Crazy about Quinoa!

It's been a while - helllooo!

A short update on my past month:

1) Been doing my 29 Day Giving Challenge for 24 days now!

2) Visited Boston to see my bro and sis this past weekend - ate at awesome Boston veggie restaurants like Veggie Planet, The Other Side (not totally veg, but tons of veggie options), and Peace o' Pie. Yum!

3) Have been working like mad on my NY Farm Animal Sanctuary fundraiser. Are YOU coming?

But back to the point...

I really am crazy about quinoa. And for good reason - aside from being a grain that is naturally high in protein, when cooked right, it just tastes amazing. Nutty, fluffy, and fun to eat, quinoa has become my new favorite side-kick to lunches and dinners. And did I mention it's cheap? Like all whole grains, if you buy it in the bulk section of your favorite grocery store or health food store, you can get a whole lot for just a few bucks. Rockin. 

 

Quinoa!

I just made a quinoa recipe from Alicia Silverstone's stellar book, The Kind Diet, and it was so delish I needed to share it here. It takes about 20 minutes to make, only requires a few ingredients, and is a simple and fun way to introduce quinoa into your diet. I used cashew pieces and added golden raisins to mine, and it came out perfectly. Enjoy! 

Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts

from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

recipe by Alicia Silverstone

Serves 2

1 c. quinoa

pinch of sea salt

1/2 c. pine nuts or cashews

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 generous handful fresh basil leaves, chopped

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse well. Combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. 

While the quinoa cooks, heat the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Toast until the nuts are just starting to turn golden, about 6 to 7 minutes, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Transfer to a serving bowl to cool. 

Add the quinoa to the serving bowl with the pine nuts and fluff with a fork. Add the olive oil and basil, stir to combine, and serve.

For more information about Alicia Silverstone and The Kind Diet, go to www.thekindlife.com

Rock It Out: A Night to Benefit New York's Farm Animal Sanctuaries

If any of you are located in or near the New York area, I am in the midst of working on something very exciting - my very first self-produced fundraiser. The cause is one very close to my heart - New York's amazing farm sanctuaries - The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, NY and Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. I've been wanting to make this happen for some time now, but an excuse would always pop up to keep me from pursuing it - I'm too busy now, who's gonna come to this thing?, maybe down the line... but then I realized, if not now, when? And now, I've got a real live ticketing page, I've sent numerous emails out, and I've even got a facebook invite up. I feel very grown-up and proud. But not too proud, of course, because I need a lot of people in the seats for this thing.

That's where YOU come in - if you live nearby and are free that night, please come on out for this. It's not very often that both of these sanctuaries are recognized at the same time at a fundraiser, and I think it will be a very special evening to behold. I already have a bunch of awesome singers lined up for live performances, a bake sale (which, as we all can remember from grade school, is always a good thing), and a raffle with prizes ranging from a copy of the film Food, Inc, to a gift certificate to Blossom, one of New York's fanciest and most delicious vegan restaurants. 

I'll probably blog about this event again as it nears, but for now, I wanted you all to know about this. All the info's below, and it would mean the world to me to have any Kiss Me, I'm Vegan! followers at this thing, since you are always such great supporters anyway.

Thanks a bunch guys and gals - and keep fighting the good fight!

Rock It Out: A Night to Benefit New York's Farm Animal Sanctuaries

Saturday, March 6, 2010 @ 7PM
Reidy Hall at All Souls Church
(1157 Lexington Ave at 80th St, Basement Level)

Come out to support and celebrate two of New York's Farm Animal Sanctuaries - The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, NY (www.woodstockfas.org) and Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY (www.farmsanctuary.org)!

Live performances by:
Cristin Milioti
Whitney Wolf
Melissa Lusk and Matt Roi Berger
Grace McLean
Shaina Taub
Lindsay Wolf and Neimah Djourabchi

Enjoy wine, hors d'oeuvres, a chance to win one of our many raffle prizes, as well as homemade baked goods from our in-house bake sale!

$10 pre-sale
$15 at the door (cash only)

Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at:
https://www.mycommunitytickets.com/event_info.asp?eventid=26496

Ticket includes one free raffle ticket, and all proceeds will be directly donated to these two amazing organizations.

Letter to Ciera

I found this poem as I was looking around on the Kind Life forums. It's a poem written from a vegan mommy to her baby daughter, and I thought it was so touching, funny, and just plain beautiful.

