Chocolate Banana Chunks

Here's a delicious recipe for any time of year!

Ingredients:
Dip:
1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (try Ghiradelli's)
Soymilk

2 medium/small bananas, chopped into 3/4 inch semi circle chunks.

1) Heat the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a fondue pot.
2) When half melted, add a few millileters of soymilk, and stir in.
3) Fully melt the chocolate/soymilk mixture. Stir often, it burns even if the fondue pot is heated by a tea candle.
4) Add more soymilk until the desired consistency. More soymilk = runnier.
5) With a toothpick or skewer, dip an individual chunk into the chocolate, and onto a plate. Do this will all the chunks.
6) Put in the fridge until the chocolate is almost solid. If you want it to be an actual hard coating, move to the freezer for a few hours.


You can also use the dip as chocolate fondue for apples and other fruits, breads, etc. To create the chocolate coating, you need to chill them but you can eat them warm.

Recipe Archive

Because posts eventually roll of the page, here are the links to ALL the recipes posted on this blog. The newer ones are lower on the list. They are dated with the date they were originally posted. This post will be kept as a link in the sidebar so you can always get to the recipe you want ASAP. Enjoy!

Food + Beverages:

Grilled Chreese and Butternut Squash Soup - Jan 28, 2006
Best Vegan Tacos Ever - Jan 28, 2006
Faux Burgers - Jan 29, 2006
The Wonders of Soy (Milk) [4 recipes] - Jan 31, 2006
Vegan Truffle Recipe - Feb 1, 2006
Seitan & Mushroom Stroganoff - Feb 3, 2006
Portobello Burger with Complimentary Dipping Oil - Feb 11, 2006
No Chicken Risotto Recipe - Feb 26, 2006
Chocolate Banana Chunks - Feb 28, 2006
Vegan Brownies - Mar 2, 2006
Irish Breakfast - Mar 17, 2006
Vegan Cheeseless Pizza - Mar 31, 2006
Zucchini and Squash "Fettucine" with Marinara - Apr 03, 2006
Asian Noodle Broth - Apr 03, 2006
Irish Supper (Classic Sandwich, Roasted Potatoes, and Boiled Cabbage) - May 19, 2006
Tofu Chocolate Pie - May 20, 2006
Scallion Mashed Potatoes - June 07, 2006
Onion Rings - June 13, 2006
Pancakes - June 15, 2006
Bean Burritos - June 21, 2006
Happiness in a Cone - June 21, 2006
Garlic Bread - Aug 12, 2006
2 Layer Chocolate Coconut Cake - Oct 16, 2006
"Chicken" or "Steak" Fajitas - Dec 23, 2006
Chocolate Cowpie Drop Biscuits - Feb 03, 2007
Vegan Ranch Dressing - Feb 04, 2007
Best Vegan Hot Chocolate - Feb 15, 2007
Chocolate Chip Drop Biscuits - Feb 23, 2007
Simple Vegan Quesadillas - March 31, 2007
Orange Chocolate Swirl Cake - June 14, 2007
Chocolate Chip Muffins - October 08, 2007
Mum's Amazing Chili - January 14, 2008
Guacamole - January 27, 2008
Lemon Butter Pasta With Mushrooms & Tofettes - February 1, 2008
Amazing Vegan Cupcakes - February 18, 2008
Marinara Sauce - March 30, 2008
Lemon Garlic and Mushroom Spaghetti - June 20, 2008
Decadent Peanut Butter Cookies - May 17, 2009

Non-Food:

Face Mask (For Oily, Combination, or Normal Skin, Alternative for Dry Skin) - Jan 29, 2006
The Perfect Pore Cleansing Mask - Mar 7, 2006

No Chicken Risotto Recipe

This actually somewhat tastes like chicken.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup water (or light vegetable broth, not too strong)
1/2 cup of risotto rice (also called Arborio Rice)

Seasonings:
1 tsp lemon juice (I actually used a lemon-ginger marinade)
Salt and Pepper(to taste)
2 TBS of white wine (optional)

1) Put some olive oil in a pot. Saute the onion and garlic for 3 minutes.
2) Put the lemon juice and wine into the water. This ensures that it will be distributed evenly.
3) Add the rice and one fifth of the water solution. When the water is mostly absorbed by the rice, add another 5th. Continue. By the end of the water, the risotto should look pearly and "creamy". If not, you can add a little bit more.
4) Add 1 tsp of olive oil to the rice. Add salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. If its not "creamy" enough, you can add some more oil.
5) Put on a plate and enjoy! Makes 1-2 servings

The end result should somewhat taste like chicken (the lemon and pepper), without the torture.
During the water-adding is the best time to add additional seasonings, so you can add more lemon juice and wine to the water mixture if you would like.

Guess who's back? Back again... Tell a friend... Give me hits, give me hits, give me hits...

Hey, I'm back. My weekend was okay, I went shopping!
As you know, WetSeal is amazing and so I got a dress there. It was only 27 bucks. Its a black tube dress with a slip and lace layers. And its cruelty-free! And then I got loads of jewelry.

