preppyvegan

You've all heard me whine before - as much as I love San Francisco, summer here leaves something to be desired. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong. Just this morning I went for a jog through Golden Gate Park, the fog settled in low, the streets damp, trees and buildings a block ahead tapered off into a misty haze. Everything was reduced to a moody, muted palette accented by an occasional burst of color from, say, a swatch of confetti-colored dahlia blooms. Quintessential San Francisco. Dreamy, but a summer spent in the low 60°s nonetheless. That said, I'm not quite ready to give up on a proper dose of sunshine yet, and I'm preparing to temporarily flee SF for one of my favorite warm weather get-aways - but more on that later.

Today, I thought I'd share a recipe for the zucchini pickles I've been making all summer - at least we get proper summer crops here ;)...These pickles have gone camping with us multiple times, and I've tried to keep a steady supply of them in the refrigerator. I like them on cheese-slathered crostini, big and small - see the photo up above. They're good these veggie burgers, certain tacos, and simple green summer salads. If you come up with other ideas for them, let me know. The only thing that takes much time here is draining some of the liquid from the zucchini, if you plan ahead a bit, the rest of the process only takes a couple minutes.

As far as flavor and seasoning go, this recipe delivers a bit of spicy bite from the mustard seeds and red chile, coupled with a hint of sweet, but not much. If you like a super-sweet pickle, double the sugar, and go from there. Same goes for the spiciness.

Continue reading Quick Pickled Zucchini...

Vaute Couture is offering an amazing deal – and you could score a warm, classic mens’ coat (100% vegan, eco, and ethical) just in time for the cold season at almost half-off if you act soon. The preorder special will start at 45% off for 1 week only, and move towards regular price every week until we’re ready to get them to ship! Click the image below for full details (featuring Yours Truly and vegan model Jayce Basques in the warm, rugged Vaute Couture Pea Coat).

mckaysavage / CC by 2.0

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that plant-based diets centered on healthy whole foods lower mortality rates, while meat-centric low-carb diets like Atkins raise mortality rates. In other words, going vegan can help you get fit and live longer. OK, that's not exactly a news flash—we've been saying that for years—but it's always good to know that science (once again) has our backs!

If you'd like to understand the study results, Dr. Dean Ornish breaks them down here. And if you want to improve your chances for a long and healthy life, we're here to help.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

vilken syn! och doften sen

School isn't all bad—we promise! (And please keep reading even if you aren't a student.) School provides a great opportunity to show your friends and teachers the benefits of a vegan diet.

You can also send out a positive message for animals (and the environment) by taking your lunch to school in PETA's "No Animals in Here" lunch bag. This "Win It Wednesday," you can snag a bag of your own just by sharing your fave vegan lunch idea with us. The idea that makes our mouths water the most will win. Need inspiration? See VeganLunchBox.blogspot.com.

Haven't set foot in school since Nixon was president? Don't worry. You're eligible to win too—just tell us the best vegan lunch to pack for work or for sitting at the senior center.

Posted by Heather Moore

Last night my husband made me Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Peanut Cookies. And even though the recipe was super simple - they tasted better than any gourmet, labor/time-intensive cookie recipe I could ever make for myself. Cookies in the Oven. One of the most magical culinary kitchen delights is the moment when you smell homemade chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. That soft, warm, vanilla-cocoa smell is magical. It's like comfort food. And you haven't even bitten into a cookie yet. And while it's fun to make cookies yourself, even better is when someone else bakes them for you! Pass this recipe along to someone who loves you and attach a *pretty please* request for fresh baked cookies... I told my husband I wanted cookies. He looked at me with that blank stare of "..but I don't bake." He replied, "Yes, lets make cookies!" I shook my head 'no' and pointed to a nice friendly... This is a summary, images and full post available on HHL website!