Letter To Ciera by Heather Leughmyer

You’ll never watch an elephant standing on her head
You will see amazing acrobats and painted clowns instead.

You’ll never color Easter eggs or eat a “Happy” Meal
Instead you’ll give pigs belly rubs – You’ll know chickens dream and feel.

The clamor from the ice cream truck won’t be music to your ears
You will know your Soy Delicious caused no suffering or tears.

You may hear a gentle gobble as you softly stroke a turkey
And give thanks that she’s alive as you’re eating your Tofurky.

While other kids buy leather shoes and eat at Chuck E. Cheese
You’ll be kissing cows and feeding goats and saying “soy please!”

Being different can be hard I know - This world is often cruel
Maybe you’ll be laughed at by the other kids at school.

But compassion is a vital gift that too few share with others
And your heart will not be filled with guilt the way it plagues your mother’s.

So don’t ever be embarrassed or ashamed because you care
You’ll be uniquely beautiful with an empathy that’s rare.

And when you see a rescued lamb and touch his thick warm fleece
You’ll feel no sadness or remorse – You can look at him in peace.

What took so long for me to learn, I’ll start teaching you from birth
And your footprint will be much tinier on this fragile earth.

29 Days of Giving

Today, I am sitting snuggled up on my couch with my favorite blanket wrapped around me. Tuesdays are usually my short day of work, so I've gotten in the habit of taking a yoga class once a week to clear my head and find some balance. Unfortunately, there will be no yoga today - and no work for that matter - because I am sick. Really sick. Yesterday, when I started feeling bad, I described the pain to one of the adorable kids I babysit as  "a fire-breathing dragon breathing fire on my throat". So, I've decided to give myself a much-needed day off to recover, leaving me with some time to catch up on here, for which I am so thankful.

Recently, I finished reading a book that has completely changed my world. It's called 29 Gifts, and it's a book by Cami Walker.  My mom gave me this book as a Christmas gift, and I am so happy she did, because it has opened me up to a completely new world - the world of conscious giving. 29 Gifts is a book about Walker who, after suffering for several years with heart-wrenching MS, was given a prescription from a friend and spiritual adviser to give away 29 gifts in 29 days. These gifts did not have to be grand, sweeping purchases, but rather simple acts of kindness - a smile to a stranger, a thank-you card to a friend, a donation to a person in need. After being hesitant about the idea, Walker decided to give the 29 day challenge a try - and it completely turned her world around. After only two weeks of doing the challenge, she was able to walk again without the assistance of a cane, as well as begin working again. She was so inspired by the life-saving effect of the challenge that she wrote 29 Gifts and founded the website www.29gifts.org, as a way of making the challenge an international effort.

I've been so inspired myself that I decided to begin my own 29 days of giving yesterday. Today is my second day, and after considering a plethora of ideas for gifts, I've finally decided on one.

Steve and his mom dancing at the wedding.

Steve's mom has been an integral part of my journey as a vegan, especially in the past year as Steve began his own vegan journey. In addition to always being so accommodating when Steve and I come home for visits, Steve's mom is always on the lookout for new ways to incorporate vegan cooking into her own life. When we decided to host a vegan Thanksgiving dinner, Steve's mom was more than happy to veganize one of Steve's favorite dishes - sweet potato casserole - and bring it to our Brooklyn home. I am already so fortunate to have my own mom who is unconditionally supportive of every effort in my life, but to also have the support of Steve's mom and family has been really amazing.  I am so thankful for all of Steve's mom's kindness - the cookbooks, the meals, the encouraging words on my blog, and the love behind it all.

Below is a recipe Steve's mom adapted from my Halloween stew a few months ago. She has been making this stew for the past few months, and at her recent Hanukkah party, she served this stew as part of a dinner for thirty non-vegan guests. I absolutely love the recipe - it's great for people with sodium sensitivity, and it incorporates beans, an awesome plant protein source.

I hope you enjoy her recipe as much as I do! If you're interested in beginning your own 29 Day Giving Challenge, visit www.29gifts.org. 

