Best Raw Cooking Show Ever

Here is a most fantastic RAW cooking show by our new friend Zion. Here she shows you how to make yummy cookies!

Vive Le Chocolate Chips

Vegan chocolate cake was the final step for my journey into veganism. When our friends Bunty and Julie made it for us, I knew from the first bite that vegan food wasn't just nuts and berries but could be gourmet.

But my favorite vegan treat, the food that keeps me vegan, are vegan chocolate chip cookies. My favorite recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, Vive le Vegan!, by Dreena Burton.

Vegan on the Cheap

Lowering your grocery bill while eating Vegan is a true challenge. Last year, we outlined our plan to reduce our grocery bill below $200 per month, with this post, No Leftovers, No Way. Although we stuck to many of those principles, it proved harder than we first thought and our grocery bill, though smaller, was not small enough for our budget.

The real challenge went beyond sticking to certain guidelines and fell more into sticking to a certain budget, Cutting Our Vegan Grocery Bill In Half. Only when we said we would only spend x dollars per week did our grocery bill truly shrink.

This post was the sidebar note from 11.2008 to 12.17.2008

Peaceful Prairie

Peaceful Prairie is our local animal sanctuary and they do amazing work. They need help raising money to buy land that will help them expand. Please help by donating what you can! Thank you.

See note below. Immediate action is needed. The contact email address is peacefulprairie@netecin.net Kathleen

Dear Friend of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary,
We have an incredible opportunity to expand the sanctuary by 35 acres and to
acquire a 4000 square foot home that will be converted into an Education
Center and volunteer / intern housing and B&B for sanctuary visitors.

This kind of capital improvement to the sanctuary is 10 years overdue -- but
we now have the opportunity to purchase the property for $100,000.00.
Thanks to one VERY generous benefactor, we've already raised $70,000.00!!!

We need to raise the other $30,000.00 before the end of the week in order to
make a cash offer on the property.

Another family has placed an offer and, due to the Agricultural zoning, they
will have to use the land to enslave and exploit animals.

Please help us stop it before it starts, while simultaneously expanding the
sanctuary and our ability to care for and advocate for countless more victims
of the egg, dairy, flesh producers and consumers.
Time is of the essence - if you are able to contribute to this, please let
me know right away.
Thank You!
Michele Alley-Grubb
_Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary_

Keller for President

Steve and I were talking about the election at dinner tonight. Keller asked if we had voted and we said yes, then Steve said that he voted for Keller Whitney. Keller pointed to my button (Obama) and said "I want to be like that guy, he gets to vote right?"

I told him that yes he does get to vote but that he is also running for president which means that people who like what he has to say will vote for him and people who don't like what he has to say will vote for someone else.

Keller said "I have good things to say too" then I asked him what he would do to make our country better. Here is his platform

I will have more buses.
I will cut down all the old wires and put up new ones.
I will plant more apple trees, cherry trees, and blueberries.
I will turn off the lights so that I can cut down all the old electricity and put up new electricity.

So, this sounds good right....

Well, like with any politician there's a seedier side to ol' Keller Whitney

When asked again what he would do to make things better he replied "I would steal all the toy money and buy new toys!"

Hey, at least he is honest about it.

Happy World Vegan Day

Today, November 1st, is World Vegan Day. So, Happy World Vegan Day to you. TIME magazine says:

November 1 is World Vegan Day, a celebration of people who don't eat meat. Or eggs. Or cheese. Or mayonnaise. Or honey. Or whey. Or gelatin. Or anything that comes from or includes an animal. Nor do they use any clothing, accessory or object made from an animal. No leather, no wool, no pearls, no ivory-keyed pianos. The animal-free holiday began in 1994, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vegan Society.

I might add that Vegans eat a diversity of food that rivals (or in many cases exceeds) our animal eating counterparts and that this food is outrageously delicious with the added benefit of being cruelty free. TIME may say that we are "out there on the fringe," but there is no where I would rather be when it comes to our collective treatment of our furry and less furry friends.