Investing is another example of one of those areas in life where the connection to veganism isn’t immediately obvious. But, if you think about it for a second, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to take extra care to avoid animal cruelty in everyday life just to turn-around and dump money into the pockets of companies who base their profits on it.

Thankfully, as the concept of cruelty-free investing becomes more mainstream, aligning your investments with your values doesn’t mean sacrificing financial success. As is often the case with veganism, it just takes a little extra effort and some creative thinking!

For those of us who are not financial wizards, the first step in any investment strategy is usually to consult a financial planner. It is in their best interest to provide sound advice that will lead you to success, so it’s been my experience that most financial planners are happy to go the extra mile to find a strategy that suits the vegan belief structure. However, that’s not always the case. Should you encounter someone who seems less than enthused by the challenge or immediately tries to talk you out of it, take your business elsewhere. There’s plenty ‘o fish in the sea, my friend (well, for now at least)!

As you’re likely to discover, a cruelty-free investment strategy usually means building your own stock portfolio from the ground up. Since mutual funds are comprised of a variety of investments across several sectors of the economy, it’s highly unusual to find one that doesn’t feature at least one inappropriate holding. In fact, I’ve yet to find a mutual fund that works for me (most “socially responsible” funds aren’t yet structured to include a concern for the welfare of animals).

For non-finance peeps, like myself, building a stock portfolio from scratch can seem a bit daunting – but this is where a good financial planner comes in handy. If you work with an expert who isn’t afraid to think outside the box, creating a long-term financial plan that doesn’t violate your ethical beliefs is totally do-able. Granted, your nest-egg will probably take a little longer to grow and you may be a little less diversified than is typical (healthcare, consumer staples and energy are common problem areas), but those are both concessions I’m willing to make if it means feeling good about how I make my dough.

For what it’s worth, many vegans take the “do the best you can” route here, and certainly, that’s understandable. For me personally, this is an area in which I have a really difficult time compromising. A one-off purchase of a product from someone like Johnson & Johnson or filling a prescription from pretty much any pharmaceutical company is one thing, but investing directly in those same companies seems like the ultimate endorsement. It makes me complicit in a way that being a consumer (even an unwilling one) doesn’t. Just my two cents.

Even if you’re not vegan, having a clear idea of where your money is and what it’s being used for is a sure sign of a smart investor. It might be worth reviewing your portfolio or learning more about some of the holdings in your mutual funds to see if there are any areas you could make a more compassionate choice. To learn more about cruelty-free investing and/or pick up a few tips and tricks of the trade, check out this article from PETA. It’s benign, I promise!

Doctored Artichoke Sub

So, here’s another fun little series for ya. The same way the “Local Vegan Eats” posts explore dining out as a vegan, “What does a vegan order at…?” will uncover the vegan options available at more mainstream, non-veggie restaurants. Some of these you’ll only find around St. Louis, some are widely accessible national chains.

If you’re already vegan, maybe you’ll discover a few more places you can easily dine at with non-veg friends and family or when you’re traveling and away from your favorite local spots. If you aren’t vegan, you might be surprised to see how easy it is to find vegan options at familiar places. Who knows, maybe next time you visit, you can test-drive a convenient vegan meal!

Obviously, in this first post we’re talkin’ bout eating veg at Penn Station.

I actually just recently discovered the wonder that is this particular establishment. I’ve never been much of a sub sandwich kinda gal and I figured if there were vegan options here it would be along the lines of Subway (brown, wilted, shredded lettuce and a smattering of sad looking vegetables – no thanks). Then a veggie friend mentioned how much she adored their artichoke sub and I became officially interested.

Happily, the bread at Penn Station is vegan. Once you clear that hurdle, it’s generally pretty easy to stay on the veg train at a place like this. Done Penn Station’s way, the Grilled Artichoke sub comes with artichoke hearts, provolone, oregano, parmesan and mayo with an option to add fresh mushrooms. Done my way: Opt for the mushrooms and sub grilled onions and pizza sauce for the provolone, parm and mayo. Add on some fries or chips and you’ve got a bonafide vegan meal (Also vegan: the Grilled Vegetarian sub, sans cheese and mayo – but the basic idea for this series isn’t necessarily to show everything that could be vegan on the menu – just that there is something).

