Vegan Era

Celebrities Making The Switch

2011-09-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

U.S actress Ginnifer Goodwin, star of ‘He’s Just Not That Into You,’ and tv show Big Love, is one of many celebrities making the switch to the loving vegan diet. Goodwin, who made the switch to vegan about a year and a half ago, said on Late Nights with Conan O’Brien that she is “on a vegan high!”

Beautiful Miss Goodwin explained that the switch began with an epiphany one day while preparing her morning coffee: "We were filming the road trip episode of this season's Big Love and we were staying in a hotel. I was doing a lot--and I mean a lot—of yoga at the time, and I've heard it's not uncommon for something like this to happen when you are in a stage like that," she explains. "Anyway, I was having my morning coffee, and I was pouring milk into it, and all I can say is that I suddenly realized what it was that I was pouring into my coffee.

I was so disgusted, because I had never actually stopped to think about what milk is. And dairy had always been my favorite food group! I thought, 'Surely this feeling will pass,' but at lunchtime I was still disgusted. Over the next few days, I started really thinking about what I was eating."

Now there is nothing she wants to eat less than a piece of cheese or a burger. “I have nightmares I’m being force-fed these things,” she said.
Being very health conscious, Goodwin began researching nutrition and how animals are treated. “I started reading and learned that we don't need any of it—meat, dairy products. We get everything we need without those things—except maybe B12, but there's this whole controversy that maybe we're only getting B12 because the animals are being fed B12 supplements.

And I read about what actually occurs in the factory farming; I found out what it is that diary cows go through and what horrible lives these animals lead. I actually broke down—there was a day of sobbing upon realizing what I had been supporting. And I thought, well, if I don't need animals to be healthy in my diet, then why would I take their lives away or support an industry that puts them in situations that might not be the most, uh, happy-making."
Goodwin is joined by other celebrities such as Alicia Silverstone, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi and of course the very charismatic Mr. Bill Clinton.
Be Love – Be Peace – Be Vegan.

End Foie Gras

2011-09-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Foie Gras, literal translation is "fatty liver"; this is the process where 'farmers' force a tube down a duck or a geese throat and pumps up to 20kg of fat into their bodies.
You ask yourself, why?

As described by Ms. Kate Winslet in a new PETA video; this process causes thier livers to swell to many times the normal size.

Are you still sitting their scratching your head asking yourself, 'yes, but why?' Well, this practice is done to feed the socialites of the world at their dinners.

A common meal now at restaurants is liver, and this equates to the liver from an animal such as a duck or a geese.
Have you not ever asked yourself. when sitting at the table staring at your piece of liver (this writer is shuttering at the thought) how that liver became so big - and where it came from.

Well, this is where!

The living conditions of our beautiful feathered friends are appalling, they are crammed into cages no bigger then them.

They can hardly stand - let alone spread their wings and stretch. They are placed in a prison cell - confined to a life of torture and pain.

Their day to day lives are spent on death row - knowing they will die, but not when. They are awaken by the 'farmer' strangling them, squeezing their beaks together so they can force a tube down their throat, so far down that it enters directly into their stomach.

This process occurs not just once a day, but many times a day. Our beautiful animal friends are forced feed till they are slaughtered to produce that one piece of liver sold to you at a restaurant.

Please be the voice for millions of innocent ducks and geese slaughtered daily.
Would you like your children, your brother or sister, your father your mother or your friend to be one of these animals?

Help put an end to this terrible truth.

A Healthy Vegan Fox

2011-09-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

There is a difference in being a healthy a Vegan and not being a healthy Vegan. I am sure that you would have read all about this recently where Megan Fox has spoken very publicly about her recent diet. This has given us reason to bring you a simple guide in adopting a healthy, nutritious Vegan diet into your lifestyle.

As with any diet that you undertake, it is imperative that you maintain a healthy balance. It can be very easy to fall into a trap of thinking that because you are limiting yourself a food, you can compensate with other types of food. That can be a very dangerous trap, as you can very easily over compensate.

