Cookies for me?

Check out these adorable crocheted cookie magnets from Aletha's shop, Radical Fringe! Now you can enjoy the happiness of cookies all the time... without the calories. ;)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Magnets

Oatmeal Cream Pie Magnets

So... where DO you get your protein?

What's always amazed me about the protein myth is that it's most often believed by die-hard meat eaters - the people who, say, love a good steak (cow!) and see that as the ultimate protein source. It's also frequently thought that cows live idyllic lives, whiling away their days happily eating grass on a sunny hillside.

So, if all cows eat is grass... where's all that protein come from?

Well, cows' flesh is of course made of protein. And cows are meant to eat little else other than grass. The big secret, known by vegans everywhere? PLANT MATTER CONTAINS PROTEIN! What a revelation. And if we add this pair of twos, we get the following four: if cows can get protein from plants, we can too.

Personally, some of my favorite places to get protein are almonds, almond milk, bread, quinoa, and a variety of legumes.

What are YOUR favorite vegan sources of protein?

A classic: the What Vegans Eat chart

But... how do you get your protein?

Vegan MoFo - more than half over!

Vegan MoFo 2011 is just whizzing by! It's practically 2/3 over, and as usual it's nearly impossible to keep up with all the amazing blogging that's going on. Before it's all through, try to take a peek at these great teamie blogs:

My Zoetrope
Veganosaurus
Veganville
Panda With Cookie
Vegans on the Move
Kittee: Craft Maker to the Stars
Miss Muffcake
Veggie Amanda (Newman Improved)
The Traveling Austin Vegan

Enjoy these great reads, happy MoFo, and go vegans!!

Everybody loves CUPCAKES! Meet: Tea Loves Cake

Please welcome one of our newest team members, Leah of Tea Loves Cake and FenDove. While over at FenDove you'll find her artistic creations, at Tea Loves Cake you will find an abundance of CUPCAKES!

Snowball Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Special Vanilla Cupcakes

Good enough to eat! Part Two.

Who doesn't love to wear their food?! No, we're not encouraging a food fight. Check out these awesome and adorable ways to wear your veggie pride!

Strawberry Gateaux earrings from Art by Susmitha

Fruits and Veggies pins from Sick on Sin

Eat Kale Daily tote from Eat Your VegTees

Happy World Food Day!!

Today has been declared World Food Day! This is the perfect time to take a hard look at your food, where it's coming from, and how your purchasing choices affect the world around you. Many of us are well into this process, but it's important never to stop questioning, probing, and learning. Our food environment changes daily, and there is nothing on the planet that isn't touched in some way by the food industry. There is nothing more fundamental or crucial than food, and it deserves our full attention.

The Organic Consumers Association has taken today as an opportunity to create Millions Against Monsanto - the company which (often together with Dow Chemical) has pioneered so many of the modern food industry's atrocities. GMOs are a hotbed of debate, and Monsato is at its white hot core. Learn more! Get educated! And remember, one of the best ways to affect change is to simply reduce demand.

Fudgariffic!!

Everybody loves fudge. It's a scientifically proven fact. I developed this rocky road fudge recipe in homage to days gone past, spending holidays around tons of relatives who would bake up a storm. Those days are gone but the memories remain, and now this fudge has become part of my holiday tradition.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chocolate, coarsely chopped then measured
• 2 cups (yes really, two cups) of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/8 cup "milk" (I use Almond Breeze, but use whatever floats your boat - soy, rice, hemp, whatev)
• 1/8 cup rum
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup marshmallows, quartered then measured
• 1 and 1/2 cups walnuts, measured then roughly chopped

Steps:

• Melt your chocolate. You can use a double boiler for this, but I've actually found that it isn't necessary. It's much more helpful to have a nonstick pot! Stir constantly, and remove from heat as soon as you only have a few little lumps yet. You want to heat your chocolate as little as possible, because you have to let it return to room temperature before using it. How does it stay liquid when it started out solid? Magic.
• Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. I swear, this is why parchment exists, and I love it.
• Chop your walnuts - how big or small depends on how you like it.
• Quarter your marshmallows. I've used Dandies for this, but I feel that Sweet and Sara's would be wonderful as well - just a little pricey maybe. Note: marshmallows are very sticky when you cut them open! I find it helpful to use some powdered sugar on the chopping board and on my hands to coat the newly exposed sides, so that the marshmallows don't stick to the board, each other, or me... (Of course, if you can get ahold of the mini Dandies, no chopping is necessary!)
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together coconut milk, other milk, rum, extract, and powdered sugar. (If your powdered sugar has little sugar rocks in it, run it through a sieve or sifter first.) Mix in your marshmallows and walnuts. (This is about when I switch from a whisk to a spatula. Walnuts + whisk = baagghhh.)
• Stir in your ROOM TEMPERATURE chocolate. Seriously people. It cannot be hot... unless of course you want to make fudge soup.
• Pour/scoop the mixture into your prepared pan, and use a spatula to spread it not quite to the edges.
• Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, until completely firm. Then break into chunks or cut up, display nicely on a plate, and watch your loved ones go wild.

