Living Without Meat

Ever since discovering nutritional yeast, I have been trying to find more ways to use it. If you are not familiar with it, nutritional yeast comes as yellow flakes or a powder and has a cheesy flavor. It is a good source of complete protein and many vitamins including B. It can be used in recipes such as dips and sauces, or can be sprinkled on top of food as a condiment similar to Parmesan cheese. You can buy it in the bulk section of most health food stores.

My first time using it, I made Kristen Suzanne’s raw Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce. Since then I have also tried it multiple times with pasta and oil at the recommendation of a life-long vegetarian friend. Today was the first time I mixed it into something that was my own creation: a cheesy white bean hummus!

Cheesy White Bean Hummus

In a Vita-Mix or other high-powered blender, mix the following for one to two servings:

* 1/2 can of cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans), washed and drained
* 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
* 1 tsp. garlic powder
* 1 Tbsp. flax seed oil
* 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
* 1/2 cup water, more or less may be needed depending on your blender’s capabilities
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. tahini

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth. If your blender is struggling to mix everything, add a little more water. If you don’t have tahini, leaving it out won’t make a big difference.

Serve it with crackers, pretzels, pita chips, or pita bread and a variety of chopped vegetables - carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, baby corn. Enjoy and share!

By any PETA shirt by Father’s Day, June 19, and use the coupon code FD59 to receive $5 off any one tee shirt!

Some runners seem to get obsessed with drinking neon-colored, salty, sugary liquids packed with extra electrolytes. I am interested running not only for a personal fitness challenge but because I care about my health, and I don’t want to have to sacrifice my nutrition for my fitness. So I am looking for natural, healthier options for rehydrating.

Browsing the shelves of Giant, I found Liv Organic Sports Drink, an additive- and high fructose corn syrup-free drink that promises a longer lasting, less spastic energy boost and a much better flavor. It comes in four flavors - lemon, berry, orange, and citrus passion. I tried the citrus passion and it had a very refreshing, light texture and taste.

The other natural option that I have tried is coconut water, the liquid that comes out when you crack open a coconut. It comes packaged in single serving juice box-style containers and has the same electrolyte makeup as our body. I am not crazy about it plain, but it makes for a great smoothie base.

There are also other options available that I haven’t tried yet …

Nature’s Flavors’ REBOOST Organic Isotonic Energy Drink is natural and organic. It comes as a powder, with ten different fruit flavors including cherry, kiwi strawberry, and pina colada, that you mix into water for an energy- and electrolyte-filled drink.

Recharge is made of absolutely 100 percent natural fruit juices that “replenish the fluids and electrolytes your body needs after working out without adding sugar or unnatural flavors and colors.”

Then, if you really want to get natural and avoid pre-packaged drinks all together, you could also try making your own. Check out Kitchen Table Medicine for a recipe to make yourself a homemade sports drink.

I am in week three of my training for a half marathon. I haven’t chosen a race yet: there is the ING Philadelphia run in September or the Philadelphia Marathon in November. Either way, my total goal is 13.1 miles and so far I am up to between four and five miles - a pretty good point to be at this early on.

But I have been running in cheap sneakers, which will certainly not help me reach my goal injury- and pain-free. So yesterday I splurged on new running gear (with a little monetary help from my dad).

I went to a local specialty store, Philadelphia Runner, and had a sales guy watch me walk and analyze my feet to recommend a few pairs. “Oh, and I’m vegan,” I added when he brought me six pairs, “so they need to be leather-free.”

He thought that would be a problem. Ha! He didn’t know off hand what any of the shoes were made of, but after examining them I found that all six were vegan! I also learned that apparently the universal symbols of shoe materials are not common knowledge. So please, let me share with you a little secret about reading shoe labels …

Universal Shoe Material Symbols

A picture that looks much like an animal hide means just that; this drawing means that the shoes contain leather. If there were a diamond inside of this bearskin rug, it would mean coated leather.

This crosspatch design represents fabric or textile. This is a symbol that you want to look for.

Then there is also the all encompassing diamond by itself that stands for “other materials.”

No, the system is not perfect. There is certainly room for some animal products to get classified as “other,” I am sure. But I try not to drive myself insane with worry over labels.

I haven’t received my free sample of Bragg Liquid Aminos yet, but Allie of Allie’s Answers left a great comment telling us about aminos since I have never tried them.

“I use Bragg Aminos as a soy sauce substitute since soy sauce has wheat in it,” she wrote. “It has a similar flavor.”

I have also determined that it is similar to tamari in that they are both gluten-free alternatives to soy sauce, and since I do have tamari in my fridge - and use it regularly on salads and in stir-fries - I don’t need any Bragg Aminos just yet. (But I still want to try it and see what all the fuss is about!)

