Billy the Cow

Just saw this video and thought you guys' might enjoy it:

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/rescue/rescues/2010/billy.html

Random Veganness in Portland

The past couple of days I was in Portland on college trips. Portland is awesome.
My sister and mom bought me an AMAZING vegan maple donut from Voodoo Donuts. They said the line was out the door.
Also, when I was at Powell's, I stumbled upon their vegan and vegetarian cookbook section, which was extensive and very tempting. I'm definitely going to be making a trip to the library soon.

Other randomness:
Macbeth is another option for vegan shoes. Davey Havok of AFI is designing a line for them, and Hunter Burgan, also of AFI has done promo for them before, and they have lots of other awesome stuff. I think that Tom Delonge (blink-182, Angels & Airwaves) and some other artists have also designed shoes for Macbeth.
This is the skit that Hunter Burgan did: http://www.youtube.com/user/TranquilMammoth?blend=2&ob=1#p/a/F97CA0F245DB4B43/0/CMmkpfS-Nxg .

Macbeth Shoes can be found at their official website, http://modlife.com/macbeth/products . They also sell at various places online and stores in our area (mostly in San Francisco).

I hope everyone is having a great break!

Peanut Butter Pasta

This is the recipe for one of my favorite pasta recipes and it's really easy to make! It's called Peanut Butter Pasta, and it is similar to Asian Noodles with Peanut Sauce. I really enjoy it and hope you guys will too!

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove

2 quarter-sized pieces ginger, peeled (I

use pre-chopped garlic)

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons Chinese soy sauce

3 tablespoons Japanese sesame oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chili paste

Garnish:

1 large green onion, green tops only,

chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, very

coarsely chopped

½ cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Pasta:

one - one and a half pounds of spaghetti

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until combined.

Mix the sauce with the spaghetti.

Keep all the garnishes on the side and add on top as you wish.

Amongst Friends: Other Vegan/Veg Food Blogs

We are not alone in the universe: other vegetarian-vegan themed blogs are great sources of inspiration.

I like the fresh, colorful look of Vegan Yum Yum, where Lolo (Lauren Ulm), recent author of Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday shares her experiments with vegan cooking. The photography is awfully appealing, and she seems able to work miracles with certain vegan snag foods: her pancakes and waffles look remarkably un-gummy; her bundt cakes look light and fluffy of crumb.

Vegalicious tackles the question, "What do vegans eat, anyway?" and provides both recipes and news pertaining to topics of animal rights, environmentalism, and vegetarianism.

And there's always the Post Punk Kitchen's blog--from the ladies who brought us Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (remember Anna's chai latte cupcakes?), and, more recently, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

Each of these sites also includes links to other vegan and vegetarian-themed blogs. Explore!

Frozen Vegan Goods

For those of us who are too lazy to cook or whose parents won't feed them vegan food, don't be afraid! Vegan frozen foods are here, once again, to save the day! It's SuperVegan-Frozen-Goods!

Now, in all seriousness, there are many vegan frozen goods, that are easy to make. Even one with little microwave experience can make these. The stores that carry the most variety of Vegan frozen goods are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Both are pretty good about labeling them vegan, which is helpful when shopping. Many of these foods take no longer, and sometimes shorter, than it would to cook other frozen foods. Therefore one's hunger can be combated more quickly!

Some of my favorite frozen goods are Vegan Pad Thai, from Trader Joe's, Vegetable Gyoza, from Trader Joe's, and a vegetable pizza, that Trader Joe's used to sell but not any more. I know there are more, but these are the ones I have on a weekly basis and frequently pull out when I'm hungry!

Tofu Dogs

Of the many of the "faux" meat products available on the vegan market, tofu dogs seem to be one of the more difficult items to replicate in its vegan form. Some are too rubbery or have a weird aftertaste, but, for those who loved hot dogs before their meat-eating days were over, never fear! Smart Dogs, a brand of tofu dogs and other fake meat products, has a delicious, vegan tofu dog that is the perfect replacement!

While one great way to enjoy the yumminess of your newly discovered tofu dog is to roast it over an open fire while sipping from sweet chocolate soymilk from a thermos, another great way to put these pups to use is to make tofu-dogs-in-a-blanket! The Vegan Family Cookbook by Brian P. McCarthy offers a tasty home-made recipe for dough to wrap those tofu dogs in; it's quick and easy, a perfect addition to any meal that fits into a hectic lifestyle. Enjoy!

1 pack of 8 tofu dogs
3 1/2 cups flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/5 cup extra light olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 F

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. With a spoon, stir in the soy milk and oil. Stir until just moistened.
3. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 12 x 16 inches.
4. Cut into 8 rectangular piece, 4 x 3 inches each.
5. Wrap one piece of dough around each tofu dog.
6. Place on oiled cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of dough comes out clean.

Note: I usually end up with plenty of extra dough (the recipe makes a lot!), and a great way to use up this extra dough is to make small biscuits! They take the same time to cook and taste great with a dab of vegan margarine!