Funny aside: you may notice from the picture that there’s an order of large fries on my ticket. As I said, I’m sort of new to Penn Station, as is my husband.  On this particular trip, we decided to split an order of fries and got a large, expecting something along the lines of a large fry at McDonald’s. Yeeeeah, the large fries at Penn Station could feed a really hungry family of four. It’s literally a bucket! I refuse to comment on whether or not we/I ate them all.

So next time you’re at Penn Station give the Grilled Artichoke sub a whirl, if you’re so inclined. And don’t order large fries unless you’ve got an Army to feed.

I was originally planning to make these little gems as a Superbowl snack. However, my husband and I stuffed ourselves so completely with burritos at the beginning of the game that we couldn’t handle anything else! I finally took a crack at these when I made the soup I posted the other day and found them to be pretty good little appetizers. If you’re hosting an Oscar party this weekend, these would be an excellent choice!

Best thing about this recipe: it’s wicked fast and easy. Enjoy!

Margherita Polenta Pizzas
Recipe inspired by FitSugar

Ingredients

1 tube of Quinoa Polenta
3 Roma Tomatoes
2/3 cup Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds
Fresh Basil Leaves
Olive Oil (to coat pan or griddle)

Directions

1. Cut the polenta into 1/4 inch slices
2. Coat a pan or griddle with olive oil and heat on low
3. Place the polenta in the pan or griddle and cook each side until lightly browned (about 5 min, each side)
4. Turn the oven on to 350° F
5. Slice the tomatoes
6. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and place the polenta on the sheet. Top each piece with a slice of tomato and cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted
7. Top each pizza with a fresh basil leaf and serve (Feel free to add basil before baking, if you prefer)

I’ve only been full-on vegan for a year, but I’ve been cutting leather (and suede) out of my life for quite some time. To me, it just seems so much harder to justify than eating meat. Food is a necessity. Leather handbags aren’t.

I’ve heard it argued that since leather is a by-product of slaughter (which is mostly true), it’s better to see it put to use rather than let it go to waste – as if it “honors the sacrifice” more. To a certain extent, I buy that. But that reasoning really only works if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan. An animal can’t live without it’s skin, so if you’re buying leather you might as well be eating a burger. It’s also a vote for slaughter itself, and therefore, clearly non-veg.

The good news is, it’s pretty easy to find great, stylish and affordable alternatives! The most common products leather turns up in are fashion-related: clothing, accessories, shoes and handbags. Fortunately, these are the easiest to find great substitutes for.

When it comes to shoes, for example, there are tons of ways to work around leather. First there are several good brands that are exclusively vegan. Neuaura is a favorite. If you have money to burn, check out Stella McCartney. Her entire line is vegan. Online, head to Zappo’s. They have a whole category dedicated to vegan shoes.

While I love to support vegan brands anytime I can, selection and price can be an issue since there are just so few of them (relative to the rest of the industry). Thankfully, you can find all kinds of  “accidentally” vegan shoes, clothes and accessories pretty easily.

Using shoes as an example again, nearly everything at Payless is vegan (and fabulously cheap!). Target is also a good place to find stylish, non-leather shoes (and bags).  Accidentally vegan items can also often be found from Jessica Simpson, Steve Madden and Chinese Laundry.

Be it shoes, bags, belts or whatever else you’re shopping for, all it takes to find out if you’ve discovered an accidentally vegan gem is to look at the materials label on the inside of the product. You want to see “All Man-Made Materials” or “100% Man-Made Materials” there. It happens more than you’d expect, I promise!

Other less-obvious products that commonly feature leather include furniture and automobile interiors. Like fashion, it’s pretty easy to avoid leather in furniture without having to give-up the look and feel you’re after (it will save you some green too!).

If you’re in St. Louis, head to Carol House for a great selection of furniture made from synthetic materials. The family that owns Carol House is famously animal-friendly. Several years ago they made the admirable decision to align their business with their ethical beliefs by discontinuing the sale of all furniture made with animal skins. It was a pretty gutsy move and their continued success since the switch is proof that you don’t need leather to produce an attractive, quality piece of furniture!