While trying to learn more about the Bragg brand in general, I scoped out my gigantic bottle of apple cider vinegar and noticed a Christian fish with nothing more on or around it than simply “3 John 2.” Intrigued by a verse that I didn’t recognize, I looked up 3 John 2 in the Bible, New International Version:

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

There is no mention of the fish or Bible verse anywhere on the Bragg’s Web site, but the site does make it very clear that the Bragg family has always been big believers of health and nutrition - click on the picture here to learn more about this.

Whether or not you are religious, I leave you with the words of 3 John 2: “I pray that you may enjoy good health.”

I usually prefer the kind of food that comes without a nutritional label and doesn’t need an ingredients list because there is only one. In other words, non-processed foods: Fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, anything that God played a bigger role in the production of than man. But as of late, there have been quite a few processed foods that I have been loving.

* Teeccino Caffeine-Free Herbal “Coffee”: this brand of herbal, natural coffee alternatives is heaven sent! If you are trying to break a coffee addiction and are having trouble because you genuinely like the flavor, you must invest in some Teeccino.

* Nasoya Silken Creations: I cannot tell you in words how fantastically delicious this mousse-like tofu is! I was making a smoothie with the dark chocolate one the other day and couldn’t stop eating it right out of the package.

* Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles: this ground beef imitation product is such a yummy, quick way to add a little texture and protein to any meal.

How about you? Any products that you would recommend?

The newly released book, The New Animal Activist’s Handbook by Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrichnow has a Web site! Check out www.AnimalAdvocacyBook.com to see all of the book’s details including reviews, author bios, news, events, and related links.

Unfortunately, I did not get out to the pool yet. Being an independent contractor, I do not necessarily get holidays off - only if I can rework my week’s schedule to get 40 hours another way. So today, as everyone else was sleeping in and lounging around the pool, I started my morning bright and early with some online animal advocacy work.

I did, however, still enjoy some relaxing time this afternoon: My roommate and I traveled to my favorite grocery store (a Giant with a huge organic, vegan, and gluten free section) for a mega food stock up. We have several meals planned for the next week now, and even came home and cooked a delicious Asian stir-fry.

We sauteed onions, red peppers, snow peas, and baby corn in a little oil. After a few minutes we added some Iron Chef General Tso’s Sauce - one of the few premade Asian sauces without any high fructose corn syrup - covered the wok with a lid and finished steaming the veggies. We also heated up some It’s All Good Veggie Beef Skewers. Served as shown here with the chopsticks that roommate bought me for Christmas, it was a delightful dinner!

After dinner we went out to enjoy the evening, me running and her biking, and both of us stretching, meditating, and showering to cool down.

For dessert, I whipped up one of my famous smoothies using frozen strawberries, Nasoya’s new Silken Creations in dark chocolate, and Bolthouse Farms’ soy protein chai drink. You’re supposed to garnish with flavors that the taster can expect to taste, but I didn’t have any fresh strawberries so raspberries had to do, with a touch of chocolate sprinkles.

And of course, I ended my day with more work. But, if nothing else, it was a very delicious, vegan Memorial Day.

I spent my entire day today at the American Vegan Society’s Garden Party. There was veg food, live music, new friends - and a few old ones too, speakers, coupons, and the part that took up the most of my time: a book room.

The Vegan Society’s book room is just a rinky dink, narrow building with two rooms lined with tall metal shelves, each filled with vegan health, nutrition, animal rights, poem, and recipe books, and much more too. But it was heaven to me! With a copy of the New York Times’ best-selling book When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson already on route to me from Paperback Swap I passed that one by. But I still had another three dozen books that I wanted to buy! Making a decision was hard, but I narrowed it down to three (plus a dozen old Vegetarian Times and Natural Health magazines and a few other free pamphlets):

* Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet, a beginner raw foods prep book that gives a lot of very basic ideas and concepts as well as some more creative creations using the basics.

* The Tofu Cookbook by Leah Leneman, a collection of over 150 meals, desserts, drinks, and more that you can make using the soy veg staple.

* Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness by Kathy Freston, the highly talked and raved about health guide that was featured on both Oprah Winfrey’s and Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show.

Men, today is your lucky day! You can enter the What’s Good for the Bitch is Good for the Bastard contest - and the form is the easiest I’ve ever seen, just enter your email address and you’re good to go.

The grand prize will go to one lucky bastard and will include:

A Gym Bag filled with
* $100 Gift Certificate to Whole Foods
* Nature’s Path Optimum Breakfast Cereal
* French Meadow Bakery “Men’s” Bread
* MaraNatha Organic Peanut Butter
* Amy’s Organic Vegan Chili
* Amy’s Pasta & 3 Bean Soup
* DeBoles Gluten Free Multi Grain Box of Penne
* Bag of Terra Veggie Stix
* Guiltless Gourmet Baked Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
* Bag of “Go Take A Walk” Organic Raw Power Snack
* 2 Clif Bars (Black Cherry Almond & Banana Nut Bread)
* Pro Bar Superfood Slam
* Water Bottle
* Copy of Skinny Bastard

10 runners up will also get one copy each of Skinny Bastard and Skinny Bitch.