If you are not aware of the good food types, you can start down a path of eating or in some cases not eating certain foods. This can come about through old habits, or through bad advice. It is important you seek the right advice from the right people, because when you go to the wrong people stuck in the old way of thinking all to easily you can be taken of the path.

The types of food that you must be aware of,

- High processed food: Products like flour, white bread, chocolate, chips, biscuits and cakes are dreadful for our bodies. Even if you are fit and healthy, you would not eat too much of this.

- Balance of Fruit and Vegetables: Ensure you are getting a good mix between fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains (brown rice, millet, quinuo)

- Legumes: Look for organic, un-processed soy products like tofu. They are a great substitute and fill you up.

- Grains: There is a whole world out there full of amazing grains that will give your body all the carbohydrates and protein it needs.

All yourself to be loose and have some fun with preparing and enjoying Vegan food. There is so much to be had in the kitchen and so many amazing recipes out there. If you get too stuck in some old school medical dogmas, you are not giving yourself the chance to enjoy your new found lifestyle.

If you ever have any questions, see your doctor (if you can a veg doctor) and get a blood test. They can test your iron and B12 levels to ensure your body is getting all that it needs.

If you ever find that it is a little low on something, there are a stack of products out there that are Vegan that will give your body the supplements it needs.

Above all, enjoy your new found lifestyle. I assure you that you will feel amazing and get so much more out of life.

Lentil Spaghetti

2011-09-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

This is another great meal that the young ones love.
They get to slop it and slurp all night long – the only thing is – it might be a mess for you to clean..SORRY

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 cups water 
- Dash salt 
- 1 cup brown or french green lentils (not red) 
- Olive oil 
- 1 onion, sliced 
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced 
- 1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (personally, I heart Ragu) 
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained 
- herbs, to taste (basil, marjoram, oregano, thyme, chives, etc.) 
- Cracked black pepper, to taste 
- Pinch sugar, or to taste 
- Small pinch tumeric 
- 1 or 2 (8-ounce) packages whole wheat pasta (angel hair best), cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill a small pot with water. Add a dash of salt and lentils. (The lentils can be pulverized slightly in blender beforehand, if you like, meaning the lentils will cook faster.) Bring to boil over medium-high head (second-highest setting), uncovered, stirring every few minutes, until lentils are tender (but not too mushy, if you didn't pulverize them).

2. While those cook, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry your onion until softened slightly. Add garlic and sauté for a minute or two more. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes. Turn down heat slightly. Add a splash more oil.

3. When lentils are tender, drain and add to the sauce. If the sauce seems to be drowning the lentils, cook for a little longer. If the lentils seem too thick, add some more tomato sauce.

4. Add herbs, black pepper, sugar, and tumeric. Serve over pasta (cooked via the package's instructions).

Source of recipe: This is a favorite recipe of mine.

Makes: 5- to 6-ish servings, Preparation time: 10-ish minutes, Cooking time: 30 to 45 minutes

ENJOY!!

What Makes Your Vegan Fashion

2011-09-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

Coming very shortly, Vegan Era will be releasing their latest e-book Vegan Fashion. We are very, very excited as this has been something that we have been wanting to do for a very long time. We also feel that there is a whole, amazing, colorful fashionable vegan fashion world out there that no one seems to know about it.

It is pretty similar to making the transition with your food. We have been raised for such a long time on a traditional diet that it is in-grained in us. When we grow older we eat without thinking. The same can be said for what we wear.

Vegan Era is hoping to change all that with their latest e-book that goes in to detail about the fashion industry and what exactly goes into making our clothes. Not only that, our beautiful Mandy will be giving a few extra tips and hints on ways that you can Vegan-ise your wardrobe.

When you take a look at the fashion magazine, blogs and papers you are seeing more and more celebrties are making the compassionate choice and choosing to wear no fur.
A large thanks has to go to PETA who do an amazing job in attracting celebrities to take a stance against animal cruelty in the fashion industry.

We are noticing people like Ellen, Pamela Anderson and Pink take a stance not only against fur but also promote vegan fashion. Plus the world has the amazing talent of Stella McCartney, whose line is always inspiring. Due to the increase publicity of this beautiful movement toward a compassionate lifestyle, many celebrities are stepping out on the run way waring faux fur.