You won't catch a male ninespine stickleback asking that question, according to a recent study conducted at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Researchers Dr. Mike Webster and Professor Kevin Laland found that while ninespine sticklebacks are known to be capable of sophisticated social learning behavior, including communicating with each other about where to find the best food sources, males who are preparing to breed will stop "asking for directions," so to speak, and go out foraging for food on their own.

Jeff Kubina / CC by 2.0

The researchers believe that the fish do this because they need to find new food reserves that they can easily return to once their babies hatch, after which they will need to spend more time guarding and caring for them.

Says Dr. Webster, "Over the last few years, we have learned the surprising extent of the cognitive capabilities of many species of fish, and recent research has shown that rather than blindly copying others, fish are selective in when they copy and even who they learn from."

Sound like someone you know? No word on whether male ninespine sticklebacks also monopolize the remote and leave the toilet seat up.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

Coming soon to a billboard in Big Pine Key, Florida:

PETA's offer to pay $1,500 for the right to erect the above image at a new dog park in Hampton, New Jersey, may have been rejected by fundraising Girl Scouts there, but organizers of a dog park in the Sunshine State who read about the rejection found our proposal irresistible. They asked for a similar deal—and now their new dog park will be getting the funding, and park visitors will be giving paws pause to consider the fact that a resolution to spay and neuter their companion animals would help decrease the number of animals who are forced to live in animal shelters or on the streets.

Meanwhile, our billboard could still grace Hampton's new dog park. City Council members there are currently mulling over our proposal.

Posted by Karin Bennett

PETA Butter

Forget pita bread—now there's PETA Butter! In honor of our 30th anniversary, Peanut Butter & Co. (PB&Co) has whipped up a giant batch of special peanut butter just for PETA and is donating a portion of the sales from it to our "Pledge to Be Veg" program. PB&Co is also generously providing jars of PETA Butter for our star-studded 30th Anniversary Gala—the PETA Butter will make an appearance in the gift bags and as an item in our silent auction.

Can't make it to the gala? You can still celebrate with the all-natural peanutty spread by entering to win a month's supply. And if you're wondering what you'd do with a month's supply of PETA Butter, don't worry. Continue reading for some ideas that PETA bloggers swear will make peanut butter and jelly seem boring.

Forget pita bread—now there's PETA Butter! In honor of our 30th anniversary, Peanut Butter & Co. (PB&Co) has whipped up a giant batch of special peanut butter just for PETA and is donating a portion of the sales from it to our "Pledge to Be Veg" program. PB&Co is also generously providing jars of PETA Butter for our star-studded 30th Anniversary Gala—the PETA Butter will make an appearance in the gift bags and as an item in our silent auction.

Can't make it to the gala? You can still celebrate with the all-natural peanutty spread by entering to win a month's supply. And if you're wondering what you'd do with a month's supply of PETA Butter, don't worry. Continue reading for some ideas that PETA bloggers swear will make peanut butter and jelly seem boring.

We’re happy to introduce you all once more to Kind Life sponsor Equinox Fitness Clubs. Equinox is offering all of you Kind Lifers a complimentary trial membership so you can test out their facilities. Here is the scoop on what Equinox is all about:

Equinox offers an unparalleled member experience in an inspired environment including state-of-the-art equipment and 2010 innovative Group Fitness classes like Whipped Breathless and Tabata. Our friendly personal trainers have all graduated from the proprietary Equinox Fitness Training Institute and are available to help members during workouts and to schedule private training sessions. Equinox offers chilled eucalyptus towels to refresh you during your workout and the Spa At Equinox offers diverse treatments designed to relax rejuvenate and enhance your results.
Click here for your 3-day VIP trial membership!

Eaten any good algae lately?  Chances are you have, even if you didn’t know it.  Algae, or sea vegetables, are used as stabilizers or thickeners in everything from mayo to ice cream, and even if you avoid processed foods, you’ve probably enjoyed sushi wrapped up in nori or miso soup flavored with wakame.  And if [...]

What happens when you unplug an electronic artist? Moby will be performing a fund-raising, acoustic set up at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. If you haven’t been to upstate New York in the autumn, it is not to be missed. Get tickets!

