Vegan

"Fair Trade" Does Not an Ethical Chocolate Bar Make

category: Vegan

Published July 28, 2009 @ 07:35AM PT

Much ado has been made recently about Cadbury's decision to go Fair Trade with its Dairy Milk chocolate bar line, the top-selling chocolate bar in the UK (sort of like the British equivalent of Hershey's, for Americans who aren't familiar). But although the company should absolutely be commended for its concern for cocoa farmers and its commitment to helping them via a switch to Fair Trade, this move doesn't suddenly make the bars devoid of ethical problems; there are still mothers, sons, and daughters quite literally dying for the Dairy Milk bars from Cadbury and for other chocolate.

And although this announcement was written about and celebrated in various venues, it was the title and content of a recent Guardian article, "Socially aware chocoholics rejoice as Cadbury's Dairy Milk goes Fairtrade," that really struck me. The article began with this line:

Good news: eating bars of Dairy Milk is no longer greedy — it's snacking with a social conscience.

And that's where I let out a sad sigh.

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Friday Food: BLT Salad, Balsamic Chickpeas, Raspberry Ice Cream

by Stephanie Ernst

category: Vegan

Published July 24, 2009 @ 11:54AM PT

Sorry for the post delay today, folks. What was originally scheduled for earlier today had to be postponed as a result of some technical difficulties. In the meantime, please enjoy Friday Food. :) And see above for a photo of one of the yummy Daiya/Whole Foods pizzas I told you about last weekend (photo courtesy of the Traveling Vegetarian)! Unfortunately, I don't think any of us got a photo of the individual cheese pizza slices we devoured, and those were where you could really see the gooey magic, but this pizza was fantastic too.

Now on to food you can make yourself, without having to go to Los Angeles or, in most cases, order ingredients from far-away places:

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

BLT Salad from VeganYumYum (creative, this one!)

Cabbage and Grean Pea Curry and Green Chili Potatoes from the Innocent Primate Vegan Blog

Soul Food Recipe Roundup from Vegan Hope

Sun-Brewed Hibiscus Tisane from Raw Epicurean

Italian Sub, Veggie Style and Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream from Vegan Dad

Rum Caramel Sauce from VegNews

Blackened "Steak" Sandwich and Lotus Root and Parsley Salad w/ Red Onions, Walnuts and Raspberry Vinaigrette from Rhymes with Vegan (this blog is a new find for me; thanks go to Dallas Rising of the Minneapolis-based Animal Rights Coalition for sharing it on Facebook)

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Food Not Bombs: Connecting Compassionate Movements for 30 Years

by Stephanie Ernst

category: Vegan

Published July 23, 2009 @ 07:58AM PT

To the list of things I'm terribly embarrassed to admit, add that I didn't realize until sometime in the last year that Food Not Bombs, founded in 1980, beyond being a generally peaceful, nonviolence-promoting, social justice-focused grassroots movement, is also a vegan movement. Over the years, I heard the name of the group periodically and saw info on events or meetings, but clearly, I never looked into it much. But now I know, and of course, I was excited to see Keith McHenry, co-founder of the movement, at AR2009.

My first encounter with him was alongside Deb of Invisible Voices at the Food Not Bombs table in the exhibit hall, and I have to admit--I was enamored with him right away. You know how some people just exude goodness? He's like that. Anyway, I also hadn't heard about one of Food Not Bombs' latest projects: Since July 4, they have been baking bread in a solar oven (and then sharing it) in front of the White House every day, in a campaign titled "The Change We Knead Now: Bake Bread for World Peace." The campaign is calling on Obama to do the following (you can sign the online version of the petition here):

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Compassion and Hope from St. Louis to Los Angeles

by Stephanie Ernst

category: Vegan

Published July 20, 2009 @ 09:59AM PT

Photo of Louie and Libby by Joanna of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary

Though the conference wrapped up last night for most people, there are a few sessions and events happening today still, and I myself have another day and a half here in Los Angeles. After I return home to St. Louis, and as I settle in, and my brain function (and sleep schedule as well as schedule in general) return to normal, I'll have several conference-related posts for you over the course of several days--conference-related in that they'll be discussions of discussions had at AR2009, that is. (Do your best to contain your excitement!)

But before I get into all those posts, I will use this one to say that this year's conference confirmed for me what last year's did: some of the best people on the planet are in this movement, and though they have opinions as varied as their backgrounds (and they do have incredibly varied backgrounds, stories, lifestyles, interests, and strategies), at heart they all have extraordinary compassion and passion. And being around them for these last four days has been good for my soul.

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Friday Food: Sweets, Soups, Sorbets, and More

by Stephanie Ernst

category: Vegan

Published July 17, 2009 @ 08:07AM PT

I'm pushing back the promised post about my experience on the flight out here to Los Angeles for the conference a bit; it's still coming, just not this morning. But don't be disappointed--it's Friday Food time! It's perhaps a shorter list this week than usual, but the recipes are nevertheless grouped by blog because a few of the vegan blogosphere's talented cooks shared multiple great recipes this week. Enjoy!

From Vegan Dad:

Strawberry Daiquiri Sorbet

Thai-Style Sweet and Tangy Noodles (pictured above)

Fire Roasted Vegetables en Croute

From the Raw Epicurean:

Neatballs with Puttanesca Sauce

Carrot and Pistachio Soup

From the Innocent Primate Vegan Blog

For-the-Love-of-Heirloom-Tomatoes Salad

Chai Spice Shortbread Cookies

Peanut Butter Omega Dog Treats (because dogs like home-baked goodies too!)

From Vegan Planet:

Orzo-Stuffed Zucchini

From VegNews:

Crispy Polenta Triangles

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Animal Rights Is a Mainstream Movement

by Stephanie Ernst

category: Vegan

Published July 15, 2009 @ 07:56AM PT

"Cage-free" hen rescued by Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary

Note: I wrote the bulk of this post several months ago and kept thinking I'd go back and more substantially edit it (i.e., shorten it) before sharing it here, but I never did. Other animal rights bloggers' recent thoughtful posts also addressing the label of "extreme" attached to animal rights (e.g., here, here, and here), along with a desire to start moving several long-planned posts out of the drafts folder (and my head) and onto the blog, led me to ponder finally posting it a few days ago. And since then, seeing and hearing remarks from some of my fellow advocates about the marginalizing or mocking comments they take from progressive non-vegans, even progressive non-vegan friends, convinced me it was time for the post to go up.

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During a recent conversation about, among other things, the hesitance of some organizations or movements to be associated with animal rights, it was remarked that surely I must recognize how "radical" and "extreme" my cause is. The person who made the remark is a friend and colleague who, although not completely on board with animal rights yet, gets it more than most and is sincerely respectful of both the movement and me, and he said it not in a critical or snide way, but casually, as a matter of fact and with the expectation that I would readily agree. But I didn't. I paused. And I realized that in recent months, I've been doing a disservice to my own cause--and to the animals--by not more openly challenging people when they speak about the movement in such terms, by feeling like I have to accept, and work within the confines of, how others perceive animal rights. But I don't have to, and I shouldn't. We don't have to; we shouldn't.