Your Daily Vegan

Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. – Albert Camus

Abused patience turns to fury. – Thomas Fuller

Dairy is like a drug, a cruelty-filled drug.

The USS Enterprise is en route to the neutral world of Parliament with delegates from two warring planets, the Selay and the Antican, when Riker is called to discuss a disagreement about the food requirements of the Antican delegates:

Riker:  “We no longer enslave animals for food purposes.”

Antican: “But we have seen humans eat meat.”

Riker: “You’ve seen something as fresh and tasty as meat but inorganically materialized out of patterns used by our transporters”

Antican:  “Sickening. Barbaric.”

[incredulous look]

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Lonely Among Us S1 E8, 1987

I love quiet mornings spent in my kitchen waiting for the world to wake up, listening to the chatter of the birds and squirrels alongside my quiet chops on the cutting board.  There’s beauty in these quiet moments…

One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity. ~ Edward de Bono

Vegan Illustratus (n): enlighten vegan philosophy, clarify vegan ethics, to provide with visual features intended to explain vegan theory and demonstrate institutionalized animal use.

I love vintage valentine cards.  I love the whimsical designs, the always-corny puns, and the sometimes unintentional creepiness that can come with the puns.  Sometimes, however, sometimes there’s just no words.  In honor of Valentine’s Day, I present to you this years awful animal-themed vintage valentine cards.

“Hope you like this cute little angry kitty that I pissed off by pulling his/her tail and then brought to you for angry little snuggles. Be Mine!”

Nothing says “I Love You” like Winky the Butcher with his meat cleaver and fully plucked dead goose.

“Yes please, get on this paper and stick around valentine- it’s not like you’ll have much of a choice anyway…”

Wherein “game” is the euphemism for “shoot you dead” and creepy-eyed vintage hunters use astronaut helmets for safety.

“Valentine, it’s time. Open my trap. No, really, OPEN THE #$@!! TRAP!”

This Valentine’s Day, choose compassion.  There is no greater (love) gift.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all and to all some vegan chocolate!

[line]

For more vintage cray cray, check out Vegan Illustratus: 1st Annual Valentine’s Day Edition!

Halloween.  Sometimes it seems that it’s all for the kids, doesn’t it?  There is so much fun to be had when you’re little.  Parties, costumes- trick-or-treating.    But Halloween fun shouldn’t be limited to just the kids, us adults should have some mischief as well.  I mean, who doesn’t love a little mischief?

One of the things I hear most from people about hostessing parties is that it’s hard to know what to make if the party is a mix of vegan and non-vegan guests.  No worries!  I’ve tried these recipes out on vegans and omnivores alike with complete success!  In fact, I rarely have left overs.  You can feel confident that your guests won’t even realize your serving up vegan fare, unless you tell them.  They’ll just think it’s delicious food.

First up, the menu.  Choose a simple style buffet of finger foods that you can make in advance.  This will leave you more time to enjoy your guests.

Sample Menu (pictured above): Nate’s Meatless Meatballs, Asparagus Phyllo Wraps, Pirate’s Booty Veggie, Baby Vegan Cheese Balls, and Organic Crackers.

A side note about the cheese balls, I made small mini single-serving cheeseballs- which, in hindsight, was a pain in my butt.  It sounds like a good idea until your on your second batch of rolling sticky nut cheese into itty bitty balls.  That said, it was perfect as far as not having to have silverware out for the party- everything could be picked up with a toothpick.

Get This Look:

• Add a Gothic look by piling layers of old lace tablecloths (curtains work well too) over each other.  You can find these at a local thrift store for pennies.
• Top the table with a few size cauldrons, which can easily be found at any dollar store.  Find a bowl that you own that will fit over top the cauldron without falling in.  If you need to, use an inverted bowl inside the cauldron to add height to set your bowl on.
• Fill old drinking glasses and/or glassware with tea light candles to create a spooky atmosphere.  The more the better.  You can also find these at the local thrift stores for pennies.
• Add skulls, hands, and other unexpected items as decorations.  I used paper mache skulls that I made using tissue paper and watered down glue- it was cheap, easy, and fun.

Desserts:

Choose a monochromatic palette as a theme for your desserts.  In this case, I chose white.  First, because it would be spooky.  Second, because artificial food colors are tested on animals.  Gross.

Dessert Menu (pictured above): Russian Tea Cakes, Sugar Cookies w/royal icing, Simple Agave Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Frosting, and Boo Cakes.

The Russian Tea Cakes are butter cookies rolled in powdered sugar and is a family recipe.  The Simple Agave Cupcakes can be found in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  The Boo Cakes are Sweetly Spiced Cake with Maple Icing made into mini ghost shapes.  Which, I fully admit doesn’t follow the white theme of the party.  In defense, these are some super awesome tasting treats that you’ll wish you made more so you’d have left overs.  That’s right, I’m talking hoarding good.

Get This Look:

• Add height using a cardboard box covered in lace.
• Make mini spooky pumpkins.  Take old black stockings and cover each pumpkin.  It’s a super quick way to decorate pumpkins, plus you get to cook the pumpkins after your party is over.  Simply remove the stockings and bake!
• Unique candle holders.  Find an apple, mini pumpkin or other gourd that sits somewhat level on a surface.  Carve out the top in the shape of a tea light holder (don’t make it deep, just enough to have the top of the candle match the top of the object.  (I used white mini pumpkins in the table setting above)

Who can have a cocktail party without cocktails?!  Here are a few suggestions:

• “Boo Shots” – Coconut milk, pineapple juice, rum
• “Blood Shots” – Beet juice, lime, vodka
• “Sludge Shots” – Green vegetable juice, apple juice, white rum
• Rum Punch – Apple cider, golden rum, brown sugar, spice mix (cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, orange peel- similar to mulling spices)

Get This Look:

• Cover liquor bottles with spooktacular labels easily found at almost any craft stores these days.  Or, make your own buy using mailing labels and markers.