Opening for Moby will be his frequent female vocalist and award-winning film composer Kelli Scarr, who is now a solo artist in her own right. Also playing will be Mercury Rev Clear Light Ensemble, featuring members of Mercury Rev performing a live soundscapeto Albert Lamorisse’s beloved 1956 classic “The Red Balloon” (this will be after Moby performs, with Moby sitting in).

eschipul / CC by 2.0

The death toll continues to rise at SeaWorld with the passing of a 12-year-old orca named Sumar at the theme-park chain's San Diego location. Sumar died far short of the expected 50-to-60 year lifespan of orcas who roam the vast oceans where they belong.

Whatever caused Sumar's death (and let's hope that there will be no cover-up this time), a lifetime in a barren concrete pool—in mere gallons of water instead of the fathoms he deserved—was no life at all for this orca. How many animals and people must pay with their lives before SeaWorld begins the process of transitioning orcas to coastal sanctuaries?

Please contact Blackstone Group (which owns SeaWorld) and insist that it begin the rehabilitation process right away.

Posted by Jennifer O'Connor

kanske too late att va först till kvarn men: @rodeoswe säljer plaststövlarna från Cheap Monday till förmån för Pakistan http://korta.nu/30e8

Igår skriv vi om vegofobin som råder hos vissa lokalpolitiker i Hylte. Idag kan vi konstatera att smittan spridit sig till SvD:s ledarredaktion.

Claes Arvidsson sågar ett förslag från Socialdemokraterna och Vänsterpartiet om en vegetarisk dag i veckan, och konstaterar att det blir till att skicka med ett matpaket till barnen den dagen då det serveras vegetariskt -för man kan inte tvinga någon att äta vego.

Jag googlade lite, och hittade två skräckscenarier för Claes Arvidsson och hans barn.

Går allt åt skogen, och det blir en vegetarisk dag i veckan, så kan det bli som på Sjöstadsskolan, som denna vecka serverar som vegetariska alternativ:

Måndag: Quorn"Tikka masala" med ris
Tisdag: Vegsnitzlar med remouladesås och kokt potatis
Onsdag: Stekt sojakorv med potatis och broccoligratäng
Torsdag: Lök o zuccinisoppa med hembakat bröd
Fredag: Spaghetti och quornfärssås.

Blä! Det där lät verkligen äckligt och näringsfattigt. En (med betoning på en - 1) sådan måltid i veckan känns svår att acceptera.

Eller, om barnen går på gymnasiet, så kan det bli som på Globala gymnasiet, som denna vecka serverar:

Måndag: Kikärtsgryta med stekt ris och saffransyoghurt.
Tisdag: Pasta med morotssås.
Onsdag: Mexikansk bondomelett.
Torsdag: Thaisoppa.
Fredag: Broccolimedaljonger med ört och vitlöksstuvad potatis.

Urk! Det är ju nästan så att man ryser vid tanken på att utsätta sina barn för detta en dag i veckan.
Fast å andra sidan serverar Globala gymnasiet enbart vegetarisk mat till sina elever, så det är nog ingen risk för att Claes Arvidsson råkar placera sina barn där ändå.

This treat was given to me when I was in New York for a weekend.
I flew to NY straight from the set of Vamps in Detroit at 5am on 1.5 hours of sleep! to shoot another film the first directorial effort by my dear friend Chris Nelson whom I've known since I was 14. I had so much fun being in his film!

Anywho a lovely girl/lady there named Polo brought me this peanut butter brownie from Whole Foods - sooo good and vegan of course!
If you haven't been to Whole Foods and had this brownie I highly recommned it for flirts and vegans alike!

What are your favorite dessert treats that are easy to grab on the go?

kanelbullar! kanelbullar till alla! http://rakfrossa.tumblr.com/#1085525232

Vegan Apoteke på eleven.se http://eleven.se/vegan-apoteke-b587.html (bra pris!)