The food part of the weekend was interesting. My step-mum didnt have anything for me to eat at her house, so I had to order vegan pizza. It was pretty good. Its hard trying to explain to a 5-year old that pizza doesn't have to have cheese.

Then came the night where my step-mum made risoto. This was hilarious. As my mum and her were making it, I asked "Uh, whats with the chicken stock?" and then came the series of "Oh f***!" and "Sh*t!". So I had to make my own.
Then to grease the pan, my mum brought over butter! So I was like "Uh, whats with the butter?" Then came laughter. It was quite funny. While I was just about done, my stepmum asked "Do you want some feta cheese?" and I just cracked up.
On the next post I will have the recipe for my Vegan Risotto, yummy! It actually kind of tastes like chicken.

I also ate Indian over the weekend. Yum. Vegetable Biryani is sooooo good. Its basmati rice with exotic spices and vegetables. Its really filling and delish.

Now to post the risotto recipe,
-Vegan Chopped Liver (Its pretty good!)

Newsflash!

I went shopping yesterday, woohoo!
For those of you who dont know, Old Navy has a huge deal signed with Kiss My Face! The only place where you can buy the exclusive products are at Old Navy, and they are awesome.
They have shower gels, bar soaps, candles, chapsticks, and body lotion. They have a whole new line of scents, which include my favorite, White Chocolate + Orange. I just took a shower with my gel and lotion, and I SMELL REAL GOOD!!

Not to mention, they arent tested on animals and contain no animal ingredients.

Also, I went to Victoria's Secret. (They dont test on animals) If you buy anything from their "Pink" collection, you get a free mini pink dog. Its pink, with white spots and a white VS logo shirt on it. Soooooo cute! They also smell really good. Its fun to flick the tail (its a starchy fabric so it springs up when you push it down)

Whats sort of ironic is that the dog is valued at $10 (it says so on the tag, but I dont think you can buy them) and you can get one if you buy ANYTHING from the "Pink" line. Which means you can buy a $7.50 thong and get one. Sweetness. They have loads of stuff with the pink dog on them. I'm not that feminine, but they are really adorable.

So there's the shopping report. Now for the real important news.
I'm going away today, I'll be back on Saturday. My dad is moving back to Ireland for good then so I need to see him before he goes.

While I'm down in the Boston/Quincy/Milton area of Massachusetts, I most likely will get to go shopping at the Plaza there. Which has a WetSeal! (My favorite store besides VS and Hot Topic) So fun! If you havent noticed, I looooooooooooove to shop! ♥

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
TTYL,
Loki

Take the Fur-Free pledge!

Furisdead.com is trying to get 75,000 people by March 5 to take the Fur-Free Pledge! By signing it, it means you wont wear fur. Pretty simple!

Click here to sign it!

Animals are Living Beings, Not A "Hot" Accessory!!!!

Sorry, but this really makes me mad. I can't tell you how many celebrities are going around carrying their dogs in their purses, like its just a piece of jewelry! People like Paris Hilton are going around, getting a dog, and when the "OMG its soooo cute!!!!!!" hype has gone down, they ditch it for another.
Its not right. Animals are not trinkets we can just carry around. They are living, breathing, creatures.
This whole thing with the itsy-bitsy doggies is horrible. Now even the common person is going out and getting a small breed, JUST so they can be "in". Its one thing to buy the latest-and-greatest pair of jeans. Its another to buy an animal, one whom you probably don't know how to care for or even have the time to care for.

"We've seen a huge increase in interest in smaller breeds," says Daisy Okas, an AKC spokeswoman, who attributes the trend, in part, to Paris Hilton and other high-profile celebs who are photographed with pint-size pooches.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11298755/site/newsweek

While tiny dogs are cute, and make great pets, they need a responsible caregiver. If you are a person who loves dogs, and has the time, energy, and financial ability to have one, thats great! But if you want a dog thats going to stay in a tiny purse, travel everywhere with you, and not be able to live a healthy dog-life (walks, training, sleep, etc) then its not morally right for you to get one.

I could rant on and on and on and on about this, but to save your ears I wont. If you want to see the article about the growing "trend" of small breeds, the article is "Pets: My Little Puppy" by Elise Soukup.

Track Starts Soon

Pretty soon the Track team will resume. That probably will mean I won't post as often. I know it sucks, but I love track. Its so much fun and I am pretty good at it. Not to mention it proves that vegans aren't weak! My friend Katya told me about it, and we probably need to start training soon enough. Ugh. Me tired. At least it means I get to be outside and out of the house for a while. But in frigid March? Brrr. Its 25 degrees out right now and its snowing. Not that I think its cold, but running outdoors in shorts and tanks!!?? AAARGGGHH!!!

But what this truly means, is that I have to start eating healthier. Which isnt that bad, because I already eat extremely healthily compared to other people who do sports. No cholesterol, low fat intake, healthy sugar intake, vitamins and minerals, etc. Most people survive off of pepperoni pizza, iceburg salads, fruit loops & whole milk, and 3 cans of soda a day. I'd puke if I ate that everyday. I just cannot even imagine putting so much crap into my body!

