While supplies last, Matt & Nat are giving away this Enviro Tote with every order totaling at least $250. Plus, shipping is free once you spend a minimum of $150.

Yours won’t be filled with vegan: chocolates, cookies, lotions, hair care items, meal bars, dog foods, magazines, and more; but, it will still be a fabulously fashionable, environmentally-friendly, vegan grocery bag.

It’s World Vegetarian Week this week … and I have no clue what that means, who deemed it that, or whatnot. But, hey, Happy World Vegetarian Week!

To celebrate: eat vegetarian.

Other options include making other people eat vegetarian, wearing a sign that says “I’m a vegetarian,” singing “She’s a vegetarian … oh oh and she don’t eat meat” all day everyday, or signing other people up to receive free vegetarian starter kits in the mail (because I know that you already have all of them, right?).

Appreciate the vegetarians in your life and thank them on behalf of the animals!

UPDATE: Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) says this about the history:

“World Vegetarian Week was launched in 1992 by the Vegetarian Society as National Vegetarian Week in the UK. It has since caught on worldwide…”

And now you know.

After a weekend in New York City volunteering at the Farm Sanctuary Gala, I have lots to share.

Friday evening I got a chance to meet and eat with several Farm Sanctuary staff members. I had an amazing dinner out with the communications team at Caravan of Dreams, a phenomenal vegan, kosher, and raw food restaurant in the city.

Saturday night was the gala itself. Here’s what stick out in my mind about the event:

1. Zora Andrich, who is known for her appearance on the reality series Joe Millionaire and has since become a spokesperson for Slim-Fast, worked as a volunteer. With the number of people whispering about her presence, she easily could have made a red carpet appearance but chose to volunteer instead.

2. Bones star Emily Deschanel has a deeper voice in person, and is super mellow and friendly. She was one of the few top names in attendance that perused the silent auction section (where I was stationed). She bid on several fashion items including purses and clothing, winning a set of organic shirts. She also bid $3,000 at the live auction for an autographed, box set of Skinny Bitch and Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, including a lunch with co-author Rory Freedman.

3. Speaking of author Rory Freedman … her outfit. Wow. Shown here, is Rory wearing an ’80s homecoming dress: silver metallic fabric, off the shoulders with a ruffle around the neckline, and gathered just below the buttocks.

4. Comedic actor Kevin Nealon bumped into me, as did Russell Simmons who was by far my favorite speaker of the evening. As he was introducing award-winning yogis, he brought up the Biblical subject of man having “dominion over animals.” I was in awe of his smooth voice, and eloquently delivered message that God asked us to take care of and look out for his creatures - not to torture, abuse, and control them.

5. Emcee Melissa Rivers and hostess Heather Mills pleasantly surprised me with their speaking skills, stage presence, and likability.

6. The Piraros made quiet a showing. Bizarro comic artist Dan donated two auction pieces, one was a hilarious restaurant scene: a hippie mom saying “Do you have to do that in public?” to a woman feeding her baby chicken breast meat. Dan also bid on several objects, including a statue title “Pig-Headed” which was a blind-folded person form the waist up, a pig on his head, and situated on a grill. Dan will swear to you that he has no idea who attempted to close this silent auction early, right after his bid. His wife Ashley Lou - who was one of the PETA members who showered in Times Square - showed up with pink hair. Love it!

7. House’s Lisa Edelstein was announced as Linda. Last year her last name was said wrong.

8. Susie Essman of Curb Your Enthusiasm looked nervous before going on stage to host the live auction. So I, not knowing who she was at the moment, chatted her up.

9. Hal Sparks was hard to recognize because he now has girl hair: long, luxurious locks.

10. True Whitaker, shown here arriving with her mom Keisha Whitaker, was dressed adorably. Yes it’s over the top, but chances are she felt like a princess.

11. One of the most popular silent auction items was an autographed, complete set of The Golden Girls, including a signed photo of Rue “Blanche” McClanahan. The many gorgeous paintings of farm animals were popular, too, as well as all the vegan handbags, wallets, and purses.

12. The ice sculpture was dropped. It shattered.

13. I spied one guest with a leather Louis Vuitton bag, and another one wearing Christian Louboutin leather shoes. Don’t think I didn’t notice.

And the most important … Kristen Bell couldn’t make it. I cried.

Stay tuned and find out about the goody bag contents, auction items, and donations (including one for $1 million!).

I’m heading out for the weekend to volunteer at the Farm Sanctuary Gala in New York City!

Anyone going?

Tomorrow, May 15, is a special day for Dunkin’ Donuts. It is the day when the company is going to realize that soy milk is in high demand with their customers.

Animal- and vegan-devotees over at Compassion Over Killing (COK) have been successful in getting two local (to them, in Washington, D.C.) Dunkin’ Donuts to start carrying soy milk. There is also one New York City branch that carries the healthier, vegan option to creamer and cow’s milk.

