Earlier this year, the New Jersey legislature passed bill NJ A.3250 / S.1921, a Bill to Ban Cruel Confinement of Breeding Pigs by a vote of 60 to 5 in the Assembly and 29 to 4 in the Senate. This bill prohibited the confinement of sows in gestation crates, requiring they be provided with room to stand up, extend their limbs and turn around (imagine that – allowing an animal to turn around!). This passed both the NJ Assembly and Senate, and held wide support amongst residents of NJ (91% supported the legislation!) but unfortunately the bill was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie.
In case you aren’t aware, factory farms often confine their sows to gestation crates where they will exist (I say exist because they are certainly not living, not in these conditions) until they are ready to give birth, and essentially their entire life until they are considered spent and sent to slaughter. These gestation crates are so small, sows will essentially go crazy – biting the bars, swaying side to side, sure signs of stress and discomfort. In order to relate, gestation crates have often been compared to being stuck in economy class on an aircraft… but to me even that is luxury compared to what these sows are put through.
Gestation crates in a factory farm
Fortunately, Senator Ray Lesniak is leading the fight to override this veto. Animal rights groups and organizations have joined up (of course) and this issue has even garnered the attention of Martha Stewart. The ASPCA and Human Society are sponsoring demonstrations and actions (phone banks, door to door campaigns) leading up to November 18th, when the state legislature will make their vote to override. I urge you all to spread the word about this, sign up to volunteer, make phone calls, post on social media, write letters to the editor… anything you can think of will help. Spread the word that New Jerseyans won’t stand for this kind of animal cruelty, despite what Chris Christie thinks is best for the ones that stand to make a profit from their suffering. Of course, we all know the BEST way to help these animals is by adopting a VEGAN lifestyle. That is the only way we can really end the suffering once and for all.
The Cinnamon Snail will debuting new menu items as of TOMORROW May 14. This is exciting news for all of us Snail lovers. Not because we dislike the other menu items, but more because we know how freaking delicious everything this truck puts out truly tastes! So, without further adieu, here is their official press release! Don’t forget Jersey City peeps – Snaily comes back to Chilltown starting this THURSDAY at the HDSID Farmer’s Market at the Grove St. PATH plaza.
Monday May 13
For Immediate Release:
It’s that time of year again! The Cinnamon Snail food truck is debuting a new menu TOMORROW (Tuesday May 14) in the Financial District on Wall St. and Water.
I am really confident about this incarnation of our menu, and I think this is going to be the best selection our truck has ever had.These new items are in addition to our really large breakfast and lunch menu. The full menu is available on our website www.cinnamonsnail.com
Here are the new menu items, donuts, and other special stuff:
NEW MENU ITEMS:
Thai BBQ tempeh with pickled onions and Thai basil, arugula, smoked chili roasted peanuts, and sriracha mayonnaise on grilled spelt bread
Red plum pancakes with chamomile blood orange syrup, cardamom butter, smoked almonds and candied lemon rind
Seitan al pastor with beer battered jalapeños, greens, grilled pineapple and chipotle mayonnaise on grilled baguette
Basil pesto grilled tofu with white truffle cashew cheese, kalamata olive tapenade, arugula, and caramelized onions on garlic grilled baguette
Fiery black sesame tempeh salad with kale, arugula, kimchi and spiced cashews
New Seasonal Donuts:
-Toasted pistachio donuts with cardamom glaze
-Coffee Ice cream Sunday Donuts (chocolate cake donut with coffee glaze, espresso beans, ground dark chocolate and smashed sugar cones)
-Meyer Lemon Twists
-Brown Sugar Beer Glazed
NEW ICED COFFEES:
Star anise coconut milk iced coffee
Salted caramel dutch cocoa iced coffee
EXCITING NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE AVOIDING GLUTEN:
We now offer really nice gluten-free millet-flax bread! The following sandwiches can be made completely gluten-free if you ask for them on the new bread: Creole grilled tofu, Thai bbq tempeh, maple mustard tempeh, and basil pesto tofu. Gluten free bread is available for an extra dollar.
GREAT NEWS FOR JERSEY CITY:
Starting this Thursday May 16, we will also be serving dinner every Thursday at the Grove St. Farmers Market in Jersey City.
