I like popcorn just as much as the next guy, but some theaters do still use a dairy based “butter” in their topping. In addition to that conundrum, I certainly don’t need the kind of fat and calorie bomb this stuff drops on your diet – so, I typically skip the archetypal movie treat in favor of candy and other related goodies.

As you can see, I am totally that moviegoer who brings their own stash of sweets hidden in their purse. This is partly due to the lack of vegan options in the candy case (though there are a few), but mostly it’s just that I’m cheap!

Anyway, like so many others, my husband and I did partake in some movie magic over the Memorial Day weekend and what you see pictured above is what we brought with us. Sour Berry Bears from Surf Sweets are actually a new discovery of mine and have quickly rocketed to the top of my sweet tooth must-have list. Make no mistake, this is candy and obviously meant as an occasional treat, but that said, you could certainly do worse.

Surf Sweets candies are all made with organic fruit juice and sweeteners, natural colors and flavors and provide 100% of your daily Vitamin C. They are also free of corn syrup and GMOs and are completely vegan. I find these little gems at Whole Foods but their website says they’re also available at Dierberg’s. You can also purchase them at several online retailers.

In the opposite corner, we have freeze-dried strawberries from Just Tomatoes! As the name implies, these are just strawberries! If you recall, freeze-dried strawberries were on Dr. Oz’s list of “5 foods that cut cancer risk” back on the show he did about “Forks Over Knives.” As he noted, freeze-dried strawberries are thought to be even better at cutting cancer risk than regular strawberries because they pack 10-times as many antioxidants.

So if you include these babies in your movie snack stash, you’re not only getting a convenient, yummy treat, you’re also fighting cancer. That’s some serious multitasking!

Obviously, there are a lot of additional options for vegan movie snacks (mixed nuts are another of our faves!), but these two are particularly good choices. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s yummy enough that you won’t feel cheated out of the “treat” mentality of the movies. I never do!

I love all my cookbooks, but if I had to pick a favorite, the one this recipe hails from is it. Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook comes from one of the gals behind the Skinny Bitch franchise, Kim Barnouin. It’s a great follow up to the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch cookbook in that it continues the healthy, simple theme of the first book, but expands to include a lot more recipes that are just slightly more involved. This is easily the book I use most often in my kitchen and I’ve had really good experiences with everything I’ve made from it.

This particular recipe is nearly as quick and simple to throw together as the frozen vegetable fried rice from TJ’s I featured a while back. I found it quite tasty, but next time I think I’ll throw in a few more veggies and maybe even a little more garlic. I also think this could benefit from cooking one or two tablespoons of shoyu into the mix in addition to or instead of serving it with shoyu on the side. The flavor that added seemed important enough not to be optional.

Eggless Fried Rice
Recipe Courtesy of Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

Ingredients

2 tbs Sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup firm tofu, drained and crumbled
2 tbs chopped green onions (white and light green parts)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 cup snow peas, cut in half
2 cups cooked brown rice
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp sesame seeds, for garnish
Teriyaki sauce or shoyu, for serving

Directions

• Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat
• Add garlic and tofu and saute for 30 seconds
• Add green onions, corn, snow peas and stir-fry about 3 minutes
• Add the rice and cook an additional 5 minutes
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with teriyaki or shoyu

Yield: Serves 4

Red Robin is a favorite amongst my crew at work. Despite the emphasis on cow at this place, that works out a-ok for me because you can sub in a vegan Boca patty for any burger on their menu. I always do my own thing, opting for lettuce, tomato, onion and A.1. steak sauce – which is vegan!

Interesting sidenote: A.1. actually played a big role in helping me to go vegetarian way back in the day. I never ate a steak without it and it turned out just the taste of the sauce was enough to fool my taste buds into thinking I was eating real beef. Additionally, the strong flavor of A.1. (which I happen to love) goes a long way towards enhancing the taste of somewhat less savory foods, so I continue to use it liberally on burgers and the like.