So hopefully I already have an edge over the other athletes I have to race against.
If you have any tips for training or good foods that you would like to share, please post a comment!

So... Tired...

Ugh, I am so tired. This week has been like a roller coaster without seats or a lock-in bar.
I will do Part 2 of that mini-series, when I have time. Right now I am way to sleepy. I don't feel like doing anything. I took a 5 hour nap yesterday. Lol, thats what happens when you go to bed a 12:00 and wake up at 6:30 for two days in a row. On the weekend for pete's sake.

Today I have to go food shopping (CHOCOLATE!!! BREAD!!! ROASTED RED PEPPERS!!!) and do some other errands. I am out of concealer, and I have a date tomorrow with my boyfriend. I'm also out of rose oil, and I need some more aromatherapy and herbal stuff.

Since I'm not going on the Carribean cruise, I have over $100 saved up so I can take a big shopping spree on Wednesday in Burlington. And my mother promised me a $50 dollar shopping spree for getting my 1st 4.0.

Anyways, I want breakfast so
TTYL, Au Revior, Goodbye, Sayonara, Ciao, etc
Loki

Yo, Whazzup, 'Ello!

Soon the "Down With Meat" mini-series will have a new installment. I might do it tomorrow, good chance of that. Part 2 is "The Dangers of Meat" and it will feature how the chemicals in meat are harmful.

Also, last night I made Hot Cocoa. It was sooooo yummy. I make mine really thick and less sweet than most people, and its delicious. I posted the recipe a while back, the post containing it (its the last recipe on the post) is located here.

I need more Gheridelli semi-sweet chocolate chips!!! The best vegan dessert ever. And since they come so small (duh, its a chip) you can ration out portion sizes so you dont blow your diet. Chocolate makes the saddest of people feel better. But thats not the reason why I need them... ;-)
Its because our movie theatre doesnt offer any vegan candies and since my boyfriend and I are having a hot 'n heavy makeout session in the back row going to the movies, we need chocolate chips. Any questions? Good.

Thats all folks,
Until next time
Until the day I day
My name is NOT Marshall!

*now, I'm going to clean out my closet with the old Halloween costumes in it*

Down With Meat pt 1 - We are Natural Herbivores

You've most likely heard the old "Humans are meant to be omnivores." before. It gets old after a while, doesn't it? So, here some things you can tell all the stupid and/or uneducated people about the differences between humans, omnivores, and carnivores.

Facial Muscles

Carnivore	Reduced to allow wide mouth gape
Omnivore	Reduced
Herbivore	Well developed
Human	Well developed

Jaw Motion

Carnivore	Shearing; minimal side-to-side motion
Omnivore	Shearing; minimal side-to-side motion
Herbivore	No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
Human	No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back

Teeth (Incisors)

Carnivore	Short and pointed
Omnivore	Short and pointed
Herbivore	Broad, flattened, and spade-shaped
Human	Broad, flattened, and spade-shaped

Teeth (Canines)

Carnivore	Long, sharp, and curved
Omnivore	Long, sharp, and curved
Herbivore	Dull and short or long (for defense) or none
Human	Short and blunted

Teeth (Molars)

Carnivore	Sharp, jagged, and blade-shaped
Omnivore	Sharp blades and/or flattened
Herbivore	Flattened with cusps vs. complex surface
Human	Flattened with nodular cusps

Chewing

Carnivore	None; swallows food whole
Omnivore	Swallows food whole and/or simple crushing
Herbivore	Extensive chewing necessary
Human	Extensive chewing necessary

Saliva

Carnivore	No digestive enzymes
Omnivore	No digestive enzymes
Herbivore	Carbohydrate-digesting enzymes
Human	Carbohydrate-digesting enzymes

Stomach Acidity

Carnivore	Less than or equal to pH of 1 with food in stomach
Omnivore	Less than or equal to pH of 1 with food in stomach
Herbivore	pH of 4 to 5 with food in stomach
Human	pH of 4 to 5 with food in stomach

Length of Small Intestine

Carnivore	3 to 6 times body length
Omnivore	4 to 6 times body length
Herbivore	10 to more than 12 times body length
Human	10 to 11 times body length

Nails

Carnivore	Sharp claws
Omnivore	Sharp claws
Herbivore	Flattened nails or blunt hooves
Human	Flattened nails

Here are some quotes by educated proffesionals on the subject:

"You can't tear flesh by hand, you can't tear hide by hand. Our anterior teeth are not suited for tearing flesh or hide. We don't have large canine teeth, and we wouldn't have been able to deal with food sources that require those large canines." - Dr. Richard Leakey, a renowned anthropologist

Ask yourself: When you see dead animals on the side of the road, are you tempted to stop for a snack? Does the sight of a dead bird make you salivate? Do you daydream about killing cows with your bare hands and eating them raw? If you answered "no" to all of these questions, congratulations—you're a normal human herbivore—like it or not. Humans were simply not designed to eat meat. Humans lack both the physical characteristics of carnivores and the instinct that drives them to kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. - www.goveg.com

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." - Albert Einstein

"A low-fat, plant-based diet would not only lower the heart attack rate about 85 percent, but would lower the cancer rate 60 percent." - William Castelli, M.D

.