OUR CURRENT SCHEDULE:
Mondays- 48th and 6th (but sometimes we visit Dumbo or Varick st. on this day)
Tuesdays- Wall st. and Water
Wednesdays- Broadway between 55th and 56th
Thursdays- 21st and 5th (11:00-3:00), Jersey City Farmers Market (4:00-8:00)
Fridays- Park ave. between 46th and 47th
Saturdays- Various Locations
Sundays- Red Bank, NJ
We are the country’s first organic vegan food truck, started in February 2010.
The Cinnamon Snail won the 2012 People’s Choice Vendy Award
The Cinnamon Snail is a 2010, 2011, and 2012 Vendy award nominee
The Cinnamon Snail won the 2011 Vendy award for their vanilla bourbon creme brulee donuts
Listed in the New York Post’s top trends of 2012
Highly rated on the New York Magazine Approval Matrix
Full 5 star Yelp rating with over 400 reviews
Winner of Mobile Cuisine Magazine’s “America’s Favorite Vegetarian Food Truck” in 2012
Named “The Best Food Truck in NYC” by Gothamist
We were named the #1 vegetarian street food in America by PETA 2011
We were awarded a 2011 Libby award for best east coast food truck
Named as one of the top ten food trucks in the country by Yahoo.com in 2010
Winner of the 2012 VegNews Veggie Award for best vegetarian food truck in America
Featured on the Food Network, Cooking Channel, New York Times, Time Out NY, Vegetarian Times, Veg News, New York Magazine, and New York Post.
A few nights ago I received a message from PJ McKosky (Founder of Empty Cages Collective) telling me there is a sweet black cat at Animal Care and Control that is going to be killed the next morning, would we be able to foster him? Aside from a little bit of a cold, he is otherwise healthy. Of course, we said yes.
Jimmmy’s “official” photo from Animal Care & Control
We had always hesitated about fostering cats in the past. After all, we’ve already got four, two of which don’t get along very well. However, when faced with death or coming to stay with us, we have to choose the latter! After we agreed, it was arranged that Jimmmy would be delivered Friday night after I got home from work. As a solution for possible disagreements between cats, and for Jimmmy’s safety, we purchased a large kennel crate. I set it up with a litter box, a cozy towel bed, food and water and a little toy. (Big shout out to Fussy Friends of Jersey City! When I was purchasing the crate and told the owner what I was doing, he generously donated a bag full of cat food samples as well as a little toy for Jimmmy. Big high fives to them!)
Jimmmy’s cozy set up
Jimmmy was delivered around 6:15pm, by the Wheels of Hope. I caught a glimpse of him briefly before he was transferred to my carrier… a sweet black kitty with glowing yellow eyes, chatting away. I learned from the driver that he had been on quite the adventure that day, accompanying some dogs that were being delivered to a rescue in Pennsylvania. I quickly brought him upstairs thinking he’d need to use the potty! I set him down in front of the crate and opened the door. My breath was taken away at my first full sight of him – the poor thing was so incredibly thin.
I could feel all of his ribs and bones… poor guy.
I tried not to let this get to me too much, but made a vow right then and there that we would try and fatten him up nice and good! (But not *too* fat!) At this point, Tuggie (our most dominant cat) has run up to the top of the loft in the bedroom to hide (he does this when we dog sit our neighbor’s dog, Benson). For being such a fierce little thing he sure is a scaredy! Jack was also hiding at this point. Cricket did surprisingly well – she and Tuggie are the two that don’t get a along. Jack of course was just being typical Jack, hiding under the bed. Nugget hid for a good while… but then he slinked out from the bedroom and approached the crate. They touched noses with no bad reaction! This all was a very hopeful sight for me – maybe we can open our home to more cats in the future!
Nugget says hi to Jimmmy
Melissa got home around seven, bringing with her a hammock (meant for ferrets) that we hung up in his crate for him. He was so not aggressive that I had to just let him out of the cage for a while. Tuggie was still hiding and the other cats didn’t have much of an adverse reaction to him, so letting him out supervised should be fine, right? Right I was! He followed both Melissa and I around, looking up and letting out some cute little meows. I brought him over to the couch where he made himself quite comfortable and snuggled down and got cozy. My heart burst with warmth and love to see that he was safe and sound and happy.
Fast asleep… he sleeps with his eye open!
