Eating Consciously

Don't miss another post! Subscribe to Eating Consciously by Email Find me elsewhere... www.veganfacebook.com www.vegantwitter.com www.veganexaminer.com www.veganyoutube.com

Hello, to all my faithful readers!  :D   I am writing to let you know that within the next few days, this feed is going to be moving over to my new  Tumblr .  Now, before you freak out, allow me to explain.  I have realized I have not had the time to write long, formal blog posts in recent time, but I noticed I have had time to make short updates on Twitter and Facebook no matter how busy I am.   So, I am moving everything to my new Tumblr, which will allow me to make more frequent posts and cover a wider array of topics than you are currently used to.  That being said, this blog will ALWAYS remain here and you can always reference old posts, recipes, etc.  I think you will be very happy with the new transition and it will give you much more to read and think about!   I wanted to let you know this was going to happen, just so you wouldn't be surprised to see more frequent updates or be confused when eatingconscious...

Yes, that's right.  Veganism is not a new idea and as the video explains, the term and ideology were coined in 1944.  Check out this fascinating piece that aired back in 1976 on the BBC. Even more interesting...  read the first "Vegan News" magazine from 1944 , which coins the term "vegan."  It was written on a typewriter and the logo is hand-drawn! Part I Part II Part III Don't miss another post!  Subscribe to Eating Consciously by Email Find me elsewhere... www.veganfacebook.com www.vegantwitter.com www.veganexaminer.com www.veganyoutube.com

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s probable that you are at least remotely aware of the video that’s been sweeping the nation, Kony 2012 .  Produced and released by the nonprofit, Invisible Children (IC), the film is clearly compelling and has an almost hypnotic vibe to it.  The video does an excellent job at persuading the unthinking youth of the US with vivid images, emotional storytelling, techno music, and colorful Kony 2012 kits that come complete with signs and bracelets.  For only a few bucks a month, you can feel like you’re making even more of a difference for this tremendous cause, which over 77 million people have tuned into at most recent count. So, who exactly is Kony?  What’s the deal with Invisible Children and is there something we aren’t being told about this cause?  Since the videos release, the have been numerous, credible criticisms of the film.  So many, that the CEO of Invisible Children even released a video to dispute ...

I figured it's been a while since I've posted a recipe, so I decided to share one with you that I just created for the autumn season.  I also have some more recipes to post soon, like Boston Cream Pie, White Bean and Rice Soup, and Butternut Squash Stuffing.  Stay tuned (and subscribe !) for those recipes, among other things.  Also, there will be a new Eating Consciously Podcast episode in the very near future (featuring an interview with TimmyFan !), as well as a piece about communicating with non-vegans over at veganexaminer.com . If you try the Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, leave a comment about how it came out! 1 lb macaroni (I used whole wheat) 1 block extra-firm tofu 2 cloves garlic 1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground 1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground (or 1/4 tsp if freshly grated) 1 tsp salt (or more to taste) 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or olive oil) 1, 15 oz can cooked pumpkin  1 cup nutritional yeast Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the...

While a raw food diet truly makes no sense for an ethical vegan , there’s another unethical consideration that should be taken into account. There’s a lot of evidence that many males in the raw foods movement are flat out homophobic. Not only homophobic, but also ignorant and disgusting bigots. Take the Raw Brahs for example, who recently made an extremely homophobic video featuring the self-proclaimed “ Life Regenerator .” The video features them taking a shower together and making homophobic statements and gestures to each other. The Raw Brahs are, to their own admission, “ solar powered Christian raw food radically honest nomadic elitist minimalist brothers .” In a book entitled, The Raw Controversies , page 118 cites that, “According to David [Wolfe] , Durian was a gay guy that went raw, and then 'left the dark side' and decided to go for women. David and Stephen [Arlin] were convinced that homosexuality could be 'cured' by the raw food diet. More speci...

Most homosexuals eschew the discrimination and prejudice towards them known as heterosexism . In order to be consistent with our morals and ethics, we should make a conscious effort to reject all isms which result in similar discrimination and prejudice towards others. Actions speak louder than words and we can most effectively implement change by living through example. Oppressive ideologies all hold the position that one group of individuals is superior to another. The same discriminatory thought patterns that allow some heterosexuals to see themselves as superior to homosexuals are also inherent in other discriminatory belief systems such as sexism and racism. Sadly, these hateful beliefs too often end in violence towards those being oppressed. Since there is clear commonality among all forms of discrimination, it would make sense that those pushing for justice and equality would embrace the plight of others who are suffering similar injustice and inequality. While many wo...

