Meatless Monday: Just do it already.

Today is Meatless Monday, a campaign to reduce meat consumption to improve our nations health, and the health of our planet. By eliminating animal products from your diet you begin to reduce your amount of saturated fat intake, eliminate cholesterol intake, and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers. Nixing the animal products from your diet will also have a huge impact on the health of our planet; conserving water and improving it's quality, reducing the amount of harmful greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere, and reducing your dependence on fossil fuels. Not only is eliminating animal products best for your health and the health of our ailing planet, but it's best for the health and lives of the countless beings you will save by not contributing the industry of animal agriculture.

While I obviously think that we should be meat free EVERYDAY, I think Meatless Monday is a good place to start, and we all have to start somewhere, right? It's easier than ever to eat a plant based diet. Not only are there countless blogs, recipe sites and cookbooks that can help you get started, there's more and more pre-made vegan convenience foods popping up every day.....even in your regular, local grocery store. With a little planning, eating meat free is easy. Give it a try, pick a Monday, plan an entire day of meals free of animal products, see how good you feel and how easy it was. Maybe next week it will carry over into Tuesday!!

Tried Meatless Monday already and found out that it's really not that hard? Considering the switch to a more healthful, more green, and more compassionate way of life? Not sure how? Click here to read more about making veganism a lasting change in your life.

Clean up your diet, clean up the Earth.

April 22, 2010 we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Now more than ever it's important for people to recognize our Mother Earth and the damage we are doing to her. Climate Change is quite possibly one of the most critical issues facing us today. Climate change is responsible for hurricanes, tornadoes, extreme heat and cold, and many other extreme weather events. It's undeniable that human actions are directly responsible for a vast majority of climate change, and it's becoming more and more evident that we hold the key to healing the planet and that key is our dinner plate. As Danielle Nierenberg from Worldwatch Institute stated in the newly released book Gristle, "When it comes to our food, reducing or eliminating animal products is one of the most effective ways individuals can fight climate change."

So, what exactly is it about meat that's contributing to climate change? In a word, shit. That's right all of that shit that piles up from intensive factory farming. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 500 million tons of shit each year. That's THREE TIMES the amount of waste produced by humans. As a matter of fact, one CAFO (factory farm) can produce more waste in a year than an entire city full of people. All of that shit isn't only polluting the air with methane and nitrous oxide (which has 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide!!), but it's also polluting the surface and ground water. As a matter of fact, the EPA states that the agriculture sector is "the leading contributor to identified water quality impairments in the nations rivers and streams, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs."

Animal agriculture is actually the leader in green house gas emissions. First, even before the transportation sector including all cars, trucks, buses, planes and trains. Forty-one MILLION tons of carbon dioxide is contributed annually by fertilizer production for feed crops. This isn't including the CO2 emissions from the transportation of these crops, and the operation of these intensive agriculture operations.

In addition to water pollution and air pollution, intensive animal agriculture also contributes to the destruction of the rain forests, particularly in Brazil. In the year 200o 58.7 million hectacres of the Brazilian rain forest were lost to graze cattle and grow feed crops. To make matters worse, the Brazilian rain forest isn't being depleted to feed hungry Brazilians, it's being depleted to feed overweight, gluttonous Americans. Destruction of the rain forests has resulted in irreversible loss of plant and animal species and loss of biodiversity of this delicate ecosystem.

These are only a few of the environmental concerns when it comes to our intensive consumption of animals and animal products. If we are really going to make a difference in climate change we MUST change the way we eat. Adopting a "green" lifestyle is significant, but we will not be able to sustain our meat consumption much longer, the time to act is now! For the sake of future generations, we have NO CHOICE but to change the way we feed ourselves.

This Earth Day, make a commitment to begin eliminating animal products from your diet. Do what REALLY counts to heal our planet, and then celebrate the many joys of being vegan on Earth Day 2011!!!!

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

It's taken me a long time as a vegetarian to warm up to tempeh. I've wanted to like it for so long, and for some reason I just couldn't. I tried everything, including steaming before I cooked it and I just.never.liked.it (other than Fakin' Bacon crumbled into guacamole......). I had long ago decided I'd stop trying to like tempeh and just give up on it.

Last week when I was doing my shopping the tempeh just seemed to be calling out to me, so I decided I'd give it another shot. I created this sweet and sour version, and lo and behold, tempeh love! You could of course sub in some tofu if you too are tempeh-phobic. This makes a ton of food, enough to feed 6 easily, so scale it back to feed less, or invite a few friends, grab a bottle of sparkling wine (Gruet is vegan) and call it a dinner party.