It’s been two days now since Jimmmy’s arrival, and while Tuggie is still being a brat, all else is going really well. He spends the night in his crate without complaining. He eats in his crate as well. And we let him out supervised for several hours at a time. Yesterday, he even managed to claim the most coveted spot in the apartment for a while – the moving platform/dolly underneath the dining room table! That is one of Jack’s favorite spots… when he isn’t under the bed he’s on the moving platform/dolly. You might ask why a moving platform, well, it is a cat person thing… once a cat has laid down on something and repeatedly goes to it, we can’t take it away! (Whole Foods bags with their handles cut off is another thing that lasts long in this house!)
Jimmmy on the coveted platform
My hope from posting this story is that it inspires at least ONE of my readers to start fostering. I’m telling you, if we can do it in our crazy cat house, YOU can do it. This cat is perfectly wonderful and is going to make a super companion to someone or a family… I cannot believe he would have died on Wednesday if Empty Cages hadn’t stepped in… I simply can’t believe it. So please, get in touch with your local rescue organizations and volunteer to open your heart and home to a foster. Their lives *literally* depend on it. ❤ If you can’t foster, for whatever reason, please consider making a donation to a rescue to support their efforts.
Most of the country is currently seeing the worst flu outbreak it’s seen in years. It’s a top story every time you put on the news, alerting that it’s “Not too late to get your flu shot!” But for people like me, and I assume for others who are vegan, I do not get flu shots. It’s not because I want to tempt fate, but more because the darn thing isn’t vegan and is tested on animals. Ever since I became vegan more than a year and a half ago, I’ve chosen the natural way. Once things start looking bleak regarding the flu and cold season, I spring into action and begin my natural defense regimen. After all – food is medicine!
In addition to my regimen that is my go-to, here are a few more wellness tips that I like to prescribe to:
Using gloves while on public transit. Bacteria and viruses can live on surfaces longer than we’d like to admit. One person coughs on that pole? That pole is now infected. Bonus tip: Have to touch the metro card machine? Use the knuckle of your pinky finger, then “Han San” right after.
Han San! Hand sanitizer. I found a great organic, vegan, cruelty-free brand: EO. EO has a great line of hand sanitizing products. I’m partial to the Lavender sanitizer spray, but the peppermint is nice as well. You can order online or find it at most natural foods stores.
Nasal irrigation with a Neti Pot. Nasal irrigation is great because it gently washes your nasal/sinus passages out – a major gateway for bacteria and viruses to enter! Nasal irrigation is also great for people who have chronic sinus problems. Note: I wasn’t able to use a neti pot properly until I went vegan. My sinus problems were SO BAD that even a neti pot couldn’t help it. Thankfully, since I’ve given up dairy, my sinuses have been in such better condition!
Miso soup. The vegan’s chicken noodle soup! Miso soup has an alkalizing effect on the body, which is a great boost for the immune system. It’s a fermented product, which is fantastic for your gut flora’s healthy bacteria. You can easily make this at home if you buy a container of miso. A couple spoonfuls dissolved in some hot water should do the trick. You can get fancy and add some seaweed and soft tofu, too. But sometimes I’ll just dissolve some in a mug and drink it straight up! I particularly like this when I have a sore throat.
Here are some vegan-friendly resources to find some flu/cold prevention tips.
Hello 2013! So nice to see you! 2012 marked my first full calendar year as vegan and the year I started this very blog. I couldn’t be more proud of both of those accomplishments. 2012 was a banner year in the vegan world for gaining some major mainstream attention and I suspect 2013 to be no different. We’re here, we’re vegan, and you soon will be too if you aren’t already! (I wish!)
I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz about the internets regarding folks resolving/intending/wanting to add more meatless meals to their diets this year, and/or desires to go completely vegan. As it is part of my mission to aid in this process for anyone who might need or want the encouragement, I thought it might be a great idea to offer my top five tips and words of wisdom to encourage the wannabe vegan.
1. Lean into it. Not everyone can make this transition overnight. I speak from experience in that adding something new or changing my routine is one of the hardest things for me.Kathy Freston has perfected this message – she even wrote a book about it. I so wish I could take credit for this! It is seriously good advice, particularly if you want to make a change but are feeling overwhelmed. Leaning into it can be something as simple as switching out your cow milk for soy or almond milk. Swap out the ground beef and replace with Boca Ground Crumbles or season your own TVP. Set an intention to change something new every week, every two weeks, month or whatever makes you the most comfortable and stick to it as best you can.
2. Stock your pantry. This one goes along with number one. Replacing non-vegan items with their vegan counterpart. You might not believe it, but there is seriously a vegan replacement for everything. EVERYTHING! Here is proof of that:
Vegan egg yolks. That’s right, vegan egg yolks!