No we are also seeing people like Gisele Bundchen (model) take an interest in eco fashion as well as Summer Rayne Oakes who not only promotes earth friendly choices, but actively promotes this in schools and the community.

So, on this topic the CREW at Vegan Era would love to hear your thoughts on your Vegan Wardrobe.

Why We Love Bill

2011-09-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Bill Clinton

We only have a couple of words for this, 'how cool!' The CREW at Vegan Era were so amazed to hear this news. For some time we had heard the rumor that Mr. Clinton had gone vegetarian, however, when we heard the news that it was no longer a rumor and an actuality that Mr. Clinton was Vegan....WOAW we were simply blown away.

For those out there that are new to being Vegan, and adopting the Compassionate lifestyle let me shed some light on to why this is so big.

For those of us, that have been actively promoting this way of life, it can sometimes seem like we are bashing our heads against a brick wall. The message is there, but for some reason it just doesn't seem to be reaching the wider audience. The CREW at Vegan Era have spent much of their time researching why this is the case. Simply put, we don't really know. There are factors in the past that we can differently see why it would be hard to break through, perhaps those barriers are still up. However, when such an influence public figure makes it public that he advocates a Vegan diet, it feels like a barrier has come down.

One of the biggest barriers that we find is the regulations that are in place by government agencies. An example of this is recently in Australia, the Prime Minister placed a halt on Live Export Trade. It soon got lifted, and not long after they passed a bill in Parliament that saw Live Export could continue.
When governments around the world are still dictating such policies, it makes it difficult to get a message heard that differs from this.

The public view is essential in helping to turn the point of view of the government. When a influential public figure such as Mr. Clinton speak out promoting a Vegan lifestyle, this assists the whole cause of promoting a compassionate lifestyle. It is like a ripple effect, when this gets into the media you soon hear more and more coming out advocating the same message. As this continues, it grows strength and you soon find that a tidal wave has been created and is covered in all media. Then when we, who are watching the news see this, it no longer seems like such an abstract vision. Rather a very real possibility.

There is a beautiful quote from Mother Theresa. A person asked, 'Why will you not come to our Stop War rally?' Mother Theresa replied with 'When you hold a Pro Peace rally, I will be there.'

There are very effective methods in spreading the compassionate message. Through powerful, public figures like former President Mr. Clinton does this, it holds great gravity in promoting any campaign.

Create Your Own Seminar

2011-08-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Vegan Era CREW were very blessed to have conducted their very first seminar. YAY! We had such a magnificent turn out, and it seemed that everyone really enjoyed being together and talking to like minded people.

On this point, we thought it only fitting to share all that we have learnt and a few things that we could improve on.

Know Who You Are?
For us, we had very little expectations. I guess, as long as it wasn't Mandy and I talking to each other we were very happy.
Along with this, we are two very relaxed people. Hence, we thought our presentation should reflect that. We made it our point to be very free and relaxed when talking and if people had questions they could ask them there and then.

Upon reflection, we found that this was the one thing that people loved about our presentation. The fact that they could relate to us and they felt comfortable. That was a real bonus. When you stand up and talk in front of an audience you all feed of the energy, so if they are relaxed, you are relaxed.

Set It Up
Although we did not intend for this to happen, the relaxed atmosphere just flowed. Perhaps this had to do with the fact that we were delayed with technical difficulties so I had the time to meet people before hand and they could all get together to have a little chat.

This actually leads me on to my next point, try your best to have all the technical issues ironed out before the day. We use apple computers, and they did not work with the hard ware available to us. luckily we had a back up computer, however a lot of the software we were using for the presentation did not work. We were able to get around it, however, if had of tested everything a couple of days before hand we could have been more prepared.

Mix It Up
The CREW has been lucky to have been to a few seminars previously. In our experience we found most of the them boring and distant. We wanted our audience to feel like they really knew us, and they could relate to the material.

In order to create this environment we changed between power point presentation, video and free talking. After the presentation was complete, we received very positive feedback for mixing things up.