After the jump I show you some more spooky decorating ideas that are super easy and inexpensive but look super creepy!

(more…)

All Hallow’s Eve is quickly approaching on October 31st.  It’s my favorite holiday and not just because it takes place in my favorite month.  No, Halloween wins on pure spooky fun alone.  Or is it the glowing pumpkins?  Perhaps I can’t resist the costumes (which I’ve been told repeatedly that I mispronounce- I say cos-chumes) or the decorations that can run from cute to scary.  Maybe it’s the treats that end up in my belly, or the silly scary fun to be had.  Most likely, it’s a little bit of everything.

I’m the girl that has been collecting Halloween things for many, many years.  I’ve got huge goblins, pirates, and zombies- bats, spiders, and skulls.  A full apothecary of curious items, limbs, and signs- tombstones, torches, and more.  It’s crazy.  Some people collect…well, whatever they collect.  I collect Halloween items.  And every year, I turn my home into a spook-tastic manor for an annual Halloween party- and I do it vegan-style (for a largely omnivore crowd).

I’m going to share some of my most successful vegan treats, tips, and tricks to make your Halloween as awesome as it can be.  I’ll be covering stuff like themed party planning, recipes my vegan and omnivore friends love, and spooky (and cheap) decorating tips- plus some good advice for keeping the animals safe this Halloween, plus everything in between.

Our countdown till Halloween is on with a new post with new ideas every day, 14 in all.    Stay tuned.

Mwah ha ha ha ha ha!

The brisk autumnal air is coming, can you feel it?  The leaves are beginning their journey from the deep greens of summer to the colorful reds, yellows, and oranges of fall.  Soon they’ll be falling from the trees and swirling around in the wind.

So grab a comfy sweatshirt, a blanket you don’t mind using on the ground, some of your favorite vegan friends- autumn is the perfect time to make some fire.

Here’s some tips to make your fires as vegan fun as it can be.

1. No Fancy Equipment Necessary

To get started you’re going to need a safe place to build a fire.  You could go and buy a metal grated fire pit, they sell them at most of the large box stores these days.  Or, you can make your own.

2. Safety First

Make sure the area surrounding your fire pit is cleared of any detritus that could catch fire if an ember jumped out.  Be mindful of the animals living at your home if they will be outside.  Keep chairs, cases of beer, and other items away from the edge of the fire pit.  Seems elementary I realize, but trust me- it’s very important to know the distance you need to be from the fire to avoid melting your flip flops, I’m just saying.

3. Free Firewood

If you’re going to have a fire, you’re going to need to build it.  Channel your inner scout and soon you’ll have a blazing fire to chill by.

• Collect kindling by cleaning up your yard and neighborhood.  Trust me, your neighbors would love it if you collected the dead branches from their lawns.  Just be sure to gain permission before trespassing on someone’s property.
• Save junk mail (not the heavily inked printed junk, recycle that) or newspapers as your firestarter.
• Seek out scrap wood.  Be sure not to burn lumber, as most of it has been chemically treated.

4. Reuse & Recycle

Instead of buying brand new fancy lawn furniture, re-use items from yard sales or the like.  Grab a bunch of old blankets and make a circle around the fire for everyone to sit down on.  Use cushions from lawn furniture on blankets on the ground.  And don’t forget the animals, add a cushy spot for them to sit on.  Serve beverages in thick coffee mugs that you can find in a thrift store for pennies.

5. Vegan Eats

Cooking up vegan grub on a campfire is super easy and delicious.  You could:

• Get some Dandies. Put ‘em on a stick.  Light those babies up.  Blow ‘em out and enjoy.  Add dairy-free chocolate and honey-free graham crackers for the ultimate vegan smores.
• Wrap onions, green peppers, pineapple, and chucks of seitan in foil with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Toss it on a grate over the fire, cook until tender.
• Roast whole corn on the cob [still in the husk].  Corn is harvested in October, making it one of the most delightful additions to camp food.
• Package up sliced potatoes with chives, green or white onions, and a bit of olive oil [salt, pepper to taste].  Cook until tender.

There is something to be said for having a hot beverage on a cool night by the fire.  In your thick thrift store mugs you could serve:

• Hot apple cider.  Spike it with rum or not, add cinnamon sticks and thin apple slices for flair.
• Hot Coffee.  Spike it with rum  or not- add warm non-dairy milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for an autumn latte.
• Hot Tea.  Add cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, agave, and warm non-dairy milk for a chai tea.

How about you?  Share some of your ideas for some vegan fun around the fire.

It’s been a week of recharging and reloading.  I’ve drank juice (lots and lots of juice), went walking with the dogs, pulled weeds in the garden, visited the local farmers market, had lovely conversations with my mother, meditated, and planned for my future.  It’s an exciting time, a time of reflection.  It feels good to take a break from life- even if it is only for a one day.  Big smiles, I’ll be back next week sassier than ever.