Fudgy.

Some additional notes...

*I like to use three 1 oz. squares of semi-sweet and six of unsweetened - plenty of sugar is added later!
*If you have bought a normal size can of coconut milk, this recipe is only going to use about a third of it. You may want to think about creative ways to use the rest - coconut milk goes bad quickly once opened! Of course, you *could* always make a triple batch...
*The rum here is optional - you can up the milk to 1/4 cup and leave it out. But I like the tiny punch it gives, and I swear it doesn't leave the fudge tasting very rummy. Conversely, you can do a full quarter cup and leave the milk out entirely!
*Eternal thanks to Celine of Have Cake, Will Travel, whose whiskey peanut fudge recipe started me on all of my crazy fudgy journeys.

Oh fuuuudge...

Cooler weather also means it's time for fudge. It's fun and easy to make your own, and I'm going to share my favorite recipe with you... tomorrow! Today, feast your eyes on some of the best fudgilicious goodies the VET has to offer...

S'mores Fudge from Sweet V Confections!

Fudgy peanut butter brownies from Veganville!

Rocky Road Fudge from Panda with Cookie BAKES!

Autumn = PUMPKIN!

Even way down here in the deep south, a cool crisp is in the air. And fall can only mean one thing: winter squash! Today, a celebration of that grand orange globe, the pumpkin...

Mallowcreme Pumpkins from Panda with Cookie BAKES!

Pumpkin Spice Caramels from Feed Your Face

Punkin Chocolate Chipper Loaf from Veganville

How about some "milk" chocolate? Meet NO Whey Candies!

For some people, milk chocolate is just where it's at. However, as conscious consumers we know that milk is the pits, and that companies like Hershey's and Mars are NOT the cat's meow. Enter NO Whey Candies! This shop has been kicking around the team for a while now, but they've really never gotten a proper introduction. This is one shop, though, that you want to know about! Because milk chocolate lovers who shun all things dairy can rejoice. Below, Stacie shares the NO Whey story and divulges the details of their delicious treats...

When my brother became vegan he said he could eat this way forever but he had to have milk chocolate. My mom came up with an alternative which satisfied even my picky brother! So we started off veganizing all of our old favorites, but have evolved into much more. The favorites these days are the Cranberry, Cashew Bark, and Caramel and Sea Salt.

NO Whey! Candies offers a healthier alternative to snacking. We have non dairy alternatives as well as gluten free and soy-less choices. Our ingredients use no hydrogenated oils and have no trans fats.We make heart healthy dark chocolate as well as a milkless “milk” chocolate in many combinations.

Our chocolates are hand made in a commercial kitchen. We are happy to speak with you about gift orders and adding our special touch to your events. You may speak to Ethel or Stacie Wernick at 216-544-3057 or convo us through our Etsy shop, NO Whey Candies!

Make sure to check out her "killer" kabobs - Halloween happiness on a stick!!

COOKIES GALORE!

The Vegan Etsy Team excels in many fields. Luckily for everyone, one of them is COOKIES! Behold, a peek at the amazing array of treats our teamies create...

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Panda with Cookie BAKES!

Carrot Cake Voopies from Veganville! (with creme cheeze filling!!)

Classic shortbread jam cutouts from Sweet V Confections

And even cookies for your kitties! Catnip cookies from Luna's Apawthecary, that is. ;)

Good enough to eat!

Here at the Vegan Etsy Team, we love food! The only thing we love almost as much eating awesome vegan food is delighting in adorable handmade items that look like food. :)

Lettuce Relax from Radical Fringe (AlethaFaye)

Kawaii felt cupcake pin from Toboggan Hill

Stir Fry Plushies from Panda with Cookie

Take it to go!

With our hectic, 0n-the-go lives, we all struggle with finding the best ways to reduce waste while still remembering to eat lunch and get the grocery shopping done. Luckily, teamie Johnson Family Zoo provides us with great options for food transport! Shop proprietor Lisa crafts super-useful sandwich bags and produce bags in a wide range of fun colors and patterns. Eco-friendly fun for the grocery store and farmer's market, school and work lunch, and wherever else life takes you!

So many fun patterns and colors it's almost impossible to choose...
so just get a variety pack! :D

Spice it up!