Don't miss another post! Subscribe to Eating Consciously by Email Find me elsewhere... www.veganfacebook.com www.vegantwitter.com www.veganexaminer.com www.veganyoutube.com

For those of you who didn't listen to my last podcast , I mentioned that I wanted to begin including more social concerns to my activist efforts. I was thinking it's been a while since I had a blog post and I think I've found the perfect opportunity to include such information. In case you don't know, Michele Bachmann is a Tea Party candidate for president, who's married to a " silverfox ," that runs an anti-gay conversion therapy clinic. Basically, he "turns" gays into "straights." Well, beyond the many things this woman is confused about , she seems to truly believe that gays can be turned straight by God. Yes, she and her anti-gay husband attended an anti-homosexual sermon, where the below video was played. She sat in the crowd and watched the video and then she proceeded to take photos with the pastor putting on the hateful sermon! It's funny to us, but sad that Bachmann and those sitting in the sermon with her...

Don't miss another post! Subscribe to Eating Consciously by Email Find me elsewhere... www.veganfacebook.com www.vegantwitter.com www.veganexaminer.com www.veganyoutube.com

Or at least that's what Twitter user, XtopherHorrocks , said in regards to the scathing article that was published yesterday about me. The article came to fruition after I called out Sweet Freedom Bakery for supporting the Philadelphia Zoo. The author of the article, Christopher McJetters , has taken a lame attempt to support the bakery by trying to put the blame on me. Mr. McJetters has a total of five followers on Twitter and the outlet he writes for, Culture Mob , has only 1,654. Not to toot my own horn, but I have 2,978 followers on Twitter, so I'm not too concerned that this article is going to be very damaging for me, especially since I did nothing wrong. Anyone with a brain can see the article by Mr. McJetters is full of blatantly false statements. First Mr. McJetters begins by questioning why I used quotation marks around the word "vegan" when making reference to the bakery. Well, probably because they support the zoo and vegans don't support the zo...

Johnny Weir recently came out as being gay , as if everyone and their grandmother didn't already know that, but he also just came out with a few more things. Johnny "created" a few pieces of "fashion" for Adrienne Landau's fall 2011 collection, which premiered at New York Fashion Week . Really, what kind of gay man would Johnny be if he didn't dabble in a bit fashion design? Not only were Johnny's "designs" hideous, but he showed us once again how hideous his personality is as well. His deathly designs consisted mainly of fur. You know, the skins of murdered foxes, rabbits, minks, and chinchillas? While one might make the argument that fur is no morally different from leather or wool, which is true, what makes this so atrocious is Johnny's apathetic comments towards the issue. You might remember when Johnny was confronted last year about his fox fur trim on his skating outfits. His callous response to that ordeal was, ...

Yep, it's been forever since my last post. I'm back though, and just in time for some holiday cheer! I decided it's time for a recipe and what better than some tasty, adorable gingerbread men?! These guys are so fucking cute, you almost feel bad eating them. So, here it goes... Gingerbread Men: For the dough-- 1/2 C sugar 1/2 C earth balance 1/4 C blackstrap molasses 1/4 C agave nectar 2 C whole wheat pastry flour 1 TBS Ener-G egg replacer 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground ginger In a big ol' bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the earth balance and sugar until well combined. Add the molasses and agave. Mix until well-combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Use your hands to form a ball with the dough. If necessary, add more flour, the dough should be pliable, but not sticky, like play-doh. Refrigerate the dough for at least...

Back in business! Well, sort of. I apologize to all of my regular readers and subscribers, as I have not posted a blog entry for five months! If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook , you probably know that I have been dealing with some personal issues and have been quite busy with school, work, and helping run the newly formed nonprofit, Peace Advocacy Network . So, this blog is not going anywhere, it’s just been stuck on the back burner for a bit longer than anticipated. That being said, I will do my best to keep up with more regular posts now that my schedule has lighted up a bit, but I can’t make any promises as to frequency. What I will say though, is that I’d like to begin incorporating other pertinent issues surrounding veganism, animal rights, and other pressing concerns. So far, this blog has been mostly recipes, but I think you’ll enjoy diving a bit more into some other topics as well. I thought that to start, I could announce something to you that will segue nicely in...

