Our mexican potluck turned out beautiful. There was so much food! The weather turned a bit chilly, but we still had a good time. It was great to meet some of our new members - Lisa, Abbey and Cia, thanks for joining us. I hope you all had a great time. If anyone has any suggestions to better our meetings, please don't hestitate to contact me. If you would like to submit the recipe that you contributed to the potluck, send it to me and I will post it for our members.
Our spread consisted of a mexican lasagna & oatmeal raisen cookies brought by Lou & Barb, I made guacamole, salsa & sangria, Denise made raw corn chips, raw fajita peppers, a beautiful mexican salad with a raw dressing and stuffed raw peppers - for desert she made a raw keylime pie! Lisa is in the middle of a move so she stopped by Honest Weight in Albany and brought a black bean dish, some delicious chips that resembled doritos - that are vegan and some salsa! Abbey brought fajitas made with seiten that were delicious. Cia came prepared to roll out her own fresh tortillas to go with everything - they were incredible! She also made some fried tofu from scratch that had dulse (a sea vegetable) in them - almost tasted like fried fish! They were great. Julie & Dan brought black bean & mango salsa that was absolutely delicious. And theres more believe it or not - Laura & Alex brought raw tacos made with a lettuce wrap & walnuts and a jicama salad. They were also great! I think the next time we do a potluck, each person should only bring one regular sized dish to share with the group!
We always learn more from each other and for that I am grateful! Lisa shared that there is a pizzeria in Albany on Central Avenue called Little Anthony's that serves a lot of vegan food.
Cia & Denise mentioned that Oprah is now doing a vegan cleanse! We know the power she has - so let's hope she gets on board! Visit her blog to read how she is doing !
I apologize for the lack of photos this time around - we got so busy we forgot to grab the camera!
Thanks for coming and we can't wait to see you all for our outing next month to Karavelli's in Saratoga Springs!
If you RSVP yes, please show up or email or call and let us know what's up. We were waiting for the members that never showed. I do understand that things come up, but when we anticipate more we make more food and beverages and we don't want things to go to waste. I will post a phone number to contact us for each location.
Sign US Animal Bill of Rights (international signatures welcome)
http://www.aldf.org/billofrights/inde...
Act Now | Animal Bill of Rights The struggle to end cruelty to animals is not an easy one. But there is something easy you can do right now to make a difference in the lives of abused animals. It's as quick and simple as typing in your name. Through the Animal Bill of Rights, we are working to show Congress a groundswell of support for legislation that protects animals and recognizes their rights. Ultimately, we hope the petition will be a bill. In the meantime, the thousands of signatures on this petition send a clear message to our legislators that Americans strongly support legal protection for animals. When animal-related legislation is proposed, Congress will remember the huge number of signatures on the Animal Bill of Rights. With that in mind, they will cast a vote for the animals.
A Petition to the United States Congress
I, the undersigned American citizen, believe that animals, like all sentient beings, are entitled to basic legal rights in our society. Deprived of legal protection, animals are defenseless against exploitation and abuse by humans. As no such rights now exist, I urge you to pass legislation in support of the following basic rights for animals:
THE RIGHT of animals to be free from exploitation, cruelty, neglect and abuse.
THE RIGHT of laboratory animals not to be used in cruel or unnecessary experiments.
THE RIGHT of farm animals to an environment that satisfies their basic physical and psychological needs.
THE RIGHT of companion animals to a healthy diet, protective shelter, and adequate medical care.
THE RIGHT of wildlife to a natural habitat, ecologically sufficient to a normal existence and self-sustaining species population.
THE RIGHT of animals to have their interests represented in court and safeguarded by the law of the land.
Here's an interesting question:
Which has more protein? Steak, broccoli or spinach?
Spinach has the most, then broccoli, and believe it or not, steak comes in last place.
The USDA dietary guidelines call for protein levels above 10 percent of total calories. That is four times what the average adult actually needs. Where does this exaggeration come from? The food lobbies that sell high protein foods.
The protein in human breast milk is only 5 percent of total calories. Mother's milk is providing protein during the fastest growth period humans will ever experience outside the womb. At no other time in our lives will we need a greater amount of protein. In fact, the average adult needs only half that amount (2 1/2 percent of all calories from protein).
In every study conducted with humans, protein from plant foods met or exceeded human nutritional requirements. Vegetables have an average protein content of 25 percent of calories, far in excess of what we need.
Reference: Book - The Rave Diet & Lifestyle by Mike Anderson
Where do vegans get their calcium?
Vegetables vs. Dairy
(Calcium in Milligrams per 100 Calories)
Arugula - 1300
Spinach - 450
Broccoli - 387
Romaine Lettuce - 257
Cucumber - 108
VS
Milk (2 percent) - 245
Whole Milk - 190
Cheddar Cheese - 179
American Cheese - 160
This easily answers the common question!
Eight Belles' breakdown and euthanasia at the Kentucky Derby on May 3 has put the spotlight back on an industry that puts speed and profit first and leaves the horses in last place. In pursuit of cash prizes and hefty stud fees, some trainers and owners run horses too young, dose them with large quantities of drugs, order jockeys to whip them mercilessly, race horses when they're exhausted and lame, and sell them for slaughter when they can no longer turn a profit. Click here for more information.
Take Action on this Issue
Please sign this petition! I had this idea too shortly after her show on puppy mills. This woman has a lot of power!
Treat Livestock Humanely
This is a blog I came across that I thought you all would be interested in!
101 Vegan Meals
I can't tell you how many times I told my Mother that I couldn't afford this diet and lifestyle. One month I totaled up the cost and was surprised to see that we saved $50 that month!
Where we came out on top was on take out or dining out costs. We just don't get take out that often anymore. Of course there are always those nights that you don't feel like cooking, but we were eating out all of the time because there were so many options. There just aren't many healthy vegan take out options worth the extra cost, so I end up cooking.
So, does it cost more to buy tons of produce and vegan products? No, it doesn't have to if we are conscious of it. There are coupons online for some of the big health food companies. Do a search and check it out.
It takes some time and money to find the products out there to substitute for the things we were so used to...
Vegan Milk
White Wave Silk
Edensoy
Westsoy
Rice Dream - This is my favorite for cereal, but soy milk will always be a better option for baking.
Vegan Mayo
Vegenaise
Vegan Ice Cream
Tofutti
Soy Delicious
Vegan Cheese
Tofutti
Vegan Gourmet
Galaxy Rice Cheese
Vegan Butter
Earth Balance
Vegan Yogurt
Silk Soy Yogurt
Whole Soy Yogurt
SO Delicious Soy Yogurt
Vegan Egg Replacers (for baking)
Flax seed oil, Bananas, Tofu, Ener-G Egg Replacer Powder, Soy Yogurt.
For cooking eggs, tofu scramble. I will post a recipe for you to try. There are some pre-made mixes for flavoring like Soy Scrambler or Amy's Tofu Scramble .