But now COK wants DD to know that people all over want soy milk. So they have deemed May 15 as “Ask for Soy Milk Day” at Dunkin’ Donuts.

Head on over tomorrow - or any and every day - to your local DD and ask: “Do you have soy milk?” This will let them start to see that there is market for soy milk at coffee shops.

Visit COK’s site for more on how to convince your branch to carry vegan options. Click on the picture to read Super Vegan’s announcement of the D.C. soy milk gain.

This is a photograph of the last moments of the life of Kentucy Derby second-place winner Eight Belles.

The young filly finished the race, despite being repeatedly, mercilessly whipped by her 20-year-old jockey Gabriel Saez. At the end, she appeared fine. Then, Saez galloped her out (a sort of cool down and celebration) for a quarter of mile.

She collapsed, having broken both front ankles.

Fighting, no doubt, to calm concern in the crowd, vets and officials rushed to Eight Belles’ side. And immediately euthanized her.

Saez won $400,000; Eight Belles was murdered in front of all the Kentucky Derby attendees - but, I guess if you are one to attend and bet on any animal sport, you are not one to be bothered by a needless killing of the animal. I mean, if you bet on her to win, she still finished and got you a decent return, right?

Of course every animal rights group is quickly throwing punches at the event, but PETA’s voice is strongest, making CNN headlines today for lobbying the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority for further investigation (i.e. Did Saez know the horse was injured?).

What if you couldn’t afford to feed your family? What if your parents were out of work and couldn’t provide you with a hot dinner every night? What if you still wanted to eat good, vegetarian food?

This Saturday, May 10, is the 16th annual largest single-day food drive in America. It’s time for Campbell Soup Company and the National Association of Letter Carriers to team up once again in their efforts to Stamp Out Hunger!

All that you have to do is put non-perishables such as boxed and canned goods in a sturdy bag, and set it next to your mailbox before your mailman arrives this Saturday.

Food drives like this are a tremendous help, but they collect a lot of chicken broth, meat-flavored rice mixes, Spam (canned ham), and meaty soups. What if we provide vegetarian goodness for those who need help filling their plate? Just because someone is in need, does not mean that they can’t be smart enough to choose a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Let’s help them!

This weekend, put out some or all of these items:

*Canned vegetables, beans, fruits, and potatoes (2 for $1 at the Dollar Tree)

* Box of tofu and soy milk that don’t need refrigeration until open

* Peanut butter

* Sealed container of nuts and trail mix

* Vegetarian soup … better yet, try to find some vegan ones

* Rice and bean box mix

* Healthy grains such as granola cereal, whole wheat/veggie/semolina pasta, crackers, and brown rice

* Tea bags, in a box

* Dried beans, lentils, and other legumes

* Ener-G egg replacer, TVP, and other vegan staples

* Jars of pickles, asparagus, beans, beets, fruit salad, salad dressing, jelly, baby foods, and more

With tomorrow being my birthday (26!), I am headed home for the weekend to celebrate with my family. It was a tradition growing up that you got to choose the meal on your birthday, so that’s what I did this year.

As a child, I chose one of the same two dishes every year: scalloped potatoes topped with ham, or shish kebabs featuring peppers, onions, pineapple … and some meat.

So this year things are not to be quite the same as childhood birthdays; it will be better!

I am one of the lucky vegetarians whose family not only supports my diet, but goes to lengths to make sure that I have something to eat - be it with a home-cooked dinner or out at the restaurant.

For lunch on Saturday, my sister and her crew (niece and nephew time!) are bringing up a vegan cake. For our meal, Dad is fixing up some vegan kebabs - complete with the peppers, onions, and pineapple of my youth, but now also including tofu, potatoes, squash, and more.

Remember that I’m lucky … because Dad is also cooking up a yummy vegan dinner consisting of spaghetti, fresh veggies, and a sauce (to be determined based on what Dad sees that looks good, because my family doesn’t do recipes … except my sister, but she’s weird like that). I’m also psyched about having vegan crab cake appetizers from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, the follow-up recipe-filled book to my current commute read Skinny Bitch.

Going home also means stocking up at my mom’s local co-op: Newark Natural Foods, a.k.a. the Newark Co-op.

It will be a good birthday weekend!

Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away, and despite many people’s false belief that it is a Hallmark-devised holiday, you’d be a fool not to take the time to tell the moms, grandmoms, aunts, etc. in your life that you appreciate them. Moms of pets count, too!

This year, you can get momma a gorgeous bouquet or some delectable yummies, while supporting organic farmers and the Humane Society.

Organic Bouquet is teaming up with the Humane Society of the United States to educate the public on the importance of buying organic, including: harvesting practices that “improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimizing damage to ecosystems, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing environmental quality for future generations.”