Part 2 - The Dangers of Meat

I emailed Ben and Jerry's and they responded within a half hour!

Here is the question I sent to them via their online form:

 Customer (Allie Byrne) - 02/17/2006 01:04 PM
I recently just went vegan, and I must admit
that your ice cream was the hardest thing for me to
give up. Is there any way that you could make
vegan ice creams, using soy milk and etc in place
of dairy and eggs? Living in Vermont, its very
hard to resist your ice cream and you always have
had the best flavors and ideas. I know you have
vegan sorbets, but I've never seen a  grocery
store carry them. I think this would be a wonderful
addition to the Ben and Jerry's line of
products.

Here is the response I got:
 
Response (George) - 02/17/2006 01:53 PM
Hello:

Thank you for contacting us about making
a non-dairy frozen dessert product.  We appreciate the
opportunity to respond.

We have received requests for soy-based
or rice-based alternatives to dairy products,
and we're
happy to consider them.  For the time being,
however, we have decided to continue with our line
of milk-based products, with the exception
of our sorbets, which are dairy-free and making a
return to grocery store pints this spring. 
While we do recognize the environmental claims for
vegetable products, we are strongly committed
to supporting the small family dairy farms of
Vermont, feeling that their survival is
crucial to maintenance of Vermont's scenic beauty and
the vitality of its rural communities. 
We have not ruled out introducing a non-dairy line of
products in the future.  We are keeping
track of requests we receive, however, and will be glad
to keep yours on file for periodic review.

Thank you for taking the time and caring to write.

Ben & Jerry's

This is good news! They have not ruled out the possibility of a
non-dairy ice cream, and the sorbets (vegan) will be
hitting the shelves soon! Woohoo!
B&J's email is consumer_affairs@benjerry.com

** EDIT ** I added more line breaks so it wont
go into the sidebar.

Newsflash of My Life

A lot of stuff has happened this past week, so here is what going down...

February break is from the 18 to the 26. The only days I will be out of town are Thursday and Friday of that week.

Also, the Junior High dance has been cancelled for tonight, so I will probably spend my time doing stuff here.

However, I have a huge Social Studies project that I need to work on a little during the break, so I might not be on 24/7.

Oh yeah, and I'm out of chocolate! Mmm, chocolate.

Vegans Aren't Weak!

I cannot believe how many people say that vegans are weak, spindly, skinny, anorexic, little beanpoles. I'm 5'3.5" and 108.5 lbs. That isnt underweight at all. Thats a perfect BMI of 19. I have a body fat of 21.5%, which for a female is good.

And then there is the fact that we are weak. Team IDA has their own vegan bodybuilder, who came in 3rd in a copetition of over 200 body builders. Also, I'm a vegan and am very good at sports. I'm the fasted female runner in my gym class, I play hockey better than half the guys, and I am very good a halfback in soccer (which is where you do the most running.) I'm also in track and field, and have very good times.

If you eat the same amount of calories or more calories than you burn, you stay at the same weight (or gain weight) If you get less than you burn, you lose weight. 3,500 calories make a pound of fat.

If you eat a balanced diet, exercise, and train your skills, there is no reason for you to be weak and/or underweight.

http://www.teamida.org/ has lots of info on sports and other physical stuff, and its all about veganism too!

"Team IDA encourages members to take part in local athletic events to support the image of strength and leadership in animal advocacy."- says the 'About Team IDA' page on their website

Happy vexercising!

Valentines Day, Here it Comes!

Valentines Day is soon to be here (less than 3 hours, and 14 minutes!!)

As we all know, custom gifts are the ones people truly cherish. The hard part is finding the perfect combination of homeade and not homeade so that you dont come off looking cheap. So, here is what I did for my boyfriend.

First, last week I bought him some vegan truffles (made with soymilk). Since the box they came in has a girly wrapping and is see-through, I need to put them in a tin. So, I took a cocoa powder tin, removed the paper wrapper, and coated it with aluminum foil. Then I put stripes of red and purple on it with markers. I used a paper towel to smudge it and it now has colored foil!

At the bottom I put the truffles. I then covered them with 2 coffee filter centers. Then I took a coffee filter, filled it with chocolate chips like a pouch, taped it shut, and put it on top of the truffles.

Now, we all know that being able to "relate" to a gift is a great thing to do. So, to do that, when he opens it, I will tell him to eat the chocolate chips. As soon as he melts them in his mouth, I am going to start frenching with him. I've done this before, but not spontaneously. Anyway, it is very romantic indeed. What more could a couple want? Passionate kisses and chocolate. Put them together and you have a legal form of ectasy! (Not quite, but like we care...)

Baking sweet treats is a great way to woo any lover, and flowers and candy are always good and classic.

Hope everyone has a lovely Valentines Day.

Smoochie smoochie!
Als

I havent forgotten about you!

Dont worry, I haven't forgotten about you guys, honestly. Family emergency situation, and between crying my eyes out and eating chocolate I wasnt able to come on.

Just thought I would let you know, and if I dont post too much in the next week you will know why.