Vegan Bean Stew 

(A Recipe by Steve's Mom)  

Ingredients:  

1 - 15 oz. can organic kidney beans (drained in a colander and rinsed)
1 - 15 oz. can organic garbanzo beans (drained in a colander and rinsed)
5 - 6 cloves of garlic (smashed and diced)
3/4 large sweet onion (chopped)
6 small organic red bliss or organic fingerling potatoes (quartered)
1/2 bag of organic baby carrots (cut in half)
2 stalks of organic celery (diced)
8 baby portabello mushrooms (quartered)
1 yellow organic squash (sliced and quartered)
1/2 bag (8 oz.) frozen peas
32 oz. organic low sodium vegetable broth (I used Pacific)
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance margarine
1/3 cup unbleached flour
  
Directions: 
Heat Earth Balance margarine in a stockpot.  Saute garlic and onion. Add kidney beans, garbanzo beans, potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.  Cover with vegetable broth.  Keep remaining broth for later. Cook for 45 minutes. Add peas and squash.  Cook for an additional 10 - 15 minutes. Add flour to remaining vegetable broth and stir.  Slowly add to stew to thicken and stir carefully.  Go slowly, do not over thicken. Can be served with garlic bread or a whole grain vegan bread.

Reasons to Smile

Who can't smile at a cute little goat peeking at you from behind a shed?

1. Two weeks without coffee! I've been trying to transition from coffee to tea (to lower my caffeine intake), and I can honestly say that the chai tea with rice milk I'm currently sipping is well worth it.

2. Daiya Cheese. If you've never had this crazy awesome vegan cheese before, you need to order it online right now! I used it all during the holidays, and it was a dream come true for this vegan.

3. Speaking of the holidays - remembering Christmastime. My mom just gets better and better each year about welcoming my vegan lifestyle into our family home. This past Christmas, she had a handmade menu posted in the dining room with our holiday food selection, which included vegan meatballs (topped with Daiya!), portabello mushroom fillets with horseradish sauce, and a variety of vegan holiday cookies. Yum!

4. Vegan Treats, for making Steve and I this gorgeous wedding cake.

5. The Vegan Noodle Kugel Steve made for my Step-mom and Dad's Hanukkah party. (Recipe by Colleen Patrick Goudreau, The Vegan Table)

6. PETA's "Map of Accomplishments" for 2009. Seeing how much has been accomplished for the animals suffering needlessly is amazing to behold.

7. Giving a cow a much-needed scratch on his forehead.

8. One of Steve's friends recently reading Skinny Bastard, and his decision to take a vegan pledge because of the effect it had on him.

9. Alicia Silverstone and her wonderful book, The Kind Diet. This book has opened my eyes to an even larger world of vegan food - who knew that miso soup could be magical?

10. Tempeh Reubens. With vegan potato salad. 

(I wish I could eat this picture!)

What are your reasons to smile today?

Six Minutes

Ok, people - as I wrote in my previous post, I'm trying to step it up a notch in my blogging by writing about the videos, articles, books, and people who inspire me to remain vegan this year.  Well, I've found something today that has inspired me to continue on my journey, and I feel compelled to share it with you.

I stumbled upon this video this morning after a friend on Facebook posted its website to her profile. It is an undercover investigation of what goes on at a Hatfield Quality Meat supplier - "Country View Family Farms," in Fannettsburg, Pennsylvania. The footage is documented by an undercover representative of Mercy for Animals, an organization dedicated to defending the rights of animals and exposing factory farming's cruelty. The footage you will see is not a unique occurrence - unfortunately, the practices documented in this video occur every day in nearly every factory farm that exists today. These practices are so commonplace that the humans who work at these "farms" have become completely deadened to the pain they witness day in and day out.

I ask you to watch this video, even though I know it may be very difficult. I especially implore you to watch it if you still eat meat and animal by-products, but are curious about leaving that lifestyle behind.  I just finished watching it myself, while tears streamed down my face. It was unbelievably hard to continue viewing it, but I knew I needed to.

I believe that just because we have power as human beings, that in no way should allow us to abuse that power. The pigs shown in this video are representative of all the intelligent, loving, and emotional animals who spend their lives suffering endlessly on factory farms.  I also believe that we have become a society of indirect cruelty - we know deep down as a culture that something is deeply wrong with the way animals are made into food, but a lot of us are too afraid or unconcerned to face that reality. I am asking you to face it today.

Maybe you'll read what I've written here, and after thinking about it, decide not to watch the video today. Please consider watching it anyway. Because the circumstances for these poor animals will not change unless individuals like you actively choose not to be a part of it. I decided a few years ago that I no longer wanted to be a part of any of it, and it has been a long and incredible journey that has led me to go vegan - a decision that has been the best I've ever made in my entire life.

If I haven't yet convinced you, I'll pose this question: if these animals can endure a lifetime of immense abuse and suffering, can't we endure a mere six minutes of a video that documents it?