PR/Marketing
You always want as many people as you can to your event. We made sure that we had time up our sleeve to get our message out to as many people as possible. The tools we used were letterbox drop, email outs, cafe posters, local media (newspaper, radio) and social media. We were also fortunate in that our local library (the place where we held the seminar) also promoted us.

To be very honest we found the most effective way to get your message heard was through social media. Set yourself up with as many groups and like minded people as you can. Don't be afraid to ask them to spread your message through their friend network.
You often hear that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Well nothing has changed....well sort of nothing, it is no longer done through people verbally talking, rather typing on face book.

Give, Give, Give
Not only giving of your time, and of yourself but also give people other treats. People are really appreciative of little gifts especially when you are presenting vegan food. People like to know that they can cook beautiful little treats like cup cakes just as they used to.

At the end of our seminar we gave away books, bags and eats. People were left feeling happy and blissful and all it took was a little love.

Be Happy
Some of the information that we are presenting can be very confronting. We like to keep things very light and happy, however we did present one video that shows how many animals are killed per second around the world. It is confronting, but to finish of the talk we showed a happy video, something fun and light. This helped to uplift the mood of the room.

What We Learnt
The CREW really enjoyed spreading the message, and as I mentioned we had very little expectations. So to have the outcome that we did we were so happy and motivated to do more.

We feel that we could streamline the presentation so that it flowed better when we changed between video and power point.
Set up a video camera and photographer and streamline the seminar on the web. Our next step is to work out how to get this information straight to you. There is a application on face book that allows for web-inars. It something we are looking into and could greatly improve the reach of your presentation.

We would love to hear what you think, so if you have any feedback please tell us. We love to learn always looking for ways better get the message out to the world.

Later Skaters.

HEALTH & HAPPINESS: Cultured Veggies

2011-07-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

I go on a lot about alkaline and acidic foods purely because a diet that is highly acidic makes us more vulnerable to developing chronic disease. Acidic foods promote inflammation within the body and we know that inflammation is the root cause of most chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis at al. Eating a highly acidic diet also allows our intestinal bacteria to get out of whack. You've seen those adverts that promote drinking those sugar-laden drinks that help to restore healthy gut flora right? Well, there's a healthier way to do it. Eat cultured veggies!

Cultured veggies? Yes I know it sounds a little like something that's growing in a petri dish but I'm going to give you some really compelling reasons why they should feature regularly in your diet. But first, here's the lowdown on what the hell cultured veggies actually are.

Here are 8 reasons why you should be eating cultured vegetables:

1. They aid digestion lessening the energy drain on your body (great for anyone that has a weak digestive tract and has a hard time digesting raw foods)

2. They help to eliminate toxins from the body

3. They help to restore a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria within the intestines

4. They help to reduce sugar cravings (hellooooooo this is reason ENOUGH!)

5. Eating animal protein creates toxic by-products in the intestines and by eating the veggies WITH the animal protein, it helps to turn these toxins back into healthy amino acids

6. They are extremely alkalising and cleansing for the body. (They may make you a little gassy to begin with but once you get everything cleaned out then it will all start working nicely!) I had to go there...these things are important! A toxic colon is a toxic body people!

7. They increase your longevity. (As they allow you to reserve your body's own enzymes for digestion, your body is better equipped to repair cells, eliminate toxins, strengthen your immune system etc).

8.They are perfect for pregnant and nursing women as they provide a healthy inner environment for good bacteria and can help alleviate morning sickness! Plus the liquid from the veggies can help relieve the babys colic.

The photo is of some cultured veggies called Kim Chi which is a traditional Korean dish of fermented seasoned cabbage and other veggies. (Fermented just means the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts or other microorganisms.)

At first you might struggle with the idea of roaming bacteria or yeast in your food but these little dudes are actually a good thing as you can see from the reasons above. Additionally cultured vegetables have had profound positive effects on children with autism.

You can make them at home very easily or you can buy them ready made. If I'm having a good old creativity session in the kitchen I will make it but sometimes I buy it ready-made from Raw Living.

If you are completely new to cultured veggies then I would recommend you buy some first to try and see if you like it. It will be a new experience for you as it has a fairly strong flavour but once you try it, I'm pretty sure you'll like it. It has a kind of tangy flavour and can be eaten on salads, as a side dish or on their own and combines particularly well with a protein or starch meal which can be very heavy on the body.