Portobello Burger with Complimentary Dipping Oil

Here is a great recipe for lunch, or dinner! These portobello burgers have an amazing taste, and a great texture.

When you make these burgers, you also create a lovely dipping oil for the crusts of the bread.
If you want a dipping oil in which you can taste the portobello and its juicyness, use Canola Oil.
If you want a dipping oil that tastes like regular Italian dipping oil with a hint of portobello, use Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Ingredients:

• 1 Portobello mushroom, washed and with stem removed
• 2 slices of good quality grainybread. Sara Lee and Wonderbread wont kill it, but it certainly doesn't do the burger justice! It is best if the bread is lightly toasted.
• Oil of choice
• Condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc)

1) Heat the oil in a small skillet. If you are using the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, be careful not to let it smoke, it has a medium heat smoke rate.
2) Put the portobello mushroom in the skillet, with the ridges facing downwards. Cook for approximately 3 minutes. You should see the mushroom start to deflate a little bit.
3) Flip the mushroom over. Since the ridged side sucks up a lot of oil, you will probably need to a some more. Cook for about 3 minutes, until mushroom is deflated. It is normal for the oil to spritz, mushrooms have lots of water in them. When it starts to spritz (around 3 minutes) it is usually done.
4) Put the mushroom on the bread, and add condiments. The burger is done.
5) Now, take the oil from the pan and put in a seperate bowl. This is your dipping oil. Since the extra virgin olive oil gets absorbed by the mushroom more, you may need to add some more if you used olive oil to begin with.

Use the dipping oil for the crusts of the bread, and anything else you want to dip! Now do you see why I said Sara Lee and Wonderbread suck when you use them? The best type of bread to use is a multigrain artisan bread that is about 1/2 to 1/3 of an inch thick. You can also use the oil to dip foccaccia, in which it is absolutely amazing.

2006, The year KFC goes down!!

For those of you who don't know, my biggest vendetta is against KFC. Just seeing the Peta videos make me cry. So here are some protest ideas to get people not to go to KFC.

• Put PETA's "CLOSED FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY" sticker on their drive-thru menu or front door.
• Put the carcass of a chicken in the middle of the bathroom (not in a stall) and go to the front desk and loudly tell them that there are chicken corpses in the bathroom.
• Another idea is to take a poo on the stall floor and go to the management and loudly say (with disgust) that there is human feces on the floor. While this may sound outrageous, it will make people not want to eat there and will probably have people investigate their food, since KFC is already known for food poisoning.
• Duct tape flyers to bathroom stall walls.
• Write "Go to kentuckyfriedcruelty.com" on the walls of the bathroom stalls in permanent black marker.
• You also can do the same as above except use a key or a exacto knife and engrave it in the stall (if its metal).
  
• Write stuff (like KFCruelty and kentuckyfriedcruelty.com) on the hood of the toilets (if they have conventional toilets). They arent likely to replace whole fixtures, and if its black permanent ink its hard to paint over it with white.
• Write stuff on mirrors, sinks, hand dryers, etc. You can also write big messages on the walls and floors. Just be careful that nobody is in there if you do anything outside of the stall.
• Take a rubber chicken thats hollow, cut a whole and put a mixture of red food coloring, water, and cornstarch in it so that it looks like thick blood. Then slice it down the side with a knife or scissors and step on it so it oozes. You should do this in a stall or in front of the sinks in the bathroom

As you may have guessed, the best place for activism is the bathroom. You have nearly a 0% chance of being caught (if you arent stupid) and lots of people go there.

DOWN WITH KFC!! WHOOT!
Talk to y'all later,
Als

Valentines Day is so soon!

5 more days to the day for Lurve. I'm so lucky, at our school the sophmores are handing out carnations to people, and its only 2 bucks to send one. So I'm sending my baby a carnation!

I also got this box of vegan chocolates for him. Yum. They use soymilk instead of milk, and they taste great.

Nothing else to say except YAY!

Tutorial for Vegetarianism/Veganism

Here is a tutorial I made a few months ago about going veg. There are a few spelling typos (I wrote it very quickly) , its an image so I cannot edit it :(
I hope you all enjoy it!

Click here to see it. You will most likely have to save the image to your computer and open it to see it full size, it's a 500x5000 image.



Making guides like this is a great thing to do for animals. I made this and put it on dA, and I got lots of comments and some people even said they would try to go vegetarian because of it and that it helped them alot.

Graphics!!

Graphics are a great way to show you care about animals! Think not? Then you're wrong. Graphics, when used correctly can be great. For example, on AIM and Yahoo, I talk to people all over the world. And I use an animal rights avatar/buddy icon so everyone knows I'm vegan. They see the link to peta, and then they become educated!

So, if you like to make images and graphics, here are some ideas for you:

• Make animal rights buddy icons for yourself and others! You can even submit them to peta2.
• Make animal rights banners and such for websites.
  
• Make blog layouts, webpage templates, and other templates/layouts for animal rights themed stuff.
• Make badges and awards for sites that promote veganism and animal rights!
  
• Make graphics for everything!

