I was contacted recently by a woman named Maureen, a master gardener and computer programmer/project manager, who started a site that helps people connect with locals who grow their own produce. It’s called The Farmer’s Garden. It’s a network where people can post free classifieds to sell, trade, or give away their surplus backyard garden produce. It seems like a great idea to me, so I thought I’d pass it along, in case anyone else is interested. It’s nationwid... Read Full Story

How would you feel about a free copy of the highly acclaimed, totally awesome book The China Study? BenBella Books gave me a couple free copies of this book and I’m gonna give one away! It’s a wonderful book about the importance of nutrition in health. It offers fantastic evidence as to why vegetable-based diets are best. And if you’ve read it already, pass it on to your critics– to those people that think you’re absolutely nutty for being vegan! All you have to do is... Read Full Story

+ My husband had this idea after I made him vegan lemon poppyseed muffins for his birthday. We’re still a little caked-out from the leftover wedding cake, so I thought muffins were a nice alternative. Anyway, we bought some lemon sorbet and ate it in conjunction with a warm lemon poppyseed muffin. Yummy dessert if I do say so myself. Try it! You might like it. Of course, if you don’t like lemon, forget I said anything. Read Full Story

photo by [puamelia] Have you ever tried a persimmon? I just tried one for the first time last week and… oh my heck! Why aren’t these things more popular? You eat it like an apple (automatic bonus), and it’s sweet, but not overbearing. I’d say it’s… refreshingly sweet. Youngstown, the distributors of this Sweet Fuyu Persimmon, which I bought at Trader Joe’s, should hire me as their persimmon marketing rep. I’m totally in love. The ancient Greek... Read Full Story

Our wedding turned out better than I could have ever hoped. Despite the chilling 30 degree weather outside and a few snow flurries earlier in the day (in the first week of October, mind you), we had an outdoor wedding in a beautiful, well-heated, tent. The ceremony and reception took place at my parent’s house on a tiny lake in Wisconsin called North Lake. The tent had floor-to-ceiling windows so, while it was still light out, we had tons of natural light inside the tent. And the fall ... Read Full Story

Looking for a delicious vegan snack that can be found in a vending machine? Well, I was, the other day as I was between classes. I stopped in the engineering building at the University of Minnesota, expecting to find something boring like pretzels to nosh on. Lo, and behold, right before my hungry eyes stood a bag marked “vegan.” No way! Mrs. May’s Naturals makes a slow dry roasted snack called Pom-Raspberry Crunch which is vegan, wheat free, gluten free, preservative free,... Read Full Story

Here’s a horrid and shocking story of a dance instructor’s bout with E. coli after eating a burger her mother made for her in Minnesota. New York Times goes pretty in-depth with this story and digs up a lot of dirt at the Cargill plant in Bulter, WI. Here’s an excerpt: Stephanie Smith, a children’s dance instructor, thought she had a stomach virus. The aches and cramping were tolerable that first day, and she finished her classes. Then her diarrhea turned bloody. Her kidne... Read Full Story

I’m so sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while. I am back in school full time which has been busy but wonderful. And I’m getting married next week! So, Happy Vegetable has been placed on the back burner until life calms down a bit. For the time being, I highly recommend you peruse my Vegan Links. There are some great vegan blogs! A Lucid Spoonfull Conscious Kitchen Eat Air Hezbollah Tofu Kristen’s Raw Luminous Vegans Skrewtips The Daily Raw Cafe The Happy Tomato The PET... Read Full Story

It never hurts to see one’s own views being shared in a prominent journal, such as Time magazine. The article is called “The Growing Case Against Red Meat” Here’s an excerpt: The analysis of more than half a million Americans between the ages of 50 and 71 found that men in the highest quintile of red-meat consumption — those who ate about 5 oz. of red meat a day, roughly the equivalent of a small steak, according to lead author Rashmi Sinha — had a 31% higher risk o... Read Full Story

Me flying a kite. Photo by Emory. So, as you probably know, my main reason for being vegan is ethics. I think the factory farming in the U.S. is wholly corrupt and cruel and disgusting. Secondly, my reasons involve health. Dairy products are so packed with hormones and antibiotics. And the whole thing just sickens me. But WHAT IF you had the opportunity to go somewhere where this was not the case? Where farm animals were treated very well, the people were very concerned about animal welfare,... Read Full Story