For further reference, here is my recommended list for The Vegan Pantry.
3. It’s not about perfection, it’s about intention. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has a great podcast on this topic. She has a gift of eloquence, and presents topics on veganism in a way that just makes sense. I will always recommend her podcasts to anyone who is vegan or looking to take on a more compassionate lifestyle. But she’s right… no one can ever be perfect. And veganism isn’t about perfection. It’s about living our lives in the most compassionate way that we can, seeking to do no harm to other living creatures. So you ate a piece of cheese. Pick yourself, wipe yourself off, and move on.
4. Veganize your favorite meal. This is one of the quickest ways to get yourself going and keep on the vegan path. It is also a great way to experiment and learn new things in the kitchen. Having been vegan for over a year now, I’ve had vegan version of pretty much all my favorite meals. Even my grandmother’s world famous Stuffed Cabbage – my absolute favorite. Thanks to the internet, all you have to do is Google “vegan ______” and you’re sure to find a recipe… or ten!
5. Find a community. This. Is. The. Best. Thing. Ever. I can’t tell you how much I am grateful for my new community of vegan friends. I met Stacy & Keith of Vegan Fatty Boombalatty through my blog and we now do semi-regular dinners or brunches. I (try to!) go to the monthly Vegan Drinks NYC. Join (or start!) a vegan Meet Up in your city or town. Find an online community. Go volunteer with a vegan-inspired organization or farm sanctuary. These people will be your comrades, the ones who will listen and offer support, your dinner buddies, and best of all, your friends. They are the ones who understand what it’s like to be vegan living in an omnivore world. They are invaluable!
So there you have it! Jersey City Vegan’s top five tips and words of wisdom on going vegan in 2013. If you’re a new reader, I also have a feature on the blog called Vegan Like Me that profiles fellow vegans from all around the world offering their tips and perspectives. If you would like further words of wisdom or encouragement, or just need some support in your journey, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I’m not kidding! I’m always willing to offer a helping hand or answer questions for anyone who is looking to start (or continue) living a compassionate life.
I’ve had a day to process what I witnessed on Sunday & Monday night of this week. I went to bear witness to the inhumane and cruel practice of Kaporos (read all about this horrible ritual here) in Brooklyn. I really wasn’t prepared for what I was going to see, despite my best efforts to mentally prepare myself. I don’t think anyone is really ready to witness animal cruelty and abuse right in front of their very eyes. Upon walking up and out of the subway station at Kingston Ave, you were smacked in the face of the stench of feces and urine, as the crates of chickens had already been there for several days.
We were penned in (similar to the chickens) for our protection by the police. Yes, the police were there, witnessing this cruelty as well, but just allowed them to do it. We chanted, held up posters and were mocked and laughed at. Lots of young boys came over to engage with us. But most of all, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of what was going on at the scene. I couldn’t engage with anyone on the first night. In fact, I could barely speak to my fellow activists. At one point, I was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down my face, hiding my bloodshot eyes behind my big sunglasses.
Nearly every man, woman and child that I saw holding a chicken held it by the wings. This is INCREDIBLY painful for the chicken, as you can see in the video above. Their wings are not made to bear their weight like that. Many chickens suffer broken bones and sprains because of this. Meanwhile, we are told repeatidly by the young men (and some grown men) surrounding us that they do not hurt the chickens. Yet not a single one of them knows how to properly hold a chicken.
On the first night, since it was “children’s night”, none of the chickens were slaughtered on site. I find it ironic that they want to protect the majority of young ones from seeing the taking of the life for their ritual, yet continue to defend this cruel practice. If they really believe in this ritual, why would they protect the children from seeing it? One observation I did have was how many children and babies that were hysterically crying. The second night we stationed ourselves down on President Street, where a big platform stage had been set up, under shiny bright lights, to conduct the kosher slaughters. Again, we were surrounded by men, young and old, heckling us and taunting us, being completely unreceptive to our cause. There was a young man protesting along with us, a Jew, who was trying to educate them on how to properly hold a chicken, if they are going to insist on using the chicken. Time after time, the men and boys on the other side took his paper, ripped it up or crumpled it up, and threw it back at him. Unbelievable. The second night I managed to have a few productive conversations, where we actually were speaking to each other in a kind way, which felt good. One fellow in particular, and older, Iraqi Jew, we talked for quite a while. He sympathized. We discussed. He told me he has rescued chickens of his own. I asked him if he would get me some chickens for us to rescue, telling him we have been rescuing a few and they would be going to Sanctuary. With regret in his eyes, and I could tell in his heart, he shook his head no. Nothing can shake them from their ritual.