Hope those help. I know a LOT of people love to make graphics, and also love animals, so what better way to combine your 2 loves? Here is an avatar I made:

You can make graphics in basic MS Paint, or software like Adobe (very expensive) and PaintShopPro (somewhat pricey). A great editor is PhotoFiltre, which I use when I dont use Adobe. It has cool gradient fills and special feats. You can download it for free, and is much better than MS Paint. (Like MS Paint though, you can do animations or transparent backgrounds) You also can use online-painter programs (Oekaki programs) on sites like oekaki-central.com Just be sure you follow the rules of those sites.

If you want publicity for your graphics and images, dA (deviantART) is a great site. Its an online community for artists of all sorts.
Hope you found this interesting, because graphics rock!

Happy graphic-ing!

Vegan Chocolate Fest!!

A common question for vegans is "Can you eat chocolate?" The answer is, yes. Not all chocolate is made with milk. Personally, I like dark chocolate best anyways. Its the richest. So, here is a review of all sorts of vegan chocolates! They are rated on different aspects (Its a minor's form of wine tasting!) If you have any other brands you would like to rate, please do so using my forms of rating, and post it as a comment!

Newman's Own Dark Chocolate with Orange:
Creamyness: 9/10
Richness: 8/10
Flavorfullness: 10/10
Satisfying: 9/10
Notes: Very good. Especially creamy and you can definitely taste the orange oil in the chocolate.

Green & Black Organic 72% Cocoa:
Creamyness: 6/10
Richness: 5/10
Flavorfullness: 7/10
Satisfying: 5/10
Notes: Not that great. Has an interesting aftertaste that isnt very desirable.

Gheridelli's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips:
Creamyness: 8/10
Richness: 9/10
Flavorfullness: 8.5/10
Satisfying: 8.5/10
Notes: Very good. Great in fondue if you add some plain soymilk. Very yummy. Be careful not to buy the Semi-Sweet bar, it contains milk powder in it.

Tell CareerBuilder to stop using animals in its advertisements!

Here is the latest edition of the Peta2 Street Team Campaigns:

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As many of you probably noticed, CareerBuilder ran an ad during today’s Super Bowl featuring chimpanzees dressed in suits, ties, and dresses, who were made to act like humans (who are “behaving like monkeys”) in an office setting. What you might not know is that chimpanzees and other great apes are abused behind the scenes so that they will perform. We need your help in convincing CareerBuilder never to use apes in its ads again.

Apes used for commercials are routinely beaten into submission; trainers often beat young chimpanzees with their fists, with clubs, or even with broom handles in order to force them to perform. Shock devices are also used. This pattern of abuse and dominance causes the animals to be constantly anxious and fearful, always anticipating the next blow. The apes used in ads such as those made by CareerBuilder may look like they're “smiling”, but in fact, the chimpanzee "grin" is a grimace of fear or a carefully choreographed response to a command.

Please write to and call CareerBuilder today and tell the company that cruelty to animals is not good for business. Let them know that you're a student who is preparing to enter the job market, and that you, your friends and your family will not use CareerBuilder’s services until it pledges not to use apes in any future ads.

Richard Castellini, Vice President of Consumer Marketing
CareerBuilder Inc.
8420 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 1000
Chicago, IL 60631
866-438-1485
Online feedback form

E-mail StreetTeam@peta2.com to tell us what you said in your calls and letters, and you’ll earn 750 Street Team points. Forward this message to your friends and we’ll give you a 250-point bonus.

Thank you for all that you do in behalf of animals. Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to help you.

Sincerely,

Chris Garnett
Street Team Coordinator
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
501 Front St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
ChrisG@peta2.com

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I already sent a letter, using the online feedback form. I encourage all of you to do the same. Its an easy way to earn 1000 points (if you are a ST member). Lets bombard them and show them the cruelty in their actions. Please remember to be polite and curteous. You make more pleases with immitation honey than vinegar!

Target Went Fur-Free

Retail giant Target recently announced its plans to ditch fur. Hip-hip Hooray. I am a huge Target lover, they have great clothes, great accessories, great pillows, throws, etc. And its dirt cheap.

I just heard about it so I though all you guys should know... Happy Targetting!

Its Super Bowl Sunday!!

Its Super Bowl time!!! Whoot whoot Seahawks!!

Anyway, just incase y'all are wondering, here is my Super Bowl menu for tonight:

Spicy Meatballs
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chips and Salsa
Bagel Mini Sandwiches
Chocolate Fondue (with apples, bananas, and oranges)

Hope y'all enjoy your Super Bowl party!

Have an XL Super Bowl party, or just have an XL-ent one!

I looooooove football. My favorite sport to watch on TV. Now, I'm a mega Patriots fan (c'mon, this girl grew up around the corner from Foxboro!) but obviously thats not happening. So, I'm rooting for the underdogs. Back when it was Boston vs New York for the AL champs in the World Series, the world voted for Boston because we were the underdogs! So, its my turn to pay back the world. Gooo Seahawks!!

Its a much better city anyway. What city did Vegetarian Times (in its July/August 2005 issue) name the 8th Greenest City in the US? Seattle of course! Anyway, it has less pollution and a space needle.