Automobile interiors probably pose the most problems if you’re trying to avoid leather. For some cars, the options are what they are and that’s that. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! Most brands include non-leather options for seats like cloth or synthetics. You might be stuck on the steering wheel and such (though there are plenty of models that use synthetics here too!). If that’s the case, no worries. As always, doing your best is good enough.

If you just can’t part with leather (or just don’t want to!), there are still some really good (kinder) options than buying new. For example, consider buying used or recycled leather (This is a super-cute line of recycled-leather purses I saw in a post on The Kind Life the other day).

I don’t buy leather at all anymore, but I do still wear/use leather items I owned previously. This is where the argument about avoiding waste really makes sense to me. If an animal’s already been killed for a bag, it seems a little tragic to throw it out if it’s still usable. The same idea applies to secondhand and recycled leather goods.

Leather is a great example of the many small ways that just a tiny bit of consideration can help you make a kinder choice in everyday living. So next time you need a new pair of killer heels, see if you can find something synthetic or vintage. Not only is it better for animals, it will give your karma a boost too!

Today seems like a good day for soup.

Admittedly, this is not the most awesome photograph – but I promise the soup is delish! I got this recipe over a year ago from a friend at work that happens to be a pretty stellar cook/baker. I was telling her a tale of woe about a soup I had attempted to make over the weekend (my first ever!) that didn’t really work out. All I recall is that it was broccoli something or other, it tasted vaguely of pond scum and my husband spent the better part of the next several days trying to clear it out of the pipes after I dumped the whole pot down the garbage disposal and clogged the sink.

So, anywho…my friend immediately thought of this recipe for a vegan soup that she thought I might have better luck with. She was gracious enough to whip up a pot and treat the whole office to lunch soon after – at which point I got my first spoonful and fell in love. Not only is this “lick the bowl” yum, it’s also super-duper healthy! Give it a whirl and judge for yourself.

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with White Beans & Swiss Chard
Recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
2 ribs celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small zucchini, sliced (1 cup)
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2-3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth*
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can small white beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, plus 2 Tbs. oil from jar
1/2 bunch (6 oz.) Swiss chard, chopped
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 cup torn fresh basil

*The amount of broth you add is your preference. The more, the thinner and vice-versa.

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in onion, carrots, celery, zucchini and rosemary and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until onions are soft.
2. Add broth, 1 can tomatoes and beans. Scoop 1 cup of the mixture into a food processor or blender and add remaining can of tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and sun-dried tomato oil. Puree until smooth. Stir the mixture into the soup and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add Swiss chard and thyme; simmer 5 minutes more or until chard is wilted. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Notes

The recipe calls for swiss chard, but red, green and swiss are interchangeable. Whatever you can find will do.
The next time I make this, I think I’d add more broth and more beans. Just my two cents.

Well, it’s President’s Day, so I figured it’s a good time for a post about democracy and politics.

Yahoo!

I don’t know if you’ve been following the news lately, but it seems there’s some pretty spooky stuff going on up in Jeff City these days. See, apparently in Missouri, if our legislators think the reason a measure passed at the polls is largely because we’re all too stupid to have understood what we were doing, they can just go over our silly little heads and “fix” our mistake. Oh, what’s that? You DID understand your vote? Me too! I guess it’s really just a matter of a few state representatives and senators acting in their own self-interest to protect a small set of special interests at the expense of the will of the people – not to mention the health and welfare of a few hundred thousand abused dogs. You don’t need a degree in political science to understand how thoroughly jacked up this is.

In case it’s unclear, this rant/post is about Proposition B. If you recall, Prop B, which was approved by a majority of Missouri voters last November, introduced a long-overdue and very specific set of new regulations for Missouri dog breeders. According to the new law, all licensed dog breeders in Missouri would have one year to comply with basic standards for humane housing, food and veterinary care, including a limit of no more than 50 dogs per breeding operation and a prohibition of stacked cages and wire flooring in kennels. We’re talking about the basic right to sufficient food, water and necessary medical attention (Oh, and not being covered in a constant stream of your upstairs neighbors’ disease-spreading poop and pee).