Okay, sorry it's been over two months since my last post! To say I've been busy is an understatement. Being so busy, I've been relying on quick, satisfying meals to sustain myself throughout the week. I figure while I had a spare minute, I'd share a tasty recipe for vegan tacos! Vegan Beef Taco Don't miss another post! Subscribe to Eating Consciously by Email Find me elsewhere... www.veganfacebook.com www.vegantwitter.com www.veganexaminer.com www.veganyoutube.com

Okay, people. I have a shameless product promotion for you. Just to be clear, I do not post for any products that I didn't actually like ;) I thought I wasn't going to like these meatless jerkies , but they were actually good! Most of the vegan jerky products I've tried before were far too dry and hard, but these actually have a moist, meaty texture to them. They come in six exciting flavors and my favorite was Thai Peanut. Mesquite Lime was pretty tasty also. I was actually surprised that even my 17-year-old, non-vegan sister liked them. My favorite part about this product is that the label has a cute little stick person hugging a cow with a heart hovering above them! It looks like they have some of these snacks over at Vegan Essentials , for those who are interested. I wish I would have remembered that when I placed a large order through them last week. Oh well, I need to run and interview Dallas Rising for my podcast , which I assume you will all be listening t...

So, I finally got the chance here to sit down and put this Tiramisu recipe together. In my experience, making GOOD vegan tiramisu is quite an accomplishment and I'm so glad I was finally able to come up with something that's good and doesn't use a ton of costly, processed ingredients. I think the slight coconut flavor of the whipped topping in this compliments the coffee and cake perfectly too! Vegan Tiramisu 1, 9" vanilla cake cut into 1" thick strips 2 C very strong coffee, cold (triple brew it, or use a french press) 2 batches of Creamy Coconut Topping (double the recipe) 1/2 of a 3 oz bar vegan dark chocolate, shaved (use a grater or chop with a knife) Make sure your cake, coffee, and coconut cream are all chilled, or at least below room temperature. Pour the coffee into a bowl. Get out a 9" square glass pan. Dip each strip of cake into the coffee very briefly and begin to cover the bottom of the pan. Only use half of the cake. You can use your ...

So, last time I left you guys with a bit of a cliffhanger. I told you about my fabulous tiramisu recipe, but I promised to deliver it in three parts. Well, here's part two! That means in the next post you get the actual recipe for the tiramisu ;) The real reason I decided to post this recipe in three parts was because I thought each of the individual components were solid enough to stand on their own and that their versatility could land them in a wide variety of uses. This recipe for Creamy Coconut Topping offers a less processed, less expensive, and more delicious alternative to store-bought soy whipped toppings. I'd say the texture of this Creame Coconut Topping is akin to Cool Whip and don't let the coconut scare you, its flavor is gentle and subtle in this context. Once you've mastered this technique, you'll never buy the ready-made stuff again! Creamy Coconut Topping 1 can full-fat coconut milk 1/4 C powdered sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Place the coco...

There's something about the perfect vanilla cake. It's such a versatile baked good because you can glaze it, frost it, toss some berries on it, or even use it as a base for tiramisu as I did! I set out to make the perfect tiramisu (which I did), but I ended up with the perfect vanilla cake as well. A bit healthier than your traditional vegan cake recipe, but it's certainly not lacking in the flavor or texture department. Very satisfying and simple without being bland. What I'm really excited to share with you is my Perfect Tiramisu recipe, but I'm going to lead you up to it in three parts. Today you get the vanilla cake, then I'll give you the yummy coconut cream topping, and finally, you'll get the tiramisu recipe. So, if you haven't done so already, now would be the perfect time to subscribe (hint, hint) to my blog so you don't miss the best tiramisu recipe ever. Better than nonvegan ;) Vanilla Cake 3/4 C sugar 1/4 C oil 1 TBS ground flax ...

I most certainly could not let an entire month go by without a blog post! As I'm sure you have gathered, I've been pretty busy these past few weeks. Beyond my fatal deer incident , my five spring courses started and to say I've been overwhelmed is an understatement. The light at the end of the tunnel is that by the end of this year, I'll be eligible to sit for the national registered dietitian examination! I wanted to share a quick and healthy recipe that will fuel you for these cold winter days. I picked up a bunch of bananas at the store the other day only to get home to see that my soy milk had completely crushed and smooshed all my bananas. So, when life hands you squished bananas, make banana bread! I found a bunch of loose ingredients that have been gathering dust for the past few months and the result was a slightly sweet bread that's satisfying and sustaining. Banana Bread 6 bananas, mashed 1/2 C soy milk 1 tsp vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 TBS aga...