Veg does it

from cnn.com Ultra Man fuels on plant-based diet.

Added On October 29, 2010

A California lawyer transformed from coach potato to Ultraman competitor on a plant-based vegan diet.

link to video

Do you eat pork?

It turns out pig products are not just found in butcher shops.  From the shower to the human body, Christien Meindertsma traces the “afterlife” of pig 05049.

How Soy Can Kill You and Save Your Life

“Eating soy will kill you!” Scan the media reports and surf the Internet, and you’re bound to come across scary claims that would lead you to believe this is true. You may have heard:

• Soy will give you breast cancer.
• Soy formula is dangerous to babies.
• Genetically modified soy foods may modify you.
• Soy foods block your thyroid function.
• Soy prevents the absorption of minerals and interferes with digestion.
• Tofu causes Alzheimer’s disease.

If you want an excellent, unbiased, scientifically sound review of all the relevant human data on soy, Dr. Hyman recommends reading the 100-page report from the Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality entitled, The Effects of Soy on Health Outcomes, which reviewed thousands of studies based on rigorous criteria for scientific validity. Its conclusion was this: There is no evidence of significant benefit or harm based on the quality of evidence that exists today.

So what’s a confused consumer to do? Give up on soy until we know for sure? Or chow down on soy nuts? Don’t panic. There are some things we do know about soy, both good and bad. Read More

Eating meat makes your smell less attractive

Scientific article on The Effect of Meat Consumption on Body Odor Attractiveness

“Results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the odor of donors when on the nonmeat diet was judged as significantly more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense.”

So let’s celebrate the veggie mojo with the Smiths! Here’s this amazing document, the Smiths from their “Meat is Murder” era interviewed by Tony Wilson (remember our previous post on celebs “trying” ayahuasca??)

Recipe: Soup in the vegan lunchbox

posted by ebean

This recipe was inspired by The Vegan Lunchbox’s “Roasted Tomato Basil Soup”.  It is quick, easy, and tasty!

Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 can of tomato sauce, or tomato of some form (whatever you have in your cabinet)
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
Olive oil
Salt
Onion
Garlic powder
Cayenne
2 cups fresh basil leaves
Dried thyme

Directions:
Saute onions in olive oil.  Once translucent, add all the other ingredients to taste.  Use hand blender to blend the soup a little.  Bring to boil and the let simmer.  Eat it, yum!

The Bald and the Beautiful: Shobha Review

posted by ebeans

I slowly begin to realize that I have horrified Shobha’s Jennifer Pesce with my hair removal techniques which often include Nair.  It’s not the fact that I’m DIYing it, it’s that I’m letting chemicals burn hair off of my face.  At Shobha, where they’ll happily remove every last hair from your body, it’s about a holistic approach.  From the denim (washable) strips that also absorb the shock from each pull, to the strict “Shobha no double-dip policy” that keeps you from the possibility (even if it is tiny) of getting herpes on your eyebrows, to the special sugar that you really can eat (seriously), your principles won’t get removed with your hair.

I’ve validated that tube of Nair out of price and convenience, but after visiting Shobha, no more.  I have to admit that I’ve paid the same, if not more, for lousy bikini waxes (etc.) that have given me blood blisters and left hairs that I had to pluck at home in salons with decor that evoked a suburban MVD on a good day…

While lounging on the huge fluffy bed in the waiting area of the Columbus Circle location I drank delicious honey bush tea (had to stay in theme of course) and munched these crazy little Japanese milk candy things that are super tasty while browsing the retail shelves.  In addition to a plethora of lotions and potions made by friendly outside companies, Shobha offers their own line of prep, hair removal, and aftercare products.  All of which are eco friendly, vegan, and fair trade (of course).  So, even if you can’t afford a treatment in one of their three convenient locations, you can purchase a complete at home sugaring kit for just $30. Not yet brave enough to yank on my own, flexible enough to reach, or ready to give up the Shobha’s salon experience, I brought home the Shobha Exfoliating Cloth.  I love it!