What's life without a little spice? There's a common misconception that vegan food is bland and boring. When vegans are asked if we get bored with our foodstuffs, we can't help but laugh! Vegans eat some of the most flavorful food around, in part because we take so much care in what we eat.

For you vegan home chefs out there looking for some new zing in your recipes, check out teamie Twig & Leaf Botanicals. They offer a wide range of spice blends, whole herbs, and gourmet salts to put even more kick in your kitchen!

vegan potato seasoning

Hawaiian black lava sea salt

vegan cheese seasoning

Dish it out.

We vegans love to eat! And with all the celebrating of food that we do, it's no surprise that we also like to do it in style.

Teamie Jeanette Zeis creates and sells beautiful "vegan" dishware in her shop Vegan Dish. Got non-vegan roommates? Here's an easy way to say, this bowl is mine. And around the office, you can proudly proclaim that your coffee is creamed with soy!

Add this to your Halloween basket: Vegan Caramels! Meet:

Please welcome our very new teamie, Nicole of Feed Your Face! She's creating amazing gourmet vegan caramels in delectable flavors like Pumpkin Spice, Mulled Apple Cider, and Spicy Dark Chocolate. How could your Halloween be complete without them?? Check out Nicole's awesome selection of goodies and don't forget to make her your new favorite!

Limited-time-only Halloween sea salt caramels!

Pumpkin Spice Caramels from Feed Your Face

Get ready for your VEGAN HALLOWEEN!!

Everyone loves to have a scary time on Halloween! But what's a bit too scary is the ingredients used in many store-bought candies. You can avoid the frustration by buying handmade goodies from the Vegan Etsy Team!


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Veganville!












or Scotcharoos from Sweet V Confections














And what's halloween without some decorations? Check out these adorable plushies from Panda with Cookie!













Kitties love Halloween too! Let them celebrate in style with this festive kitty bed from Luna's Apawthecary.













And finally, don't forget to give yourself a little bit of flare! This adorable pumpkin pin from Vegancraftastic should do the trick.

Happy Halloween!

World Farm Animals Day, part 3: for the Pigs!!

Protecting the Pigs by Julia Feliz

Vegans make a choice to refrain from as much exploitation as they can in a world that is not so kind to animals. These days making that choice is incredibly easy - with the never ending supply of recipes and products readily available to suit any palate.

However, it is important to recognize that vegans do it for non-human animals, who would otherwise live horribly short lives as “things” to be sold to uneducated consumers. Consumers have a choice each and every time they make a purchase. These choices greatly affect the lives of non-humans, such as pigs; by choosing vegan we reduce demand for animal products and ultimately spare lives.

Why should you care? Here are a few good reasons:

• With their extreme intelligence, pigs can respond to verbal communication. (C. Croney, Oregon State University)
• Pigs don’t just give up; they persist until they achieve the results they have set out to accomplish. (S. Held, Bristol University)
• Although pigs have small brains, they are incredibly fast, “one-trial learners” - which means they can learn something from doing it a single time without any practice. (Held)
• Pigs can also communicate their preferences and choices. (S. Curtis, University of Illinois)

These are just a few of many examples that demonstrate how alike non-humans are to humans, regardless of their physical appearance or inability to speak our language. Vegans choose to care and to live as cruelty-free as possible because non-humans, like pigs, are not so different to us.

We consider this kinship each time we make a meal. We hope that this Baked Barbeque Tofu recipe will inspire you to think about your choices and moral code. It is so simple to forgo that “pork” and spare so many lives - here’s your chance to learn how and get started!

Baked Barbeque Tofu by Neva Davis

Ingredients:
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tsps chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tsps chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 8oz can crushed tomatoes in sauce
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbs smoked sea salt (you can add more or less salt according to your taste)
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp cracked red pepper
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs corn starch
• 2 lbs Extra firm tofu, drained and cut into squares

Method:
• First, make your sauce. Brown onions in olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan, then add crushed garlic and rosemary. Saute lightly and add crushed tomatoes, maple syrup, salt, red and black pepper and mustard powder. Mix and simmer.
• In a measuring cup, mix water and vinegar. Then whisk in the cornstarch until it's dissolved. Slowly pour the mixture into your sauce and stir.
• Simmer until it starts to get thick. Add parsley.
• Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• Pour over tofu squares in a refrigerator container with a lid. Seal and allow to marinate over night.
• Place tofu and sauce in a baking dish and bake at 350 for approximately one hour. Check periodically to make sure it's not burning.

Serve with corn bread and steamed collard greens for an authentic southern-style meal!

To learn more about the amazing world of pigs, please check out Pigs Peace Sanctuary.