Tag Archives: vegan

Cooking and Recipes, Health, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Kombucha for ALL

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There comes a time for every health-loving vegan, every trend-loving hipster, and every ferment-loving culture-fiend, when it’s time to learn to make kombucha.  And why not? Buying it retail is upwards of $5 a bottle, produces a fair amount of single-use package waste, and sometimes the flavor choices are…questionable. Preparing your own kombucha can be a little addictive, especially since the basics are easy to master, and a virtually endless amount of tweaking and flavor combinations can radically alter the outcome! It’s such a rewarding practice that you’ll probably be making your own by the gallon every month in no time!

This recipe uses a combination of ceylon and sencha with organic sugar and will have 2 ferments over the next 20 days! Basic recipes below, look for amazing flavor recipes in PART 2!

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Health, Lifestyle

Supplements for Vegans, pt 2

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Veganism can be great for your health, with the overall reduced risk of most cancers, heart disease and diabetes, not to mention the environmental benefit that is healthy for us all.  This information is becoming more and more widespread, and I find myself wondering why everyone isn’t already vegan!  

While being vegan CAN be healthy, being a junk-food vegan is also possible. For example, you could go home and eat the amazing Earth Balance Cheese-Snacks for every meal, and you would probably not end up with the most balanced of diets ☺  And, the animals need you in fighting shape!

While there is a lot of confusion out there about nutrition in general, and for vegans in particular, with this handy guide, I hope you’ll find great ways to manage your whole-health, mostly with whole plant foods, and maybe sometimes with a very well researched vitamin supplement here and there, and the healthy food shopping list found at the bottom of each article in this series. (Or you can Jump to Part 1: B12 or Part 3: VItamin D)

Do vegans need a protein supplement?

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Health

Supplements for Vegans, pt 1 B12

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Veganism is great for your health, with the overall reduced risk of most cancers, heart disease and diabetes.  This information is becoming more and more widespread, and I find myself wondering why everyone isn’t already vegan!  

With all of the benefits that come with a healthful vegan diet, it is very possible to live a vegan lifestyle that neglects your health. For example, you could go home and eat the amazing So Delicious Cashew Ice cream for every meal, and you would probably not end up with the most balanced of diets ☺  And the animals need you in fighting shape!

While there is a lot of confusion out there about nutrition in general, and for vegans in particular, with this handy guide I hope you’ll find great ways to manage your whole-health, mostly with whole plant foods– and maybe sometimes with a very well researched vitamin supplement, and the healthy food shopping list found at the bottom of each article in this series. (you can also Jump to Part 2: Protein)

The one supplement all vegans should take…

Continue reading Supplements for Vegans, pt 1 B12 →

Cooking and Recipes

Homemade Plant-Milk, Nuts and More

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The prospect of making your own plant milks at home can be a daunting proposition.  You need to trust your instincts, and you’ll run into a lot of recipes that describe esoteric equipment and lengthy preparations and the need to plan ahead (overnight nut soaking!)

In this easy guide, I will go over the basic outline of a plant-milk recipe, that can be applied to practically ANY nut or seed to produce your own plant milk, and a few variations you can use to get different results, whether they be for flavor, sweetness, or speed.

 

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Lifestyle

Vegan Fashion- The List of Lists!

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Do you ever wish there was an index of all the best vegan shopping guides around?  Well, wait no more!  These links are all working as of this date, and they span a range of styles, costs, and special consideration has been given to lists that include sustainable industry practices.  Enjoy!

Our Short List:

PrAna-  Offering great options for men and women, especially geared towards active lifestyles and yoga, this eco-friendly company is often 1/3 the price of market competitors.

Vaute- Vaute is a fashion option for those not willing to lose their stylish edge when they ditch the animal products!  Good trendy options for men and women.

Herbivore Clothing-  Mostly vegan slogan t-shirts, this mainstay represents the message in fun and accessible ways.  Think of them the next time a witty t-shirt can make a mark.

Rawganique-  Known by hippies and vegans alike, this eco-friendly company focuses on hemp goods, natural fibers, and sustainability.

Moo Shoes- Despite the name, they have no Moo in their shoes, and also have belts, wallets and other items otherwise made from animal leather.  Moo Shoes offers classic and stylish items that may even fool your non-vegan friends and family.

Mercy For Animals Shop- When choosing where to shop, consider the beneficiary! In this case MFA!  One of the best animal rights organizations in the world has a shop that helps sustain their cause, and keeps you sporting vegan awesomeness yourself.

 

Original Cult/Lip Service-  I wouldn’t be doing by Goth Vegan duties if I didn’t at least pay them some lip service, get it?  This OG Punk company started using vegan leathers on everything before it was cool.  Now you can find everything from leather pants to those rocker holsters all in veg leather.

 

The List of Lists:

Vegan Kit

Farm Sanctuary

Vegan Online Stores

Peta’s Cruelty Free Shopping Guide

Etsy Vegan Clothing Search

The Vegan Scholar- Brands

Humane Decisions- Designers and Brands

The Friendly Fig- Brands

One Green Planet Shopping Guide

Buzzfeed Eco-Friendly Cruelty Free

Peta’s Vegan-friendly Retailers

Telegraph.Uk Best Fashion Brands

The Bustle- Best Vegan Designers

Compassion Over Killing List

News and Activism

Circus Down, Compassion Up

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Yesterday, on January 14, 2017, Ringling Brothers announced that it will be closing this May. In a statement issued to the public, the circus cited rising operating costs, lack of public interest, and mounting legal fees with animal interests groups as reasons for the closing.  This is great news for the animals who will be freed from the circus and will go to animal sanctuaries for retirement. peta4

Circus profits declined  in recent years for many reasons. The operation dealt with high operating costs, expensive legal battles, and changing public opinions. Large, exotic animals and death-defying stunts made the circus popular in the late 1800’s and the first half of the 1900’s, but in a world of CGI and Video Game Fantasies, the thrill of the circus for many was passe. Ringling Brothers themselves cite populations saturated with amazing programs on television, and animal rights activists– who were merely working to raise awareness about the life of animals behind circus caravan bars.

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Cooking and Recipes

We Can Pickle That- Snap Peas

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Snap peas are incredibly versatile.  They make great snacks raw, and you can basically throw them into any salad or sandwich no problem, and they get  sautéed and added to a lot of stir fries.  Just when you thought you had your snap pea game down, you realize that I, and Portlandia, might have another idea:

In this post, I will go over two different methods of pickling, one the lacto-fermented kind (despite the name, its definitely vegan, it is merely referring to the lactobacillus bacteria that is involved in all open air fermentation) and the other using vinegar.  The vinegar method is faster, but not as beneficial for your gut flora as the fermented kind, however the combination is ideal because the apple cider vinegar serves as a prebiotic while the fermented produces probiotics, and in both cases your radishes, turnips, sweet peas, and another other veggies laying around can live long past their peak time.

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Cooking and Recipes

Snap Pea Pate w/ Tarragon- Karma Farm

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Nothing brings the fresh feeling of summer quite like a fresh and crisp Sugar Snap Pea, it’s green and light and bursts with a tangy spray in every bite, much like a radish or turnip.  That hydrating and nutrient dense crunch– so refreshing!

Pate is the perfect medium for a small handful of peas, and makes a great fridge snack, as you can combine it with nearly anything else in your fridge or pantry like crackers or celery sticks.  Best of all, the bright bright green of the peas makes an excellent color note against a bright pink of a radish, making it an excellent smile-inducing finger food for an outdoor garden party.


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