Raw sauerkraut is also another fantastic source of cultured veggies but don't mistake this for the salted and pasteurised version sold in most shops. (The pasteurisation process destroys the enzymes and the salt is bad bad bad!)
World Vegan - World Peace

Create Your Own Loving Magazine

2011-07-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

Have you been looking for a way to spread the Earth and Animal loving message to the world, but not sure where to start? Well, we hope that this piece will point you in the right direction.

The biggest step of all is an idea. What aspiring thoughts have you had that you think the world would love to hear? For people like us, it is pretty simple, we want to save the animals. This is a great start, however, to ensure longevity, you must have a theme, a look or a concept that your magazine publication will have. It is essential that you create this idea in your mind, so that every-time you publish your next great piece it is in line with all the rest that you done. If you keep on chopping and changing, it can confuse your reader and all of a sudden you have lost everyone that you have worked so hard to get.
Once again, don't confuse things, there is an old saying in marketing 101 'Keep It Simple Stupid' or KISS. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once again, for us it is pretty simple. Think of a few key words and picture what goes with this word. For example, we are saving the animals, so what do you think goes with this - Love, Peace, Compassion. There you go, you have just got yourself a theme and idea, you are ready to get pumping.

Editor-At-Large Laura Hooper Beck decided she needed to make a zine after being inspired by others and recognizing a niche waiting to be filled. Beck recently launched Fat Zine!, which she says cost her about $76 from start to finish, and is paying that amount back with the proceeds of her zine sold online and at the recent San Francisco Zine Fest. “There just isn't that much stuff out there that's body positive for women. I wanted to make something that said, ‘hey, it's okay if you're not skinny, or it's okay if you are—whatever!’ and I did it with a fat-positive bend because hardly anything is,” said Beck. “I want to open up that dialogue more. Plus, I love working with glitter, and my zine has a lot of it.”

Here is a great link to get you thinking about what you need to do. The site is called Micro Publishing. They have very helpful hints and tips on how to get up and running.

Once you have got yourself ready to go, and have done all the fun layouts and articles the next step you will need to do is convert your magazine to a PDF file. There are a number of free programs that can do this for you, as well as some word processing software that can convert files to PDF format, such as Zoho and Open Office. Both wordprocessing packages have their advantages and disadvantages however. Alternatively the magazine can be completely created with desktop publishing software which should also be able to save the document as a PDF file.

Sign up to your preferred magazine hosting website. It can pay to check out a number of these sites because the free options can offer different levels of service. A basic option may only allow you to upload the PDF file without other alternatives such as allowing readers to download the magazine. Different websites also have different levels of advertising that will be presented to your readers.

Now you have to share your voice with the world. The best, easiest and cheapest way to do this is via the big 2 - Facebook and Twitter. Get yourself known amongst the Vegan community. Target those pages that have a large, dedicated following and keep on plugging your work.

We hope that this information has helped. If you have any questions, please let us know - we would love to help spread the beautiful Vegan message to the world.

The Best Vegan Recipe EVER!

2011-05-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

How great does this look?

Hi Space

Just me again, checking in after a creative afternoon in my kitchen, which inspired me to blog on my creation, adored and rated by a non-vegan trifle lover! After I discovered a gelatine free jelly in the health food section of Coles yesterday, I came home to my partner dreaming of trifle, and I had a light bulb moment! It must be about 10 years since I have even eaten trifle, not that I missed it, but I had just bought gelatine free jelly and checked my cupboard for other ingredients, and wala!! Vegan Trifle was created, and it was a welcomed change on our menu! So I will share with you all my recipe incase you too are inspired!

So you need to make the vegan jelly found in Coles, no gelatine in this brand "Vitarum"

Can you believe people put the hooves of pigs in most of children's lollies and jelly's...I bet mothers would be horrified if their child tried to suck on the hoof of a pig, yet that is what "Gelatine" really is... a ground down pigs hoof! Just a little sad knowledge for you all there!! Anyway....lets go back to the recipe without this sadness!

