Vegan Nutrition

I should have listed this blog, VeganRD  a long time ago.   She brings thorough, level-headed knowledge about  vegan nutrition to the table from a registered dietitian's perspective, as well as an advocate for the animals.
Great discussion on vegan sources of DHA here :)

Turkey Abuse

This video was posted by a fellow animal person, Joan Ozelis Calpin on Facebook, and I offer it here :
                                                   
                                                        Turkey "farm" abuse.

                                                       No excuse.   Seriously.

Vegan Potluck at Poplar Springs

Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary, in Poolsville, MD is having their annual Thanksgiving With The Turkeys Saturday the 20th of November, from 12 -4pm.  It's a great way to meet some of the animals that would have been food, and share a gigantic totally vegan potluck with hundreds of other like-minded people.. The Washington Post had a nice little write-up on the event, even :)
  Now, let's see what to bring ?   Well, I'll just have to browse some of the many sites that are featuring vegan Thanksgiving dishes !   Here are a few:
From the NY Times, Chef Chloe Coscarelli dishes up more than cupcakes.
Vegweb, is of course THE place to go to not only find recipes, but read reviews of them !
Here's a list of more vegan menu sites from VeganSoapbox.    United Poultry Concerns  has a nice recipe section and then be sure to take a look at their homepage and the writings of the Karen Davis, who works tirelessly to educate people on all things fowl :)

Whew...so many recipes and great ideas to choose from !

Hobos and New Friends

My hubby of 32 years and I spent our anniversary weekend in Delaware.  Birding was the main attraction ( besides ourselves : > ) out at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Reserve for Saturday, but first we needed o find a restaurant for Friday night. I honestly figured we'd have the usual issues trying to find decent vegan dinner fare.   But a last minute look on the web brought up this wonderfully independent-minded , mostly vegan restaurant called Hobos in Rehoboth Beach.  And as it happens we were staying in a hotel not far from it.   AND, it also happened that they were celebrating World Vegan Day that evening with an all vegan buffe !  As soon as Jamie and I walked in the door we were very warmly greeted by Leslie and Patricia from the VegDelaware group, who insisted we sit with them and their group.  I'm so glad we did !   The instant bond that happens between people who advocate for animals was very much alive and well that night. They really made our evening special, and now we have friends in Delaware!  I want to meet with them on one of heir outings soon, it sounds like they have a lot of fun.  Patricia is promoting Meatless Mondays, the program developed by Johns Hopkins Hospital, that encourages people to explore going meatless one day a week as a way to reduce meat's impact on human health and the environment.   It's getting a lot of attention in the media and will hopefully lead to opening people's eyes and hearts to all the animals that suffer needlessly at our hands, as well as seeing how fantastic vegan food really is :)
  Gretchen Hanson is the genius behind the restaurant's  sustainable ethos and creative menu.   Make sure to check out her bio on the website, she's a very interesting, dynamic person on a mission !
Oh, and what's with the picture of lotions, shampoo and toothpaste ?  It's the loot we won at the raffle held at  Hobo's that Friday night...what a night !   And the birding the next day was really great.   Lots of ducks, geese, peeps and American Avocets stopping over to rest and feed while on their way South.   Then we had dinner again at Hobos...couldnt resist !   And thank you Patricia and Leslie for a perfect night.

USDA's Dual Dairy Role

Has it seemed to you  that cheese was in everything and dairy products in general were everywhere ?   Ever wonder why ?    The USDA has the job of promoting dairy products, while ( kind of ) warning us about the health issues involved in eating the stuff.   Ever wonder how that can work ?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07fat.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Rich Celery Soup For World Vegan Day !

I grew up loving Campbell's Cream of Celery Soup.   Looking back I am now amazed how easily we were  duped into accepting anemic, condensed, canned soups as the standard.   With little more than cheap fats, salt, sugar and modern industrial flavorings and thickeners, coupled with comforting advertising ( Mm, mm Good ! ) an entire generation grew to associate "soup" with the iconic red and white can.   So is it any wonder that when I felt a craving for some celery soup, my taste buds wander way back to the '60's ?   But now I not only wanted it vegan, but thick, creamy and nourishing as well.   Here's what I came up with yesterday. The kale adds depth of flavor without overwhelming.    It hit the spot so well, I am going to make it again today, and this time get a picture !   This recipe is meant as a springboard...you could toss in garlic and onions if you want, maybe carrots as well.  Or maybe  leeks and celery...hmmm...I'll have to try that !  Today I added almost 2 cups of minced up kale, and it still mostly tasted like a thick, creamy celery soup.
Rich Celery Soup
2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped kale ( stems removed )
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 cups broth, bullion or water
1 teaspoon Spike, or other seasoning salt
1 cup vegan milk ( I used soy this time )
2 tablespoons flour ( I used wheat, but rice flour, garbanzo bean flour, and others would work ,too )
Finely chopped parsley or cilantro
Toss the celery, kale and cashews into a medium saucepan with the Spike.   Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and then cover loosely for about 15 minutes, or till the veggies are very soft.  Remove from the heat. Mix the flour with the milk and set aside.   Using a  hand-held immersion type blender, buzz the veggies, cashews and broth till very smooth.   You may be able to do it in the pan...it depends on your immersion blender and the softness of the veggies in the soup... (or pour the soup into a real blender ).   Add the milk and flour mixture and blend a little more.   Return the soup to the heat and cook on medium high until thick and bubbly...about 5 minutes or so.   Serve up and sprinkle with the parsley.   Or cilantro.   I love cilantro :)
Makes about 5 cups of soup.