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

3 cups fresh squeezed pineapple juice (bottled will work too, but it's not as tasty)

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 Tbs. tamari, shoyo, or liquid aminos

2 pkg. plain tempeh (steamed for 15 minutes, then cubed)

1 red bell pepper, large dice

1/2 large yellow onion, large dice

1 bunch baby bok choy, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 9x11 baking dish combine juice, sugar, and tamari. Whisk to combine. Add in temepeh, pepper and onion, stir to combine and ensure everything is covered with pineapple juice mixture. Cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover, add chopped bok choy, stir to combine and continue to cook uncovered for about 15 minutes. Serve hot over basmati rice.

I served this over pineapple coconut rice. 2 cups of brown basmati cooked in one can coconut milk plus 1 cup of water. After liquid is absorbed stir in 1/2 cup diced pineapple and heat through.

Hippity Hoppity

Easter's just around the corner, and as a vegan parent that can make you nearly as frightened as Halloween and Valentine's Day. From school parties to well meaning family members, candy centered holidays mean constant vigilance about what your child puts into her mouth. You'll be on a constant watch for Cadbury eggs and Peeps that find their way into your house, hoping to find and toss them before your kidlets realize you've taken away their booty.

Fortunately, as veganism makes it's way into the consciousness of more people, our vegan children can enjoy the holiday in a chocolate and sugar induced mania along with the rest of their friends. With vegan versions of chocolate bunnies, Peeps, and other traditional Easter candies, vegan children needn't miss any of the special treats that traditionally fill Easter baskets. Check out some of these great items to fill your child's basket this year:

Sweet and Sara: Makers of deliciously addicting vegan marshmallows bring to you Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies (Peepers and Skippers) as well as chocolate decorated marshmallow Easter Eggs.

Divvies: In addition to being vegan, all Divvies treats are made in a dedicated allergen free facility. For Easter they offer 4 oz chocolate bunnies and pastel Easter Jelly Beans. The chocolate bunnies are made in limited supply, so order soon to get one before they are gone.

Peanut Free Planet: Because of Teeny's allergies, I spend a lot of time around candy based holidays researching and finding safe treats for her. Not all of the products on Peanut Free Planet are vegan, but many of them are. These adorable chocolate baby bunnies for instance are completely vegan, as are these totally sweet Easter Egg Lollipops.

There are, of course, many other vegan candies that will fill an Easter basket nicely. Or, if you are so inclined you could try your hand at this veganized version of the famous Cadbury Creme Eggs. I haven't tried this recipe personally (this might be the year), but I've read many people's absolute ravings on their success, so if you are feeling ambitious give it a go. Or better yet, create your own new, favorite, vegan Easter candy.

And let's not forget, a chocolate bunny, or a few cute Peepers and Skippers will be more than enough candy in the kidlets' baskets. I often fill baskets with stickers, temporary tattoos, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, crayons, coloring books, etc. Point is, an Easter basket can and will be just as fun sans oodles of teeth rotting sweets.

In addition to dealing with the barrage of non vegan candy making it's way into your kidlets grubby little hands, there's the extra special bonus that Easter provides.............the opportunity to be the freaky family that denies their children the opportunity to turn hard boiled eggs a multitude of pastels. Don't fret, it's not a big deal, in my pre-vegan experience children bore quickly of dunking eggs in food dye anyway, so there's really nothing lost. Replace this tradition with a new one that you create. Last year we made these "clay" eggs and painted them. Not only was it great fun, we now have keepsakes for years to come.

Holiday's as a vegan don't have to be stressful, with a little thought and a little organization your vegan holiday will be as special and rewarding as your vegan lifestyle. You can celebrate this Easter season and revel in the knowledge that you are celebrating this holiday of new life in a caring, kind, and compassionate way.

Pizza Crackers

It's pizza. It's a cracker. It's almost raw; and it's delicious. Unfortunately I can't take credit for this genius idea. You see, the amazing Lindsay at Cook.Vegan.Lover came up with this awesome raw cracker recipe, and as soon as she posted it I new I had to try it. And that's no lie. I read this post at about 8:00am and immediately ran to the kitchen to start the quinoa sprouting. I had both red and white, and decided to give the red a go just to add some color to the crackers. Well, after 24 hours NOTHING had happened (perhaps old quinoa.....we don't eat it much and it had been around for awhile). So much for the red. I cleaned out the sprouter and started on the white, pizza crackers would just have to wait another day. Twenty-four hours later, NOTHING. White quinoa was a bust as well. Not wanting to wait until I could get to the store for more quinoa I set about adapting the recipe to accommodate what I had. The result was brilliant. The aroma from the dehydrator was just as if you'd stepped foot in a pizza parlor. The crackers taste exactly like pizza.....maybe even better!!