Back to the matter at hand though, as usual, I opted for fries with my burger. There are lots more (healthier) vegan choices like steamed veggies and melon wedges to choose from if that’s how you roll but I’m a fool for french fries. Always have been.

Though it wouldn’t usually be my first choice for a meal out, it’s still good to know there are vegan options at Red Robin. As I said, it’s often the lunch choice du jour at my office so it’s great to be able to tag along with the carnivores without having to eat like them!

It’s been a while since I’ve featured a “Busy Vegan” post – and considering how busy I’ve been that seems odd!

This is the recipe I picked up from Kathy Freston’s appearance on the Ellen show a while back when she and Tal Ronnen whipped these up for a newly veg (maybe?) family. I made a few changes from her original recipe and the next time I make these I think I’ll make a few more, but they were good nonetheless.

Now I gotta run. I’m busy!

Gardein Beef(less) Tacos
Recipe courtesy of kathyfreston.com

Ingredients

1 bag of Gardein beefless tips
6 small whole-wheat tortillas
1 cup cooked corn
1 head shredded romaine lettuce
Prepared Guacamole

Marinade Ingredients

1/3 cup prepared green salsa*
1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp minced garlic
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper

*I don’t care for green salsa, so I blended up some pico and used that instead. I don’t know how much that might have changed the flavor.

Directions

• Marinate thawed beefless tips for 20 min.
• Heat stainless steel saute pan (or whatever you have), add oil and sear beefless tips for 3 min on each side
• Meanwhile, warm tortillas
• Put tips in middle of tortilla with guacamole, romaine lettuce and corn (we also added some additional pico) and fold
• Garnish with green onions, chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges

Yield: Serves 2-3

With Memorial Day just around the corner, I’m on the lookout for yummy ideas for the grill. Just in case you are too, here’s something you might want to try out this weekend!

Infused with the complementary flavors of chili and lime, this recipe is a nice twist on an old fave.

Chili Lime Corn on the Cob
Recipe courtesy of Sunset

Ingredients

4 tbs Earth Balance, at room temp
1 tsp finely shredded lime zest
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
6 ears sweet corn

Directions

• Combine butter, zest, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl
• Pull back husk from each ear of corn without detaching from bottom of cob. Remove as much silk as possible and fold husk back over ears. Soak ears in water for at least 30 min and up to one hour
• Drain ears, open husks, dry ears with paper towls and spread evenly with butter mixture. Fold husks back over ears and tie in place with kitchen string or strips of husk*
• Prepare grill for indirect medium heat (you can hold your hand above the grate only 5 to 7 seconds). If using charcoal, bank coals evenly on opposite sides of the firegrate, leaving a cooler center section. If using gas, turn all burners to high, close lid and heat 10 min. Then turn off one burner and lower others to medium.
• Grill corn over cooler spot, covered, until tender and charred, 20 min. Serve with salt

*They say that cooking these in the de-silked husks keeps the kernels moist and adds a nice grassy flavor (whatever that means). For less fuss, you can fully husk the corn and wrap it in foil. Guess which one I did?

If you follow this blog, you know I’ve got mad love for Alicia Silverstone. Her outlook on veganism and life in general is so positive and inspiring and she is a great source for all kinds of useful tips and delicious recipes (like Saturday’s french toast!).

Last week, an excerpt of an interview she gave to a German magazine started getting some publicity on the web and it raises an interesting point. She’s been vegan for over a decade and told the magazine that she believes her looks have improved as a direct result:

Being vegan changes everything. First of all your looks. You don’t need any expensive creams anymore because your skin, hair and fingernails just look better. And you lose weight – without the yo-yo effect.

I recall her having mentioned something similar about her newly “glowing” skin in her best-selling book, The Kind Diet, as well.

Here’s the thing: I fully believe that her experience has been exactly as she describes. I am, however, a little hesitant to use improved appearance as one of the (many) benefits/selling points of veganism because I think everyone’s experience is different in that regard. There’s actual science to back up the health benefits, but whether or not going vegan will make you better looking is less certain.

