I am willing to bet that you’ve had a busy week.  Perhaps you haven’t had the opportunity to read every new vegan article this week.  No worries, I’ve compiled it all in one neat package for you.  So grab a cool drink, relax, and read up on everything you might have missed.  Enjoy!

The YDV Roundup

Elianni Mediterranean Linguine When Elianni asked me if I’d like to do a review of their products, I admit to being intrigued. Elianni makes a variety of products: Vegan Veggie rolls, Veggie Cutlets, pate, and the very special, Mosto de Lagrima- an organic free-run grape juice. I wanted to try them all and I was fortunate enough to actually do so.  I made a lovely linguine dish with the Mediterranean Veggie Roll. Try it, I think you like it.

Why These Two Vegan Cookbooks Rock My World When my husband first saw me read a cookbook, like page-after-page, cover-to-cover, he asked me, “You READ cookbooks?” Yes, when I’m serious about a cookbook, I actually read it.

Unsung Vegan Hero: Erin Red

You may not know Erin Red’s face, but it’s quite possible you know her voice. As the host of the podcast Red Radio – bringing vegan banter with a bite to your earholes since November 2011 – Erin Red has been an enthusiastic voice for the animals! An ethical vegan, Erin Red is passionate about animal activism and covers a range of topics in her work – which includes interviews with featured guests that are notable within the movement as well as with “fresh veggies” (new vegans).

My Babysitter Took My Vegan Kid To the Zoo! Now What? My husband and I recently went away for the first time without our toddler, who we left in the loving hands of his sitter and aunties. In the middle of our trip, our sitter sent a text pic of our son petting a goat. His aunties have known us for years and understand that zoos don’t gel with our vegan family values, but the sitter (who happily complies with the dietary angle) didn’t see the connection.

Pistachio Dark Chocolate Coconut Popsicles These slightly sweet coconut pops, enrobed in dark chocolate and toasted pistachios, are now your best friend and worst enemy, if you’re like me and have no control when it comes to coconut and chocolate. No ice cream machines or fancy contraptions are needed- just a good old-fashioned freezer.

How Turkeys Changed My Life (And How They Can Change Yours Too)

Turkeys are unique. Each individual turkey has a personality, a unique perception of the world around them. Personally meeting a turkey at a sanctuary can make all the difference, as it did for me. In an instant, the word “turkey” changed from an object, a thing, into “turkeys,” an animal, an individual.

How to Make Friends and Alienate Vegans Ever wonder how to alienate part of your clientele? One restaurant chain has it down! In one of Red Robin’s latest commercials, they claim that they “cater to a lot of different tastes.” After all, they have twenty-four different burgers. The woman in the ad conspiratorially points out, “They even have a garden burger just in case your teenage daughter is going through a phase.” Wink wink, nudge nudge.

How Do I Get People to Listen? It is extremely difficult to be 14 years old and believe in something. No one takes you seriously. No one thinks you know anything. And kids make fun of anything that is different.

Help Name For the Animals’ New Resident Hen! There is a new hen at For the Animals Sanctuary in Blairstown, New Jersey, and they need your help to give her a new, fitting name.

Do I Need to Worry About My Cholesterol Levels As a Vegan?

Do you need to worry about your cholesterol levels as a vegan? Maybe. Anya Todd RD gives you the information you should know.

National Catfish Day Celebrates Food, Not Fish President Reagan proclaimed this a national day of celebration of a “food animal.” Does that mean we can’t celebrate the same animal as something more?

Plant a Seed and Watch It Grow: Lancaster, PA Community Space Needs Your Help! As the only vegan in a group of five spending a long weekend in Amish country, dining options required a little planning, but it was well worth it upon discovering The Seed, a worker-owned community space and veg cafe in downtown Lancaster. I loved the food; I loved the space.  We got the opportunity to sit and talk to them about The Seed and their upcoming projects.  It was an interesting conversation, let me tell you all about it.