On my way out, I witnessed the actual act of the slaughter. I could only bear to watch two birds get killed, but I made one distinct observation: the dead birds were being tossed directly into a garbage bin. I am kicking myself for not getting footage of this. After time and time again the young & older men told us, the chickens get donated to the needy, the chicken is serving a good, we are elevating the chicken to benefit others… yet anyone who knows anything about animal slaughter knows that if the blood isn’t drained from the body properly, it will be no good for human consumption. I did not see any of that taking place. Not to mention the sheer volume of chickens they had on hand – thousands upon thousands – there was no way they could keep up with the proper processing of the birds. My suspicions were confirmed when I found out that indeed, dead chicken bodies could be found in dumpsters all over Crown Heights. Some of the following images are graphic. (Photography credit – Enid Crow)
Dumpster full of dead chickens, covered by a tarp.
Another view of dumpster, full of dead chickens.
Dead and discarded chicken
Sacrificed chicken
As hard as it might be to believe, there is a bright side to this story. We were able to save the lives of about 20-40 chickens (final count is unknown, but it is in that ballpark). It is for that reason alone that made this emotionally disturbing experience worth it. And you know what? I would do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant more lives could be saved. After all, my emotional disturbance is nothing compared to what those chickens were put through.
Some of the rescued
If you would like to be kept informed about future protests about this issue, please visit Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos to sign up for their mailing list. Many thanks to Rina Deych and Karen Davis for organizing this event and all of the other organizers, supporters and fellow activists for their participation.
09/27/11 UPDATE: I have learned that the total amount of rescued chickens by our group was actually 76! Again, for those 76 individual lives, it was all worth it.
I have been a bad blogger, and for that I do apologise. But it’s not without good reason…
I’m getting married! My partner Melissa and I have decided to get married. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of organization and budgeting and venue picking and tablecloth choosing and all that sort of fun stuff that happens at the beginning stages of this kind of journey. My typical blogging time was replaced by Etsy and wedding blog browsing and comparison shopping. Oops! I’m hoping within the next few days to get a better balance on my time, now that some of the bigger hurdles (booking the venue, finding a caterer – vegan!, etc.) is done.
I have a backlog of recipes that will get typed up and posted as well as some action alerts and events to write about that are coming up soon. In the meantime, here’s a set of photos from a recent day volunteering at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary!
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As always, I’m constantly looking for people to feature on Vegan Like Me… get in touch with me if you are interested in participating!
Recently, there has been some backlash against Lady Gaga because she wore a fur coat made out of pink rabbit fur. Well, we don’t know for sure whether it was real or not because she would not disclose it… which really can only lead you to believe one thing, right? Gagaloo put out a statement, where she says, amongst other things,
“I want you to know that I care deeply about your feelings and views, and I will always support your philosophies about life. I do not however support violent, abusive, and childish campaigns for ANY CAUSE. Particularly one I respect: Animal Rights.”
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Violent? Abusive? Childish? Ahkay. Here goes.
Dear Lady Gaga,
I read your statement about “Furgate”. I thought about it. I thought about how I would address what you presented if someone was standing right in front of me and said those words. I tried to imagine how you might say those words. I tried to think if you have ever looked into the reality of what wearing fur means. Have you? You can be honest with me, here. I don’t think you have, because I honest to goodness do not believe that someone who has done so would say the words that you did. I’m a little bit confused by all of this because didn’t you previously speak out AGAINST fur? And then you were photographed wearing fur while holding a dog.
A lot of people “know” the fur industry is brutal. But I really don’t think that they know know.
Everyday you ask millions of people a day to be loving and kind to their fellow humans – it’s time to extend that to ALL beings. All beings have the capacity to feel pain and suffer. Not just humans. What gives us the right to bully and electrocute animals via an anal probe, just in order to wear them as “fashion” or as you said, “museum pièce de résistance”?
It doesn’t take a strict vegan to know that wearing fur is so backwards. Fashion luminaries such as Stella McCartney and Tim Gunn are both staunchly against fur, amongst many others. People often say they have a “choice” to wear fur… but what about that poor animal who had no choice to be killed (violently) so you could wear him or her?