I will be giving Lindsay's recipe a try as soon as I get some more quinoa, but in the meantime this recipe will suffice:

Pizza Crackers


2 oz chopped sun dried tomatoes, soaked 1 hour

2 cups raw sunflower seeds, hulled

1/2 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 Tbs. Nama Shoyu (can sub tamari or soy sauce)

4 Tbs. Cold Pressed Olive Oil

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup flax meal

1 tsp dried onion flakes


Put all ingredients through olive oil into bowl of a food processor and process until combined into a thick paste. Remove into a large bowl, add basil, oregano, onion flakes and flax meal and stir to combine completely. Spread thin on parchment paper or teflex sheet designed for your dehydrator, and place in dehydrator. Dehydrate for 2 hours at 115 degrees, then lower temperature to 105 and dehydrate for 10-12 hours, until desired crispness.


Store these crackers in an airtight container. They will last for about 4 days at room temperature (although I guarantee you won't have them around that long!!).

Sweet and Spicy Sprouted Mung Bean Wraps

The days are getting noticeably longer, the temperature is getting noticeably higher, and the last bit of snow is quickly melting away. I couldn't be more thrilled that Spring is on its way. With the sun high and bright in the sky my thoughts quickly turn to the tasty, fresh salads and wraps that are often my lunch in the warmer months.

Inspired by a weekend of absolutely gorgeous weather, and a rather large jar of freshly sprouted mung beans I threw together this quick and easy wrap to celebrate the first signs of spring.

Sweet and Spicy Sprouted Mung Bean Wraps

1 tsp mirin
2 tsp tamari
2 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp red chile sauce
1 1/2 cups sprouted mung beans
2 medium sized collard leaves

Optional garnish:
Alfalfa sprouts
shredded carrot
shredded broccoli
chopped peanuts
sunflower seeds

Remove tough stem from collard leaves, wash remaining leaves and set aside to dry. In a medium bowl whisk together mirin, tamari, hoisin, olive oil and chile sauce. Add bean sprouts to mixture and stir to combine well.

Lay out collard leaves and place half of bean sprouts in middle of each collard leaf. Top with additional toppings of choice. Fold collard leaves burrito style and secure with a toothpick.

Serves 2.

Cheezy Teese-y Au Gratin Potatoes

I fell in love with Chicago Soy Dairy a few years back when I sampled Temptation Chocolate Ice Cream and found out that not only are they vegan, they are also dedicated nut free, which means Teeny can partake safely in their ice-cream. As a matter of fact, Temptation is the only ice-cream she's ever had the pleasure of eating outside of our house. We love Chicago Soy Dairy so much that Chicago is Teeny's all time favorite place to visit because she can get ice cream cones from The Chicago Diner!! She asks us almost daily if we can drive to Chicago (it's a FOUR hour drive!!).

Chicago Soy Dairy doesn't limit their genius to just ice cream either. They are also the creators of the fabulous (and addictive) Dandies Vegan Marshmallows and the popular cheese alternative Teese. I've used all of these products and can say from experience that they really are outstanding.

A few weeks ago on Twitter Chicago Soy Dairy was offering free Teese to bloggers who would create something beyond the typical pizza and lasagna. Always up for a challenge, I contacted them and they sent me one tube of Teese Cheddar Sauce, and one tube of Teese Cheddar.

Last night I used the Cheddar Sauce to recreate a childhood favorite of mine.....cheesy au gratin potatoes. The result was exactly like I remember my mom making. Cheesy and gooey -- comfort food at it's best.

Cheezy Teese-y Au Gratin Potatoes

10 medium Yukon gold potatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 tube Teese Cheddar Sauce
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground mustard seed
1 Tbs dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line bottom of dish with slices of potatoes, layer on onions, then another layer of potatoes. In a small sauce pan combine Teese, non-dairy milk, garlic, mustard seed, dijon, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and heat to a gentle boil. Pour hot cheese sauce over potatoes and with wooden spoon gently lift layers of potatoes to allow cheese sauce to combine through all veggies. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly on top. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes until top is browned lightly and cheese sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven, cool 5-10 minutes allowing cheese sauce to thicken slightly. Serve warm!!