To make the sponge:

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup Castor sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder

Sift these ingredients then add,

3/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil.

Bake the mixture in any small tin and in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. It will need to be cut up or you can just break it up with your hands....

Then you need soy custard:

1 tbsp cornflour
1&1/2 tbsp raw sugar
1 cup cold soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix cornflour to smooth liquid with little soy milk

Heat remaining milk with sugar. When it nearly boils, take it off and stir in cornflour.

Return to heat and boil, stir constantly and cook for another minute, add vanilla.

Then you just mix them all in together, the custard, cake and jelly in a clear bowl if you can to show off off the colours, and you can toss in some strawberries or raspberries or jam.Then top with Vanilla Bliss soy ice cream instead of the usual cream, and grate some of that vegan chocolate from Aldi, for $2.50 the peppermint version of "Moser Roth" works for me!!

Enjoy with your family, or take it to the next party!

Made With Love from Renata xo

Peace, Love.......VEGAN!

2011-05-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

Spreading the Peace Baby

The word “VEGAN” can resonate negative connotations in my mind....or society’s mind.....or society’s mind in my mind....ha-ha....and I would like the opportunity to consciously change that habit of my way of thinking...in my own mind!! Am I making sense yet? The word “Vegan” can bring on lots of feelings to different people, and I am feeling like I need to have more trust in this word for the future of its survival in the positive realm!

Vegan means peace, vegan means love for all beings, yet it also seems to be a great excuse for some to get angry and judgemental, myself included in this statement. A close friend recently told me I can be these things, which caused me to take a deep look inside and clean up some more!

The fact is, it is a hard task to be vegan in society...not because of the myth that there is nothing for vegans to eat, but because everywhere around us is food that turns human stomachs into graveyards....and it makes us feel so sad...which then makes us feel frustrated when we look around supermarkets...and barbeques.... and children’s lunchboxes....which in turn makes us feel judgmental...... and ....well... sometimes we are hungry when uncreative chefs think all that we eat is “Garden Salad”....but that is beside the point!

People are vegans for so many reasons, but beside the fact that so many animals suffer for the palate and it’s a healthy way of life, our diet is now actually detrimental to the future of our planet. And it’s not rocket science to the average IQ....Billions of animals are bred for human consumption, it wastes billions of litres of water and petrol, and wastes millions of hectares of land, which clears and wastes millions of trees,, and wastes millions of kilos of grain to feed the animals that we fatten up to kill, who also need millions of dollars worth of medicines, and well...the meat industry is basically a huge waste of time and resources!! Meat is actually and factually...quite destructive to the planet on a huge level!! The most rediculous thing is we don’t need it to survive...it is actually poisoning our species survival and the planet that we live.

A friend once said to me “If the government told me to stop eating meat then I would!” Do we really need to be dictated to? Can we no longer think for ourselves? The government is not going to tell millions of people to stop eating a product that generates billions of dollars ...they would rather watch the destruction of our planet before they “Let Go!”

We are so programmed to both ignore and endure the cruelty we inflict on animals.

So vegan is a great word as it means peace for all animals, it means tranquility for the future of climate change, it means not wasting precious resources that the planet provides for us, and most importantly it means happy healthy humans! Vegan is the only way of the future!!

So for now, I will do my best to try to be all of these attributes to protect the reputation of the word Vegan!

Peace Love & Vegan!

Taking It To The Streets

2011-03-29T03:56:00.000-07:00

Vegan Era's Billboard

In the midst of all that our world has witnessed to the start of the year, the CREW at Vegan Era are taking the Earth Saving message to the world. As you can see, this billboard will be up and about for the next month (and hopefully more to come) in a hope to urge people to think about the choices they make.

If you look back a year, you would notice that our world went through a big shift. Haiti and Chile were the main countries affected. They bore the brunt of damaging earthquakes that shock the very fabric of the Earth and people's lives. It seems that we are witnessing something similar again this year, however doesn't it seem that things stepped up? Not only did Australia have the biggest floods in over 30 years, but New Zealand and Japan have had their worlds shaken.