Cruelty towards others needs to include animals and “fashion” or “art” is not an acceptable excuse. What you’ve worn in the past is in the past… you can make a difference choice going forward. It’s ok. I wasn’t always vegan – we all had a starting point. Why don’t you make today your starting point? Acknowledge your past, and pledge going forward that you won’t harm beings just to wear them. Our past should not stop us from moving forward towards a more compassionate future. Let’s widen the circle of compassion and be the compassionate change we wish to see in the world. Stand up against cruelty towards ALL beings.
With love and compassion,
Emily
PS: There would be more grain to make bread for hungry children if more people went vegan!
It’s no secret that I am hopelessly devoted to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. It is a magical place that changed my life. I discovered it by chance, back in 2007. Melissa and I were getting ready to celebrate our one year anniversary. She had always wanted to take a class at The Center for Photography at Woodstock… so we ended up booking a weekend up in the area so she could take a class and we could spend some time away together. Her course was two days long, during the daytime hours, so I was on my on for several hours during the day. I knew the town of Woodstock was adorable, so I occupied myself discovering all the sweet shops and flea market on the first day up there. While I was walking around town, I kept seeing posters for something called “The Blessing of the Animals” at a place called “The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary”… I thought, oh, I love animals, this sounds right up my alley! At the time, I was still eating meat and dairy full-time – the complete opposite of what I am now. I even remember going to Woodstock Meats to buy some bacon! Regardless, I decided to attend the Blessing ceremony, conducted by some peaceful Buddhist monks from the nearby monastery. That was when the seed got planted. I recall driving away from our rental cabin expressing feelings about wanting to give up eating animals. I felt timid and overwhelmed at first, but knew that there was something to be said with that, and it was going to be the beginning of my journey.
Over the next few weeks, I had this nagging thought that was always in the back of my mind… I really don’t think I want to eat meat anymore. It only took a few weeks before we took the plunge and gave up eating animals. We made attending the Blessing a yearly anniversary tradition. Each time I went, the nagging changed, and got louder and louder, urging me to go vegan. Finally, last year we made the connection and went vegan. And it’s all because of a woman named Jenny Brown, her husband Doug Abel and their magical farm sanctuary.
Jenny Brown’s journey was similar to mine in the fact that her enlightenment came in increments. The path might have been different, but the final destination was the same. And it is all recounted with joy, humor and honesty in her first book, The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals. Co-written by Gretchen Primack, Brown recounts her journey from a cancer-stricken 10-year-old amputee to her thriving career in film which led to passion projects for PETA and finally turned her into a full-time animal activist, hero and co-founder of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Interspersed with her personal journey, she includes mini-biographies of past and present residents of the farm. She tells their story, as well as hers, in truth and with love. She doesn’t shy away (nor does she ever) from exposing the truths of animal agriculture. The key thing, though, is that she does so with such finesse that she leaves you willingly questioning your own contribution (read: consumption of animals) to the industry. She makes you think. She helps guide you to make that connection. While she admits that she didn’t always have this knack of graceful truth-telling, it is something she can do now with ease.
This book was a pleasure to read. It reminded me of my own journey, why we do what we do, and inspires me to continue in my own form of activism whatever it might end up looking like. This world is a better place because of Jenny Brown, Doug Abel, and the other devoted animal caretakers and volunteers at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary… and for that, I am grateful.
If you live in or close to the New York City area, there will be a party to celebrate the release of The Lucky Ones tomorrow night (August 7) at MooShoes. Jenny will be there, signing and selling her books. Stop on by for some vegan camaraderie and to celebrate the release of such a wonderful book. Hope to see you there!
In our household, it is no secret that I am a fiend for Asian food, any style. Whether it be Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian… anything Asian (so long it is vegan!) is welcome into my belly. This recipe comes by request of my friend Kat (Hi Kat!), who is soon to be married and has been looking for some yummy meat-less recipes. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige. Here is Melissa’s recipe for an easy Thai curry!
Melissa’s Easy Thai Curry
Ingredients
2 cups coconut milk
3 tablespoons red curry paste
sliced carrots
cauliflower
white mushrooms
green beans
one package extra firm tofu
Feel free to use any veggie of your choosing! My sister had just given me a whole basket of green beans, fresh from her garden. We also had the cauliflower from our bi-weekly trip to the farmers market. And mushrooms are FULL of health benefits – they are fat burning powerhouses!
Jersey City Vegan 