Coincidentally, the improved hottie quotient is actually something I hear people list as a benefit of their experience with veganism quite often – particularly from older converts. I think that goes along with something else Alicia said in the interview that got a little less buzz:

Before I became vegan I didn’t even know how good I could feel. I don’t have mood changes that much anymore and I am much fitter. You become more sensitive in a good way and you pay more attention to your body.

I think that sort of nails it.

I will say, I too have experienced a bit of what Alicia is describing, particularly as it relates to my skin. I’m certainly not “glowing” as Alicia does (I still look sort of sad and sickly without makeup), but there has been one significant improvement.

Like many people, I have struggled with acne since high school. A round of Accutane (sort of the nuclear option in acne treatment, if you will) in college improved things a lot, but the problem didn’t completely disappear until about a year ago when I went vegan. Maybe that’s a coincidence, but as someone who had literally tried everything, I highly doubt it. There’s been a little research to suggest that dairy could be a contributing factor to problem skin. For me, at least, I definitely think there is some truth to that.

Additionally, I have also experienced a newfound stability in the number on the scale – which is always a good thing.

As I said, I wouldn’t recommend conversion to a vegan diet soley for the beauty benefits. For some people, that just isn’t part of the deal. However, as Alicia was hinting at, so much of our perception of beauty is tied to the way we feel, and there is no doubt that veganism is something to feel good about.  I’d say, give veganism a go for your health, for animals or both. If you end up looking like Alicia Silverstone as well, think of it as a (fantastic!) fringe benefit!

This is Alicia Silverstone’s favorite homemade french toast. Coincidentally, it is also my favorite homemade french toast – which is easily my favorite breakfast food.

I saw this on her blog, The Kind Life, about a year ago and could not wait to try it out. I had really high hopes that this would be good because I missed the sweet, gooey goodness of egg-battered bread terribly. This more than exceeded my expectations.

Incredibly, this is 100% as good as traditional french toast and yet cruelty-free and actually somewhat healthy! I would serve this to a non-veg crowd any day.

Added bonus: this recipe takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for a morning meal if you’re anything like me and can barely wait the time it takes to pour a bowl of cereal to get food in your mouth in the morning.

Vegan French Toast
Recipe courtesy of thekindlife.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups firm tofu
Bread of choice (I like Wheat & Oat bread from Rudi’s Organic)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs brown rice syrup
1/2 cups soy milk (any non-dairy milk will do)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tbs corn oil
1 tsp vanilla
Oil of your choice for grill or pan

Directions

• Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy
• If too thick, add more soy milk
• Dip bread in batter (scrape each side to remove excess before grilling) and fry in hot oiled skillet or griddle until browned on both sides
• Serve with maple syrup and Earth Balance

All-you-can-eat vegan brunch with proceeds benefiting Gateway Pet Guardians? Now that’s an idea I can get behind!

If you read my review of Black Bear Bakery this week and were thinking about trying it out for yourself, this Sunday would be a uniquely perfect time to do so. As it happens, 25% of the proceeds from this Sunday’s vegan brunch buffet will benefit Gateway Pet Guardians, a local pet rescue organization that arranges foster families for stray dogs and cats in and around the metro area.

All you have to do is show up, fork over $10 (the normal price) and stack your plate high with yummy vegan fare. Pretty easy (and delicious!) way to do your good deed for the day. Extra points if you bring friends!

Sharing the planet with animals of all shapes and sizes is both a privelege and a pleasure that we are fortunate to enjoy. Sadly though, coexistence isn’t always easy or harmonious. However careful or considerate you are, sometimes tragedy is unavoidable when animal meets human.

For just such a situation (car vs. cat, for example), it’s good to have a basic idea of how to respond. Just the tiniest bit of preparation and consideration on your part could literally be the difference between life and death for an injured animal. I know that sounds a little bit dramatic, but it’s true! If ever you secretly wished you could be Superman, this could be your opportunity to rock the red cape (unless the animal in jeopardy is a bull – in which case, ixnay on the apecay).

