The Wonders of Soy (Milk)

Soymilk is a wonderful thing. Its one of the yummiest non-dairy beverages out there. I particularly like it in lattes. So here are some warm soymilk drinks to make sure your fingers dont freeze off this winter.

Chai Latte:
This is one of my favorites. It has a lovely spicy undertone to heat up a cold day.

1 Chai Teabag (Tazo is my favorite brand)
Optional Sweetener (agave nectar, turbinado, sucanat, etc)
Soy milk

1) Brew 1 cup of chai according to directions (on average, 5 mins to steep). Put in a mug that can hold at least 12 ounces (A big mug)
2) If you want, add some of your favorite sweetener. I find that white sugar doesnt taste very good, I suggest using something more wholesome tasting. Also, depending on how much sugar is in your soymilk, you may not need any (Silk Plain has enough in it, for example)
3) Add the soymilk. To make it a true latte, you need to add more than you would in just a normal cup o' tea.

Cafe au Lait:
Coffee, the French way without the somatic cells and veal sponsoring.

1 cup of Strong Brewed Coffee
Soy Creamer or Soymilk (more fat = better)
Sugar (optional)

1) Add the creamer or soy milk to the coffee, and sugar if you desire. What makes this french is that you use strong coffee, and creamy milk. If you are going to put sugar in ALWAYS PUT THE SUGAR IN FIRST. Same goes for tea. If you add the soymilk first, it will cool down and the sugar will create a skin on the coffee and it won't disolve.

Chocolat Chaud: (Choco-lat Shoh, not Chcolate chad! Speak real French, goddam you!)
I like French names, (I take it as my foreign language) Anyway, because chocolate syrup doesn't have a bitterness to it like cocoa powder, it tastes extra rich and creamy. Which makes it French :)

Soymilk
Hersheys Chocolate Syrup (Its vegan!)

1) Heat the soymilk up in a saucepan. STIR IT. Skin = yucky.
2) Pour in a mug and add the Hersheys syrup. Don't use too much. You only need a few teaspoons to make it taste creamy. Too much syrup and the sugar will kill the richness of it.

Hot Cocoa:
What makes this different from hot chocolate (chocolat chaud) is that you use cocoa (from the caco bean), not chocolate (which is cocoa with added sugar and cocoa butter) Use as much cocoa powder as you want!

Soymilk
Cocoa Powder
Sugar (or sucanat, turbinado, etc)

1) Heat the soymilk up in a small saucespan, stirring often.
2) Add the sweetener. You must use sweetener. True cocoa is extremelybitter.
3) Add the desired amount of cocoa powder. Stir. Taste, you may need to add more sugar.



Hope you enjoy, dont freeze your buns off!

Food Diary

A lot of people ask, so, "What do vegans eat on a daily basis?" Here is my actual food diary for a week, my mother wants me to keep everything written down so she can see what I eat (She's a nurse...)

Code: B= Breakfast L= Lunch D= Dinner S= Snacks/Dessert/Misc. Beverages/etc

Monday:

B: Bagel with Peanut Butter
L: Apple, soy yoghurt, faux bologna slices, veganaise, 1 slice of whole rye
D: Bean soup, Roasted Red Peppers
S: Fruit Bar, Chocolate Soymilk, 1 1/2 bag of croutons, chips and salsa

Tuesday:

B: Wheat Bagel with peanut butter and EarthBalance Buttery Spread
L: Soy Yoghurt, faux bologna slices, apple
D: sauteed veggies, vegetable minestrone soup
S: 2 fruit bars, 1/2 grape soda, corn chips and salsa

Wednesday:

B: Whole Rye Toast with Apple Butter and EarthBalance Buttery Spread
L: 2 apples, PB + whole rye sandwhich
D: Veggie Burgers, (onion, tomato, ketchup, mustard)
S: 2 glasses of orange juice, fruit bar

Thurday:

B: Whole Rye Toast with Apple Butter and EarthBalance Buttery Spread
L: 2 apples, veggie burger (tomato, onion, mustard, ketchup, 2 slices of whole wheat bread)
D: Salad with Kalamata Olive and Caper dressing, Black Bean and Habenero Pasta
S: 2 glasses of Orange Juice, fruit spritzer, 3 fruit bars

Friday:

B: Whole Rye Toast with Apple Butter and EarthBalance Buttery Spread
L: Fire Roasted Red Pepper, Strawberry Applesauce, PB sandwich
D: Faux tacos with ( tomato, onion, lettuce, salsa)
S: 2 fruit bars, oreos

Saturday:

B: Raisin baqel with cinnamon sugar (cinnamon mixed with turbinado) and Earth Balance Buttery Spread
L: Grilled Chreese, Butternut Squash Soup (Amy's Brand)
D: Faux tacos with ( tomato, onion, lettuce, salsa) Salad with Kalamata Olive and Caper dressing
S: Oreos, fruit bar

Sunday:

B: Blastem's (Organic fruit-loops) with soymilk, Soy Chai Latte
L: Black Bean and Habenero Ravioli with EarthBalance Buttery Spread
D: 3 Bean and Pasta Soup (Amy's brand), Grilled Chreese, Fried Red Tomato
S: 2 Fruit Bars, Newman's Own Organic O's (Organic Oreo-style cookies)

So there you go...

Banned Superbowl Ad

Here's another recent PETA video you must see. It's called "Milk Gone Wild". For those of you who don't know, "Girls Gone Wild" is a popular home video collection of females flashing their tits at a camera.

In this video, raving and partying girls are lifting their shirts, to reveal an udder! Thats right, they have had latex teats attached to them. (They squirt too!) And when a shirt is pulled over them, you can't tell that they arent real knockers.

This was originally done for a Superbowl advertisement, but as usual, the ad got banned. Last year (or the year before, I forget) it was showing cats makin' lurve because they weren't fixed, and it urged people to spay and neuter their cats and dogs.

Most of PETA's Superbowl ads are sexual, which is why the NFL and other organizations say they don't play them. Which is funny, considering beer after beer ad showing guys partying with girls who are half nude and grinding with them, while drinking an alcoholic beverage. And it looks like those kids arent even 21. Just noticing.

So anyway, go check it out, it rocks.

Trent Reznor Video (PETA2)

Recently, Trent Reznor (frontman of industrial band Nine Inch Nails) narrated a video for PETA about the hidden lives of cats and dogs in the Chinese fur trade.

For those of you who do not know, China has no fur laws. This means, that ANY animal can be used for fur, and can be treated any way. For examole, foxes are often slammed against cement walls to kill them.

A lot of fur people wear is not what it says it is. "The fur is often mislabeled as fur from another species and sold illegally in Europe and the United States." - www.peta2.com

Many fur coats, cuffs, collars, and cuffs are made from dog and cat fur. These animals are skinned alive and treated brutally.

Also: NIN is nominated for a grammy for the original single "The Hand That Feeds", off the recent album "With_Teeth" (May 2005, Interscope)

I urge all of you to use the link and view this horrifying video and share it with everyone you know, especially fur wearers.

Being Vegan Is SO Easy!

So many people go up to me and say "Wow, you're a vegan, it must be so hard!" And I just crack up. Sure, sometimes you have a hard MOMENT or two, but in general its quite easy.

Now, I bet all vegans know what I'm talking about, and all non-vegans are kinda staring at the screen, head cocked 45 degrees, and saying to themselves "WTF????"