Besides my rant, here is the other part of the SuperBowl you need to know; Rolling Stones are playing for the half-time act. Go 60's baby boomers!! Mick Jagger is the only guy who can be 60 and wear a belly shirt. End of story.

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Now for the actual party planning stuff!

When it comes to food, no formal stuff. If you cant eat it with your hands or a toothpick, ditch it. Football is played by men, not plastic females dressed in stilettos wearing dainty dresses. Unless you are having a women's party, finger foods it is.

The Basics: Chips and Salsa.
No party is complete without chips and salsa. These are the key to success. You can have shitty food, but if you have good chips and salsa, you are going to be fine. I suggest having a variety of chips (corn, kettle cooked, baked, flavored, etc) if you have a big crowd. Make sure you have enough. Nothing sucks more than having great food run out by halftime. Now, I'm lucky. This year the crowd at my house is small, my grandpa, my mother, and myself. And two dogs who will do anything they can to get to the food. So one or two bags of corn chips will do it. But its better to be safe than sorry. Also, you need good salsa. Again, if its a big crowd, get all types (mild, medium, hot, roasted garlic, roasted chilis, corn and bean, etc) Its best to have them labelled if there is a lot. And remember, dont let the supply run out. You also can have layer dips for the chips.

The Basics: Finger/Toothpick foods.
Soy pigs in a blanket (also known as corn dogs) are great. You can cut them up or buy minis. They need to be small. Nobody is going to pick up a banana sized corn dog with a toothpick, let alone eat the whole thing. People graze. Get used to it. Other similar things, like cut up egg rolls, rollup mini sandwiches, cubes of vegan cheese, all that good stuff. Make sure to have all applicable condiments (mustard, ketchup, etc) Soy meatballs are always good. Spicy meatballs are better. Spicy food is general is good, but again, if there is a large crowd be accomodating to everyone. Pizza is also a good thing. Whether its no cheese or soy cheese pizza, its a good thing. Cut it up into 2 inch squares. This helps it go by slower and gives people the option to graze.

The Basics: The Un-junk food.
If women, children, or people who actually care about how they look are coming to your party, or you dont want to feel sick in the morning, you want some un-junk food. This means cubed vegan cheeses, veggie sticks (carrot, brocolli, celery, etc), cubed fruits (pinapple, apple, banana, kiwi, orange slices, grapes, etc) and maybe some pita chips.

The Basics: Beverages.
Obviously, beer is a given if its a party for adults. Since I'm only 13, I can't really help you with that choice except for the fact of either having lots of different brands or picking a brand that has to do with the local area of the team you are rooting for (or both teams) Like, you would get Sam Adams if its a Pats game. Now, you also need non-alcoholic beverages for the underaged, and if the salsa is hot, someone doesnt have to drink 5 beers to wash it all down. I suggest sodas, like Root Beer, Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc. Plastic 20-oz's look cheap, and are pricey. If possible, get glass bottles or cans, they blend in with the theme of beer-drinking, and look really cool. If not, get 2 liter bottles. Dont put them on the coffee table in front of the Telly, they will get knocked over, take up space, and most importantly, block your view of the TV. Nothing sucks more than not seeing the pass that made the winning touchtown because cola was in the way. Believe me. Also, its good to have juice and spritzers on hand.

The Not-So-Basic: Banners and Paraphenelia.
It doesnt matter if you are supporting a team, have a mixed bag of supporters for both teams, or are just watching for the hell of it. B&P are good to have. If its a mixed party, make sure to have a banner or helmet for each team. If its a Steelers Party or a Seahawks party, have your team's stuff. Pretty simple.

The Not-So-Basic: Setup.
You need something to sit on, and somewhere to put the food, and a TV. A couch will usually do, with a TV in front of it and a coffee table inbetween. Then, have a room nearby (kitchen, big bathroom, guestroom) with all the food in it. Bottles of beer/wine/spirits, sodas, bags of chips, extra salsas, corndogs, etc. On the coffee table, you want to have a bowl of chips (or multiple bowls for different types), and space for plates of other foods and drinks. You ALWAYS want to have chips in the room you are sitting in. During commericals people can get up and get the fancier and more advanced foods.

Now, if you have LOTS of room for plates and platters of corn dogs, all the chips, unjunk food, cubed veggies, etc, put that in the TV room with all the other stuff. But you need space on that coffee table for drinks and chips. Priorities.



Hope this guide helps you in your party, and remember, may the best team (Seattle) win!
Also, PETA has some great SuperBowl Recipes, here

Update

This is basically a whatever-the-f***-you-want-to-call-it post. Here is just some news about the blog...

Comments: Now in a popup window. Looks better, and is much easier to look at

Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff: Sucks. Blows. POS. I tried it last night. For the whole story, read the comment on it. The sauce is horrible, everything else is good. If anyone wants to fool around the with the sauce, be my guest and tell us how it goes. (I think the tahini killed the sauce, blech)

Superbowl: I'll have some stuff in the next post for what to do for your SBXL party.