Good luck!

If you hurry you can still enter One Frugal Foodie’s contest to win a free sampler of HomeFree Treat’s vegan cookies!

Two outstanding men in the animal activist world - Matt Ball, co-founder and director of Vegan Outreach and Bruce Friedrich, a vice president of PETA - have poured all of their tips, suggestions, and knowledge into one easy-to-understand new book: The Animal Activist’s Handbook: Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today’s World.

This guide goes beyond the basic “how-tos” for animal activism and delves into all aspects of speaking out for your cause. From picking a worthy and meaningful topic and action to effectively playing out all the steps, this book has it all. There are also lots of extras to be found within the pages, including a foreword by PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, an index of recommended resources, a look at the controversial concept of “humane” meat, and theoretical discussions on ethics and animal liberation.

The Handbook was released in the beginning of April by Lantern Books, a publishing company worth checking out if you like books about animals, veganism, health, spirituality, and other socially conscious topics.

A few years ago I picked up some Bragg apple cider vinegar, even though I had not yet heard anything about the Bragg brand of live, natural health food products. Today, I still use the cider vinegar regularly, mainly on salads. I drizzle a little oil, a bit of agave nectar, and some Bragg apple cider vinegar instead of a pre-made dressing.

In recent months, I have heard a lot about Bragg liquid aminos through word of mouth. Everyone keeps asking if I have tried them but I have not been able to wrap my head around what the product is and how I use it.

According to the Bragg Web site, liquid aminos are protein concentrate derived from healthy soybeans, that contains 16 essential and non-essential amino acids in naturally occurring amounts. You can use them on salads, tofu, and vegetables, or in soups, stir-frys, and casseroles for an instant protein and nutrient boost.

It also has a natural flavor that people love - but what is this flavor? This is the part that I am most unsure about. There is naturally occurring sodium, so it may be a bit salty. But being something that I am so unfamiliar with, I just can’t imagine what it would taste like and don’t want to spend money on something that I may not like or use.

And then yesterday I stumbled upon this … Bragg will send you a free sample! Sign up for the Free Bragg Health Facts Info Package and you will also receive a few samples of Bragg Liquid Aminos! I signed up, so in a few weeks I will be able to tell you all about the flavor.

Starbucks has just announced that they will now be carrying some gluten-free baked goods in their U.S. stores at the popular request from their hungry clients with wheat allergies. According to the Associated Press, the new pastry, called Valencia Orange Cake, will be made with only seven ingredients, all of which will be 100 percent gluten free.

There are two things about this story that brought me to sharing it here:

1. Adrienne Knapp, a product manager in the food category at Starbucks, explained the company’s decision by stating that “gluten-free customers … can’t eat away from home very easily. A cake is actually really hard to find for someone that’s a gluten-free consumer.”

Ding ding ding. That rings a bell with this vegan customer. It is just as difficult for a vegan to grab a piece of egg- and milk-free cake when eating out.

2. People speaking up is what incited this groundbreaking change. Starbucks reps further explained the new product offering, saying that they received numerous suggestions to include gluten-free food options from the company’s customer feedback Web site called My Starbucks Idea.

Well now, that sounds easy enough - filling out a feedback form online to let them know that vegans want their cake, too. And I am willing to bet that there are certainly plenty of vegans that want to see Starbucks offer a cruelty-free pastry.

So let’s get typing, vegan Starbucks customers! Head over to My Starbucks Idea right now and let your voice - and taste buds - be heard! Also check out other vegan suggestions and show your support by voting for them and leaving comments.

Chant with me now: we want vegan cake at Starbucks!

Back in 1995, before it was trendy to make a green fashion line, Inder Bedi (shown here) founded the vegan and eco-friendly design label Matt & Nat. While completing a challenge to eat only vegetarian for 30 days, Bedi was inspired to make fashion that was vegan, but was first and foremost beautiful and luxurious. The idea was first put together as a project for college, but soon after became a legitimate fashion house.

Now, after 14 years of success in creating animal-free bags, wallets, and purses, the company has just launched a new line: samsāra by Matt & Nat. This new range is not only produced with the environment and animal welfare in mind, but $1 from each bag sold is donated to charity, helping to affect change globally. Customers get to decide which cause is most important to them - between international aid, animal welfare, women’s issues, or the environment - and the chosen cause will receive the $1 donation from the sale.

The Samsara bags are also slightly more affordable. While most Matt & Nat bags retail for $200 to $300, Samsara by Matt & Nat bags are more in the $100 range and one cute wallet even retails for $25.

According to Wikipedia, samsara “is the cycle of reincarnation or rebirth” in several religions such as Buddhism, and has to do with karma from your past life determining what you come back as in your future destiny. Thus, be good to the animals and the Earth by buying vegan, eco-friendly fashions and you won’t come back as someone’s mink coat.