Plus, because they love and appreciate what the HSUS does for animals and people, 5 to 10 percent of your purchase at Organic Bouquet will be donated to the HSUS. In addition to bouquets, the online store features chocolates, other plants, wreaths, flowering teas, and gourmet baskets such as the wine lover’s collection.

Now, back to that myth about Hallmark conspiring Mother’s Day …

The tradition of reserving an entire day, once a year to worship mothers dates back to ancient Greece when an annual festival was held for Cybele, the mother of Greek deities.

Today’s American holiday for mommies comes from Britain, by means of social activist Julia Ward Howe, post-Civil War. She started a call for peace, writing the Mother’s Day Proclamation.

The Jarvis women (Ann, and daughter Anna) were also crusaders of Mother’s Day with their attempts to institute a Mother’s Work Day (Ann) and a Memorial Day for Mothers (Anna) who lost children in the war.

Today, Mother’s Day is the number one day for people to dine out, according to the National Restaurant Association. So, in addition to sending mom some organic flowers and goodies, take her out for a delicious vegan meal!

Check out Wikipedia’s Mother’s Day entry for more on the history of the holiday, including when and why it is held in countries worldwide.

Celebrate your planet, Earthlings!

* Eat organic, vegan food today.

* Wear organic, recycled clothing.

* Catch every drop of extra water that you usually waste. Use it for pets, the garden, and more.

* Click on the pictures in this post to find a site with history and suggestions for Earth Day … but don’t dare print any of it out!

* Tell people “Happy Earth Day!” to spread the green cheer.

* Think before you throw each thing away - are you sure that there is no way to reuse and recycle it?

* Do less. Walk or bike, instead of driving. Turn off and unplug electronics; embrace your family or alone time. Don’t buy anything that you are 100 percent sure is earth-friendly.

* Take a walk. Enjoy fresh air, beautiful signs of spring, and … wait, is that trash over there on the ground? Go pick it up!

Naked, showering PETA members Chloe Jo (left - a Farm Sanctuary worker)
and Ashley Lou (right - not of Whoville, not related to Cindy Lou) bathed in Times Square today to make a statement:

In short, the meat industry wastes water and creates greenhouse gases.

The “Clean Your Conscience: Go Vegetarian” campaign (these are the words on the unseen side of the curtain) wants people to make a connection … Just one pound of consumer-ready meat is the equivalent in anti-green waste as more than one year of showers.

Farm Sanctuary hosts an annual gala as their major fundraiser. Tickets are $400 each to attend the vegan, served dinner; charity-benefit, silent auction; and award ceremony. It’s a star studded event, so if you can afford to attend it will be worth it!

Two of my faves, who were also in attendance last year, will be in New York City on May 17 for this year’s gala, too. If you know me at all, you could probably guess that Kristen Bell is one of these celebs (love her!!). The other returning strong female influence that I am psyched about is Miss Bones Emily Deschanel.

Melissa Rivers is the schedule emcee for the night; Shawn Colvin (”Sonny Came Home”) will be performing. Several other big names in Hollywood and animal-rights activism will also be there to bump shoulders with … including me!

That’s right - I am finally getting to go to Farm Sanctuary’s annual gala. I will be volunteering on behalf of animals and the Sanctuary for the evening. Above is the graphic connected to this year’s gala; click on it to be redirected to the Web site where you can find out who all will be there, the schedule for the evening, and more.

I’m super psyched to be able to be a part of something so big!

Also, don’t forget that Farm Sanctuary’s co-founder and president - Gene Baur - is currently on book tour for his story about the Sanctuary. He’s in my town later this week!

Today’s the day that middle school students actually enjoy going to math class (though my sister and I always loved it!). It’s Pi Day!

In mathematics, the Greek letter pi = 3.14…..and then like one trillion more numerals. Today = March (3) 14. Hence, today is Pi Day!

But why do middle school students like it? Well, my friends who missed out, cool math teachers order pizza pies or bring in dessert pies to celebrate!

So have it; bring a little math into your life! If you make and bake it all from scratch then you are using math, too!

Just remember, make it vegan!

Vegan pizza recipes:

* Watch a YouTube chef put together a pizza pie from complete scratch, crust and all!

* By a crust (check the ingredients), slap on some sauce, sprinkle with casein-free soy cheese, and add all of your favorite toppings.

* Order up a tomato pie for delivery.

* Check out Recipezaar - there are 51 recipes that have both “vegan” and “pizza” as keywords.

Vegan Pie Recipes:

* The Almost Vegan drooled over a pie crust and filling recipe back in 2006.

* Whoa, forget the pies … VeganYumYum’s dessert section is way better. Just call it a pie, or bake it in a pie-shaped tin or something.

P.S. While I’m talking about pies … I highly recommend the movie Waitress with Keri Russell.