Also, if you have any requests, comments, questions, or ideas for the blog, just drop me a note:

AIM: Sexy Vegan Chick
Yahoo: mikekenjiishinoda
Email: kiss_the_night_sky@hotmail.com

Seitan & Mushroom Stroganoff

Here's an alternative for Beef Stroganoff. I am going to try this tonight, or Saturday night. Hope you like it! Seitan is made from wheat gluten, so do not eat this is you have an allergy to wheat or wheat gluten. This is an excellent source of non-soy protein. This is best served over wide noodles (I suggest farfalle [bowties], but any wide pasta will do)

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1/2 Teaspoon garlic granules
2 Tablespoons Tahini
2 Teaspoons conola or olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups thinly sliced seitan strips
ground black pepper, to taste

1) Gravy: Stir cornstarch and soy sauce together in a 2 quart saucepan and make thin, smooth paste, Whisk in the vegetable brother or water and garlic granules. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until it thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in tahini. Cover the saucepan and set aside.
2) Place oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high. When the oil is hot, saute the onion and garlic for 10 minutes.
3) Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes
4) Stir in the seitan strips and the reserved gravy into the onions and mushrooms. Reduce heat to low and stir often, about 5 to 10 minutes, until seitan is heated through,
5) Season the stroganoff with ground pepper. Serve at once over egg-free noodles.

Yield: 4 servings

Per Serving:
Calories: 248
Protein: 27 grams
Carbohydrates: 20 grams
Fat: 7 grams

Recipe Credit: Guide to Veg Living by Veg For Life (A Farm Sanctuary Campaign)

Layout Change

I changed the layout. I think this one looks much more proffesional and displays the info better. But thats me. I got rid of the chatterbox, it didnt look very nice. Um, added some more links and voila! There may be a blogroll in the future...

Dollar Bills!

I was on PETA2.com where I got a great idea for activism! Write stuff on dollar bills.
Dollar bills go everywhere!! I've seen dollars from New York in Hawai'i!! (I'm serious, when I went to Hawai'i i was looking at my money and noticed that a lot of it was from NYC and Boston)

All you have to do is write a small message in pen, here are some examples:

• Peta2.com
• Peta.org
• Go Vegan
• Go Vegetarian
• Meat = Murder (or Meat is Murder)
• Meat's No Treat for Those You Eat
• Kentuckyfriedcruelty.com
• Goveg.com
• Dumpdairy.com
• Milkgonewild.com (this one will get some attention)

Hope those help! Remember to use ink, pencil is erasable.

While some say its illegal (government property) there was an article in Readers Digest about a man who did this (dont know the reason) and it was fine. Its virtually impossible to get caught, because they cant prove who wrote on, if it was you or the guy who has the buck first.

So hop to it, and pass the buck!

Vegan Truffle Recipe

In relation to my last post, you can make these and give them out for V-day! (Or at them yourself at home in front of the TV, sad because you dont have a lover)

The link is to the recipe of another blog. I didnt want to claim credit for them, so use the link and tell me whatcha think of them!

Valentines Day ♥

Okay, I know its not a REAL holiday, and we can all thank Hallmark for it, but its still a great day. Lets get past the corporate scandal part of it and think about lurve. Think about the true meaning of love and how it affects us (in the good ways, the other 364 days of the year we can piss and moan)

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Of course I'm into V-day, I'm in love. But the real issue is candy hearts. For those of you who dont know, those things are made of geletin. (Boiled animal bones, ligaments, and tendons)

Those are the ones I am talking about ^^

While candy hearts are very cute (I cant deny their appeal in society), they are not vegan. So as vegans and compassionate people in this world, I propose that we all do something different for Valentines day instead of giving your sweetie a piece of a dead animal that says "I Love You"on it.

Most people do candy hearts, and a lot of vegan give/eat them without knowing they are not vegan! So here are some cruelty free ideas for Valentines Day:

• Bake vegan brownies
• Give out other candies (semi sweet chips, lollies, etc)
• Make homeade cards and even storebought
• Teddy Bears are the ultimate sign of love these days
• Big lollipops (the ones that are 6" in diameter)
• Give out other kinds of stuffed animals
• IOU cards (free massage, kiss, makeout session, car wash, do the dishes, etc)
• Treat your honey for a night out
  

Thats all I can think of for now. So I want YOU to think of some stuff, go out and do it. Promote compassion towards animals, and have fun and show off your love. Leave your ideas as a comment, or on the chatterbox.

Peace Out

Nothing much here today...

No real vegan news today, that I know of that is. I'll browse aroundwards and see if I can get some news for y'all.

Anyway, I had a pretty fun day today.

School, as usual. Student council, planning a V-day romantic dance. I got a 98 for reciting poetry in English class (The Raven, a true classic). Then I got to get my hair cut and my eyebrows done. I am now TOTALLY in love with my eyebrows. They rock.

Also, Lisa (the hairdresser) put some hair creme in my hair thats made from hemp seed oil (its by Alterna) and its all Cruelty-Free! Which is like a mega yay. Its smells like coconut too. I'm gunna go buy some, but its 13 bucks a tube and I only had 9 bucks today, after the waxing :(

Thats all that really happened to day. What happened in your sorry little life? :)