I Am A Forever Dog

I've seen a few of these photos floating around facebook this week and sincerely appreciate the sentiment of whoever created the original version. It's so disheartening to know that millions of dogs are abandoned (and euthanized) at the shelter every year in the U.S. because they've become an "inconvenience"  to the families that adopted them.

This photo is a great reminder that dogs are family, they bond with us, and science has proven that they experience a wide range of emotions, including grief.

Pass this photo along and remind everyone you know that a commitment to a pet is for life.

All Is Merry and Bright

This past weekend I went on a baking bender with my friend Ali. We just finished finals week in grad school, so what better way to celebrate than making baked goods?  We baked for about 7 hours straight, fueled by champagne and Christmas carols. Ali isn't vegan, but she's open to exploring, so I tried to pick some recipes that would be fun for the vegan curious. I can confidently say that these would be great additions to any holiday party menu.

For starters, we made zucchini bread, the recipe can be found in this previous post.
This is an annual tradition around our house each Christmas season. It's easy to make and addictive.

Zucchini Bread - ClearlyVegan.com

Next up we made peanut brittle. This recipe only takes about 15 minutes to complete, but timing is everything, and it wouldn't hurt to have a little assistance on this one, as you'll see in the recipe.  Peanut Brittle - ClearlyVegan.com

Peanut Brittle 

Ingredients:

2 c. vegan sugar

1 c. light corn syrup (karo)

1/2 c. water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 t. baking soda

Instructions:

1. Boil sugar, syrup and water and keep stirring until mixture reaches hard candy temperature.
   We don't actually use a thermometer, although you could, but all you really need is a cup of room temperature water. Once the mixture starts to turn a bit golden, you can take a little bit of the mix and drop it in the cup of water. If it turns hard and crunchy, then you are ready for the next step, if not, it will be more like taffy and you'll know to keep stirring. If the mixture gets beyond a golden color it is burned, so this is the most key part of the process. Keep testing the mix frequently.
2. Once the mixture reaches the hard candy stage, add peanuts to the boiling mixture and keep stirring. The mixture gets thick so stirring may get a little tough. A wooden spoon works best.
3. Keep stirring and add the baking soda and vanilla.
4. Stir while it reacts to the boiling mixture and quickly pour onto a cookie sheet.
5. Spread the mixture out to desired thickness quickly because the candy will harden.
6. It is helpful to have one person pour out the mixture while the other spreads it on the cookie sheet.
7. Allow to completely chill on cookie sheet then break into small pieces and serve.

Peanut Brittle - ClearlyVegan.com

Peanut brittle makes a great gift item. In fact, we found lots of cute holiday treat bags and boxes at Michael's on sale for 50% off this week. The "Made With Love" bag above is part of the Martha Stewart collection.

The third item we attempted was snickerdoodle cookies. I say attempted because these weren't our favorite item of the night. We decided we'd have to try them again sometime because the recipe is great, we just made them too big and they got really crispy. You can find the recipe at Vegan Yum Yum if you're a snickerdoodle fan.

The final item we made was a fruit crisp. This turned out to be our favorite, so it deserves a post of it's own, which I'll share later this week.  Many thanks to Ali for all the baking fun. It's so exciting when non-vegans are open to exploring vegan recipes. I think desserts are a great introduction.

And of course, holiday baking wouldn't be complete without a playlist of Christmas Carols.
Here's one song that made our baking experience all the merrier.
Hopefully it fills your day with a little joy too. Happy Holidays!

Bruce Springsteen, Merry Christmas Baby

Being Vegan

So, why did you decide to be a vegan? That's a question we hear a lot!

To be honest, we're not always sure how to answer because food is such a sensitive topic in our culture. It's not that we don't know the reasons why we're vegan, but it's often difficult to tell if people want to hear the full answer. In a lot of cases, ignorance is bliss, and people would rather dismiss our lifestyle as "fringe" than be curious about what inspired it.

Typically our approach is to give a brief reply and move on because we're not interested in being preachy. On the other hand, if someone really wants to know, we're happy to get real about it. 

Along these lines, we found a great interview (via Vegan Mainstream) where Ellen Degeneres perfectly articulates to Katie Couric why many people choose to become vegan. We appreciate how well she spoke to the heart of the matter without coming off as judgmental.  Hopefully it will give more insight to all the people that wonder why anyone would eat a vegan diet. We realize that different people are moved by different causes, and this may not be yours, but if you want to understand the heart of a vegan, watch this interview.

Want to learn more about factory farming? It's not pleasant, but knowing where your food comes from might make all the difference in the choices you make. Check out Earthlings here.

 “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

 - Leonardo DaVinci

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Today we're happy to be sharing the perfect summertime salad recipe.

Our Southwest Quinoa Salad is refreshing, light and packed with nutrients. It's a healthy alternative to the typical potato or pasta salads you may find being served at summer BBQ's. We created it after being inspired by a dish we tried at a new local café we love. 

We simply chose our favorite ingredients, mixed with quinoa, chilled and the result was fantastic! Plus, it only takes 15 minutes or so to prepare. 

Bonus: quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an excellent source of protein.
It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa also contains other nutrients such as: magnesium, iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, copper, phosphorous, vitamin E and fiber. Many people prefer quinoa as a substitute for other grains because it's gluten-free.

If you'd like to learn more about quinoa, there's an in depth article at "The World's Healthiest Foods" site.

Southwest Quinoa Salad (v, gf)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa (uncooked)

1 15 oz. can organic black beans drained

1/3 cup chopped cilantro (plus additional for garnish)

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 t cumin

1 squeezed lime wedge

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Rinse the quinoa before cooking to avoid a bitter taste.
2. Place two parts water to one part quinoa in a saucepan over medium-high heat. 
3. Simmer the quinoa for about 15 minutes or until the grain becomes translucent and the white germ forms a visible spiral on the exterior of the quinoa grain. Try to ensure there is an al dente bite to the germ, in the same way as pasta. 
4. Set cooked quinoa aside in large mixing bowl.
5. Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients to the quinoa and stir lightly.
7. Chill, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Think Different

One thing we love about our "vegan community" is the willingness of people to be creative and move beyond the confines of status quo. We love to engage with change-makers! So whether you're a full blown vegan or someone who has simply used our info to test the waters, we're grateful for your willingness to try something new.

For your health. For the animals. For the planet. 

Here's to making changes that align with your deepest values. 

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