So, here are some common questions about the "difficulties" of being vegan. This is not a guide to veganism, if I have time I will make one of those later

Q: Don't you ever miss meat/dairy/eggs/etc?
A: A more accurate question would be, "Do I miss the taste of a dead animal in my mouth?" But, most omnivores don't think that. Sure, I miss the taste or flavor of meat once in a while, but there are loads of vegan alternatives to them. I already have 3 faux recipes posted here. Here is just a very small list of vegan alternative foods:

Veggie burgers, veggie dogs, faux tacos, veggie shrimp, faux links, faux sausage patties, veggie lasanga, grilled soy cheese, fake stuffed peppers

Q: What do you eat?
A: Uh, food, hello? Ok, seriously, we eat a variety of food. Soups, faux meats, vegetables, ethnic foods, soy products, rice milk, potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, beans, and thats just being general. Pretty much everything under the sun that doesnt have animal products in them, including ethnic dishes and stuff like that. Check out PETA's "Accidentally Vegan"food list by clicking here.

Q: Can you eat dessert?
A: Of course we can! There are plenty of alternatives, like soy ice cream and rice ice cream. Tofu chocolate pie is amazing, you would never guess its tofu (I mean it). There are tons of prepackaged vegan cookies and cakes. All of the Krispy Kreme fruit pies (with the exception of Coconut) are vegan. You also can use egg substitute in recipes, and 1/2 mashed banana works well. So does cola in cake. PETA2.com has the exact amounts.
Here are some vegan candies: Airheads taffy, Blow Pops, Brach's Cinnamon Hard Candy, Charms lollipops, Chick-o-Sticks, Cry Babies, Dem Bones, Dots, Dum Dums, Fireballs, Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, Hot Tamales, Hubba Bubba Bubblegum, Jolly Ranchers (lollipops and hard candy), Jujubees, Jujyfruits, Laffy Taffy, Lemonheads, Mambas, Mary Janes (regular and peanut butter kisses), Mike and Ike, Now and Later, PezRing pop lollipops, Smarties (U.S. version only), Sour Patch Kids, Starburst (jelly beans and hard candy), Super Bubble
Swedish Fish, Sweet Tarts, Tropical Source mini chocolate bags, Twizzlers, Zotz.

Credit to PETA2.com for the list.

Q: What do you do when dining out?
A: This is probably the hardest thing about veganism. For example, you can go into a restaurant and order a side of broccoli, but they will most likely put butter on it. So, when dining out you need to make requests and be specific, and ask questions. Most waitstaff will be accomodating as long as you are polite.

Most restaurants can make customized recipes, like a side of specific veggies, no butter, and such. You can try to find something on the menu and adapt it. Like say, fettucine with broccoli and garlic, with olive oil instead of Fettucine Alfredo. Here are some good questions to ask and requests to make when dining out:

Soups:
Is there pasta in it? (Most SOUP pastas have eggs in them to keep them soft and not mushy)
Is there beef or chicken stock in it?
Is there any meat in it?

Vegetables:
No butter, please

Salads:
What type of dressing is on that (most "creamy" dressings have milk or eggs in them, stay on the safe side with a vinnagrette or vinagar/oil combo. Also, ceasars always have anchovies, greek has feta cheese, anchovies/chicken stock, and Italian sometimes has cheese, so ask)

There's no cheese on that, is there?

All other dishes:
Hmm, what do you use for ingredients in [name of dish]
Is there any eggs, meat, honey, or dairy in that? (Unfortunately, not all people know what vegan means, so be specific)
(If the food is Indian) Is there any ghee or yoghurt in that? (Many seemingly safe indian dishes have ghee, a clarified butter, in them or yoghurt. Also beware, Naan bread contains milk)

If the waiter gets a bit impatient, make sure you are being clear cut. You have to understand that taking a lot of questions can be annoying. If they do get a touch peppy, just politely say "Sorry, I'm a vegan" in a gentle laugh-y voice. They usually will understand once you tell them that. Or, before you star asking, just say "I'm vegan, so about the [name of dish], [rattle off first question]"

Those are probably the most common questions, if you have any more leave a comment or contact me (first post has contact info)

TTYL