Vegan News from Around the Globe

Animal Cruelty Charges For Man Accused Of Trying To Behead Dog. “Felony charges for animal cruelty are rare, but charges have been filed against a Twin Cities man who police say tried to cut a dog’s head off with a machete. Jack, an 11-pound miniature pinscher, survived the initial attack, but had to be euthanized after a desperate effort to save his life. George Nichols is charged with one felony count of animal torture and one of animal cruelty. He could face up to three years in prison.”

Mouse cloned from drop of blood. “Circulating blood cells collected from the tail of a donor mouse were used to produce the clone, a team at the Riken BioResource Center reports in the journal Biology of Reproduction. The female mouse lived a normal lifespan and could give birth to young, say the researchers. Scientists at a linked institute recently created nearly 600 exact genetic copies of one mouse. The research is aimed at large-scale production of high-quality animals for farming or conservation purposes.”

Wildlife officials to round up geese in Saltville. “Rounding up geese that can’t fly will hopefully be easier than herding cats as USDA Wildlife Services officials head to Saltville next week to perform this service for the town. Saltville Town Manager Mike Taylor said the approximately 400 Canada geese living in the well fields area outside town are doing tremendous damage to the Saltville Golf Course and causing other problems.’ They’re beautiful and pleasing to watch, but they can get annoying,’ Taylor said. ‘They visit the local farms and eat the corn and other things, and they always leave a little memento.’ Those little mementos of goose droppings can add up to quite a mess, he said.

Climate to send more animal traffic to these 6 spots. “The southeastern US and five other regions could be major routes for mammals, birds, and amphibians on their way to cooler environments in a warming world. Other areas that could see pronounced animal movements are northeastern North America, including around the Great Lakes and north into Canada; southeastern Brazil, home to both the species-rich Atlantic Forest and major cities such as Sao Paulo with its 11 million residents; and the Amazon Basin.”

The Veggie Wrap

Worried that you may have missed the latest vegan tidbits from the week? Never fear, or miss a beat, as The Veggie Wrap is here to wrap-up the hottest snippets in one easy to digest (and yummy) package!

How to Get the Latest Vegan Beauty Products for Less Than $20 a Month Want another reason to love Vegan Cuts? Here’s one: the launch of their brand new Vegan Cuts Beauty Box. Treat yourself to cruelty-free beauty without the hefty price tag. All new subscriptions also receive a $15 gift certificate to Vegan Chic.

Power Through Your Daily Life with Power Vegan Want to know how to get the most out of your fitness regimen with a vegan diet? Look no further than Power Vegan by Rea Frey. From common excuses in regards to exercise (I don’t have time) to recipes, this book has everything you need throughout all stages of your vegan diet.

Win a $500 Summer Shopping Spree from HealthyChic If your summer workout wardrobe needs a little sprucing, enter to win a $500 shopping spree to HealthyChic courtesy of GirlieGirl Army and Alignyo.

Ellen Gives A Tractor of a Gift Oh, Deere! Ellen DeGeneres gifts away a John Deere lawn-cutting tractor to vegan farmer, Melissa Karpel in celebration of John Deere’s 50^th Anniversary.

Sustainable Vegan Footwear from the Land Down Under Own a piece of the awesome Land Down Under through sustainable vegan footwear company, Vegan Wares. From shoes to belts, Vegan Wares has durable every-day wear that is cruelty-free and environmentally sustainable.

Enter to Win in the Crazy Sexy Picnic-Palooza Contest Having a picnic this summer? Make sure to take a picture of your little shindig and go to Kris Carr’s website to enter the Crazy Sexy Picnic-Palooza Contest. Each month, one lucky person will be chosen to win a picnic basket with goodies!

Former Cheetah’s Claws Come Out You can now wear the colors of NYC on your fingertips thanks to the Empire collection by vegan nail-lacquer company, Fingertip Fetish.

Veggie Grill Makes Forbes List Los-Angeles based plant-based restaurant, Veggie Grill, named as one of the fastest growing companies of the year by Forbes in their article, “15 Explosively Growing Companies to Watch This Year.”