So what can you do to be of assistance to an injured animal? Be prepared. What you see above is the Animal Rescue Car Kit from PETA. Designed to be kept in your car, the kit includes a cardboard carrier, nylon lead, small towel and a packet of literature on how you can help an animal in need. I’ve had this kit in my trunk for years. Thank God, I’ve never had to use it, but it makes me feel better knowing that it is there if I need it.

Obviously, you could pretty easily put something similar together yourself. In addition to what comes with the kit, I also added a thin pair of rubber gloves, a really thick pair of rubber gloves and a larger towel. Additional items that might make sense to include in a DIY kit include:

• Paper grocery bag or shoe box (birds)
• Small knife/scissors
• Trash bags
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Human first aid kit
• Flashlight

Most importantly, put together a list of local wildlife/animal hospitals and keep it in your glove compartment or somewhere equally handy. If you do nothing else, this one thing could really help an injured animal.

If you live in or around the St. Louis area, there are a few places that should definitely be on your list (or in your phone!). World Bird Sanctuary, located in Valley Park, MO is one of the largest facilities in the country for the conservation of birds. If you find an ill or injured bird of prey, you can call them at 636-861-1392 for help.

Wild Bird Rehabilitation is a non-profit organization in Overland, MO that cares for sick, orphaned or injured wild birds. If you find a bird in distress you can consult their 911BirdHelp page for directions and/or contact them for help at 314-426-6400.

Finally, the Wildlife Rescue Center in Ballwin rehabs injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife. If you find an injured, sick or orphaned animal, contact them at 636-394-1880.

Obviously, unless you are a veterinarian or otherwise trained,  there is only so much you can do when trying to help an injured animal.  Always keep in mind that the idea with animal rescue is to do just enough to get the animal to people that can provide real treatment – which is why the first thing you should always (always!) do is call for qualified help. When help isn’t immediately available or in the event of a true emergency, having a game plan and a few supplies on hand is the next best thing. Think of it as being a good neighbor!

When I first went vegan I figured cheesecake was a thing of the past, or good cheesecake, at least. It turns out that’s not the case.

This recipe is another winner from Alicia Silverstone‘s fabulous book, The Kind Diet. I made it for dessert on Mother’s Day and it was much enjoyed by all – not to mention a completely gorgeous addition to the table. So pretty!

This definitely isn’t quite as heavy and sweet as a typical dairy cheesecake, but it’s good nonetheless and certainly a whole lot better for you!

Vegan Mixed-Berry Cheesecake
Recipe Courtesy of The Kind Diet

Ingredients

3/4 cup Earth Balance
2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs*
1 (12 oz.) package silken tofu
1 cup nondairy cream cheese
1 tbs safflower oil
1/4 cup (pure) maple syrup plus an
additional 1 to 2 tsp if using a fresh fruit topping
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp arrowroot
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon or orange extract (optional)**
Fresh mixed berries for topping
(or frozen mixed berries, thawed)

*To make graham cracker crumbs, place graham cracker squares in a sealed plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin or grind graham cracker squares in a food processor. You’ll need 12 to 13 squares to make 2 cups of crumbs.

**Next time I make this I’ll use a lot more lemon extract, maybe double.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Oil an 8″ or 9″ springform pan (I don’t have a springform pan, so I used a glass pie plate and it was fine)
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan and bake for 5 min. Let cool on a baking rack
• Combine the tofu, cream cheese, oil, 1/4 cup syrup, milk, arrowrrot, vanilla and citrus extract (if using) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust and smooth the top with a spatula
• Bake the cheesecake for 45 min to an hour. Let the cheesecake cool to room temp. If using fresh berries, toss them with 1 to 2 tsp syrup to create a slightly glazed effect. Top the cheesecake with the berries and chill until you’re ready to serve

Yield: Serves 8