Shobha makes you smarter:

• Why take the chance?  Baby powder no more.  Make sure your prep powder is talc-free.
• Double dipping wax sticks is nasty
• When you get a bikini wax, your specialist should remove those pesky strays, not you with tweezers at home!
• Don’t hit the bottle to take the edge off
• Waxing can cause wrinkles — thread instead!

and PS, you can book your appointment online … what’s not to love?

Recipe: DIY Moo-Free Creamery

posted by freebean

With the stock market plummeting, I was in the mood for a little creamy goodness to help shift my mood and with a little inspiration from seabean’s sustenance post… et voila I decided to DIY myself some moo-free almond milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup soaked raw almonds (soaked 4-8 hours)
• 4 cups water
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 T non-alcohol vanilla extract
• 3 T maple syrup

Steps:
1- In a blender, at medium, then high speed, blend soaked almonds, water, and sea salt until smooth.

2- Pour through a strainer to separate pulp.

3- Pour liquid back in the the blender and blend in vanilla extract and maple syrup until smooth.

4- Pour yourself a glass. Enjoy. Share some with a special someone and/or save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.

Valentine’s Cupcakes gone bad, then good again

Posted by ebean

The plan seemed simple enough:  make some cheesy Valentine’s Day themed cupcakes.  What ensued was a long and arduous escapade topped off with a happy cupcake ending.

Step 1:  Find Supplies
This should have been easy.  This is New York!  But no.  I didn’t have a recipe, but wasn’t about to trek all the way back home and then all the way out again.  I was confident that we had all baking basics (flour, sugar, oil, baking powder and soda, vanilla extract, margarine [soy], salt, eggs) except for milk (soy), cupcake cups, and corny red sprinkles for the top.  Three stores later, I headed home without the red sprinkles.

Step 2:  Secure Recipe
Ugh.  Why do frosting recipes always seem to include so much butter?  I settled on a vegan cupcake and frosting recipe from How it All Vegan.

Step 3:  Make Cupcakes
I was a bit sad I didin’t have any egg replacer.  I kept thinking about how in a way I was making meat cupcakes–yuck!  But, finally convinced myself that most cupcakes are made with eggs and it would be okay.  I used a gluten free pancake and baking mix for the flour.  So at least they were gluten and dairy free… What does “just mixed” mean really?

Step 4:  Make Frosting
A complete disaster.  I read “2 cups soy milk” when it was actually 2 tablespoons.  I tried to drain it out, then had to creamy it up.  Not exactly a marketable consistency, but it tasted yummy with lemon juice and strawberries.

Step 5:  Taste Test
Surprisingly delicious.

Vanilla Cake
From How it all Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup dry sweetener
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup oil
• egg replacer (equal to 1 egg)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Mix until “just mixed”.  Pour into cake pan or cupcake cups and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.  Check with toothpick to see when done.  Let cool before frosting.

Barack Obama responds to vegan question (Subtitled)

posted by ebean

Barack Obama responds to vegan question (Subtitled)

The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Ever (and it’s vegan & gluten-free too!)

Posted by ebean

This is just about the easiest cookie recipe I have ever used.  The original inspiration is from the Country Life Vegetarian Cookbook.  I like to make my peanut butter cookies with chocolate or carob chips, gluten-free, and sugar/honey free…

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Easy pleasy vegan gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 c.  Maple, Agave, Brown Rice Syrup, or Honey (I read somewhere that honey inhibits protein absorption in vegans.  It scarred me.)

• 2 tsp. Vanilla extract

• 3/4 tsp. Salt

• 1 1/2 c. Peanut Butter (Organic or natural without partially hydrogenated oils!)

• 1/4 c. Oil

• 1 c.  Whole wheat flour (I used rice flour to make it gluten-free.)

• 1 c.  Oat flour (Again, I went gluten-free and used a really good gluten-free pancake & waffle mix by Cherrybrook Kitchen.)

• Optional chocolate or carob chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Form dough balls with your hands that are a little smaller than a golf ball.  But really, you can make the cookies whatever size you want as these won’t spread.  Place balls of dough on an oiled cookie sheet or parchment paper.  Smash each ball with a fork.  Bake for about 15 minutes, more or less.  Yum!