During a contentious campaign, these same special interest groups who are behind the current effort to gut the new regulations did their best to convince Missouri voters that Prop B would go well beyond dogs to place strict new limits on the care and keeping of livestock. Though completely false, this tactic was well within their rights during the campaign. It’s when the mudslinging failed to fool voters that things really got ugly. Their new plan of action: lean on the legislators they elect through hefty campaign contributions to circumvent the people and gut the bill. And it’s working! Not cool. Definitely not democratic.

Now, do I think the lobby on the other side of this issue is really just a bunch of cold-hearted, mean people? No (well, not all of them). I understand that they recognize that change is incremental. Of course they don’t really believe that this law will affect livestock because anyone who reads the bill can plainly see that it doesn’t. What they’re afraid of is that these regulations will lead to another set of regulations, and then another and then another, until eventually big changes to agricultural laws do come – and they’re right. But here’s the thing: that’s the beauty of living in a free democracy.

Prop B is just one of many similar new laws and regulations across the country that are indicative of a coming sea change in public opinion about commercialized cruelty and animal abuse. What the people on the other side of this issue need to recognize is that this is an opportunity to get out ahead of the inevitable. Change is coming. Adapt or die. (Oh, and all you dog breeders/puppy mill enthusiasts who are complaining about not being able to stay in business after the law kicks in…take a hint. If you can’t run your operation within the bounds of the law – not to mention, ethics – then you don’t get to be in business. Thems the breaks.)

Any real challenge to Prop B belongs in the courts – which is inevitably where this will end up (I know they don’t think the animal rights groups are just going to let this go). But, even if you voted against Prop B, this charade should make you angry. Silencing voters is a dangerous game and a very slippery slope. Ask yourself what could be next – and hope that it’s not something that directly affects you or an issue that you’re passionate about.

If you have a second, contact your legislators and ask them to uphold the principles of democracy and the will of the electorate – and then go out and buy yourself a vegan cookie for being such an upstanding citizen. You deserve it!

Eating out is something I get questions about pretty often. If the person asking isn’t vegan, it’s typically something along the lines of “can you ever eat out?!”. If they are vegan, it’s “give me the scoop!”. As I’ve explained over on the FAQS page, there are plenty of opportunities to eat out as a vegan, even if the restaurant doesn’t cater to veggie-diners, but seeking out and savoring a meal at a vegan-oriented place is a special treat!

As such, today’s post is the first in a series I’m (obviously) calling “Local Vegan Eats.” The plan is to explore the St. Louis vegan dining scene (and yes, there is one!) and take all of you along for the ride! If you’re thinking about giving veganism a shot, stopping in for a meal at a veg-oriented restaurant is a great way to test the waters. The restaurants you’ll see in this series are also a great idea if you’d just like to shake up your routine and try something new. If you’re already vegan, hopefully you’ll find a new place or two to add to your “must-try” list!

First up: Shangri-La Diner.

My husband, the sweet, supportive guy that he is, offered to treat us to a vegan dinner out on Thursday in celebration of the launch of this blog (I know, right?!). I chose Shangri-La because we’ve only been once before and I’ve been itching to go back ever since (not least because they were out of their famous “fauxstess” cupcakes the first time we went).

Shangri-La Diner can be found in the heart of Antique Row on Cherokee Street. As you might expect, the menu is classic diner food: burgers, fries, chili, etc. Very unlike a classic diner though, you won’t find any meat at Shangri-La. This is one of the few totally vegetarian, veg restaurants in St. Louis.

The actual restaurant looks and feels exactly like the website: funky, colorful (ie: pink) and fabulously psychedelic. When you you walk in, the staff is likely to greet you casually and invite you to have a seat wherever you’d like. As I said, the entire menu is vegetarian, but items that are (or can be made) vegan are marked on the menu. The staff is careful to ask whether you want the vegetarian or vegan version of whatever you’re ordering – which is really nice.

I had the vegan burger with oven-baked fries. Hubs ordered the vegan meatloaf with sweet potato fries and green beans. Both were DELISH. After we finished cleaning our plates, Andy decided he also needed a post-meal bowl of chili. I am not a fan of chili – vegan or not – so he polished that off himself, but I’m told it was very good.

And now for the best part: dessert (which, I’m not going to lie, I asked about before we ordered our meals. I needed to know how much room to leave!). I finally got to take a crack at their famous “fauxstess” cupcake and let me tell you, it was worth the wait! I have no idea what they make the “cream” from, but whatever it is, it’s naughty.

Andy finished things up with a slice of vegan peach and blueberry pie (also available that night: apple and pomegranate – YUM). You may notice the tiny cup of vanilla ice cream in the corner of that picture as well. Not vegan – but neither is he, so no big deal. I mention it because it is further evidence of the outrageous amount of food we consumed while we were there.

Overall, a very good meal for a very reasonable price. I really love the free-spirited atmosphere at Shangri-La and the fact that eating there supports a great, local business. We’ll definitely be back for dinner and I’m dying to go for breakfast. Vegan french toast? Um…yes, please!

Shangri-La Diner
2201 Cherokee Street
772-8308

Hours: 5pm-9pm, Wed/Thurs
11am-10pm, Fri/Sat – 9am-5pm
Sunday Brunch Buffet served until 2pm (Sun)

I have to admit, I do have some reservations about featuring something so supremely unhealthy for my first real post…but I figure you don’t win hearts and minds with broccoli and brown rice – so candy it is!

First things first, these things are SICK. Seriously, whoever cooked up this recipe must have worked for Hershey at some point because they really cracked the code on Yorks. Even my (non-vegan) husband agrees that they’re indistinguishable from the real thing.

In addition to being super yummy, what I also love about this recipe is that it’s living proof that a vegan diet isn’t necessarily all health food, all the time. Although the majority of vegan foods often do naturally lend themselves to being healthy and nutritious, opportunities for indulgence abound (french fries anyone?).

I was really torn between handing these out to everyone I know and shoving every single one of them into my face. I decided to share…the recipe. Draw your own conclusions.

Vegan Peppermint Patties
Adapted from VegWeb.com

Ingredients

1/6 cup light corn syrup
1/8 cup Earth Balance
1 tsp. peppermint extract
2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 bag dark chocolate chips/chunks

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine corn syrup, Earth Balance and peppermint extract; whip with an electric mixer.
2. Add sugar by the cup while mixing (this resulted in a large portion of my kitchen being covered in a fine white dusting of powdered sugar – not sure how to avoid that…) You should end up with a crumbly, mostly dry mix.
3. Pinch a small handful of the mixture and press very firmly between your palms to roll into shape. Once you’ve formed a ball, press lightly between your palms to flatten slightly. Place the patty on a wax paper lined baking sheet and repeat until mixture is gone.
4. Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan on the stove or in a small bowl in the microwave.
5. Coat the patties with chocolate (I started with tongs but ended up just using my fingers). Place each patty back on the wax paper and set baking sheet in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container OR get super cute and wrap each patty individually in small squares of aluminum foil.

Yield: About 20

(I halved the original recipe because the yield said “A TON.” I don’t know about you, but I’m not the kind of person that needs A TON of candy laying around my house)

As much as I hate to write up one of those unoriginal introductory posts, here is my unoriginal introductory post:

I’m in my late twenties, live and work in St. Louis and have been a fairly serious vegan for about a year and a half. This came on the heels of several years of vegetarianism and I’ve generally found it to be a really great way of life. I like to talk about vegan cooking, earnest attempts at vegan cooking, the vegan lifestyle and anything else that might be relative – and I figured it was about time to give my husband a break. (Just kidding! He’s very supportive!)

Anyway, I’m hoping this can be a place to share some of what I’ve learned and why I bother with friends, family and anyone else who might be interested (or bewildered, as is sometimes the case). I invite you to poke around a bit to find out more about my point of view and some of the basic principles of veganism. I look forward to trading stories, recipes, ideas, opinions and maybe even a few tips and tricks of the trade with you!