I recently took the time to write to a selected group of open minded people that have great responsibility in our world. They are already environmental activists, whose will is strong in helping save our world. I sent them information about the damaging affects the livestock industry is having on our world, and how making the simple choice of changing your diet can help Save Our Planet.

Some of the people I talk to have already labeled it too late to do anything and that nature is on course to do its job. They may be right - but I can't stand back and throw my hands and say that's it. You just never know your luck in a big city. How about your luck in a big world?

What ever your mindset, there is no doubting our world is in the midst of turmoil. The bad karma created by killing innocent beings is too great, and retribution is being paid. But what if it is not too late? what if we do have time? Shouldn't we do all that we can to open that one's person's eyes to the truth.

Be Vegan 2 Save Our Planet.

Don't give up your VEGAN POWER!

2011-01-13T00:43:00.000-08:00

When we contaminate our bodies with animal products we can feel sluggish, heavier and low on energy. Ultimately, we lose some of our vegan power! Don't get caught by the vegan police violating the vegan laws accidently by eating these hidden animal products:

Check out this video of a scene from the new movie, Scott Pilgrim VS The World. In this movie Scott has to battle his new girlfriend's 7 evil ex-boyfriends. In this scene he is fighting one with vegan super powers. However, he loses his powers when he is tricked into drinking cow's milk instead of soy milk and the vegan police strip him of his powers...

Ok; so with that being said - here is a list of some of the nasties that we can find in our find that can make us loss our Vegan Power.

120: Cochineal From Insects
161: Xanthophylls From Egg Yolk
252: Sodium Nitrate From animal waste
322: Lecithin From animal organs
422: Glycerine From animal fat
441: Gelatin From animal skin
472: Esters Glycerol From Glycerine
473: Sucrose Ester From Glycerine
474: S-Glycerindes From animal fat
475: Polygycerol From animal fat
477: Glycerol Esters From animal fat
491: Sorbitan From animal fat
492: Span 65 From animal fat
542: Bone Phosphate From animal bones
570: Stearic Acid From animal fat
572: MG Stearate From animal fat
627: Disodium From fish
631: Di-inosinate From fish and meat
635: Mixt.627 & 631 From fish and meat
920: L-Cysteine From animal fur and feathers
1518: Triacetin From glycerine
1520: Pro-Glycol From glycerine

So; here is a pretty extensive list that gives you a pretty good idea of all the nasties out there that can make you lose your VEGAN POWER.
Also, be ware that brown sugar and raw sugar is filtered through bone char.

If you can think of any others we would love to hear them. Remember Be Vegan 2 Save Our Planet.

Vegan Power

2011-01-09T03:47:00.000-08:00

This blogger post was created due to many recent events transpiring at similar times. This always seems to be the way with us - sooner or later concepts of what we want to talk about sinks in.

We were sitting down watching Scott Pilgram Vs. The World when we came across a classic scene that we just had to talk about. If you haven't seen the movie; do your self a favor and get it out - it is cool.

To paint a very broad picture - Scott needs to defeat seven ex boyfriends of a girl that he likes. They all have different super powers that Scott needs to discover in order to overcome them and claim his beauty.
One of the boyfriends is a Vegan; with as you guess it Vegan Power. This dude rocks - he levitates, uses his increased mind power to control objects, and can not be defeated (well, almost).
We just couldn't believe how awesome Todd Ingram was (the Vegan) and how is character was portrayed as being this super human.
The only way Scott defeats him, is by offering him a coffee made on milk. When he drinks it he loses his Super Vegan Power. When we contaminate our bodies with animal products we can feel sluggish, heavier and low on energy. Ultimately, we lose some of our vegan power!

Another super cool show that we have started up watching again is a cartoon series called Avatar - The Last Air Bender. You may have seen it out at the movies lately - do yourself another favor; don't watch the movie, instead watch the series. Once again; it totally rocks.
Don't think that just because you may be more experienced in years that you will not enjoy it - cause that is not true. The Vegan Era CREW guarantee that you will love it.

Anyway; the premiss of the show is a young boy cruises around the world helping people in need, and ultimately saves the world. The best part is - you guess it; he is a Veggie. How good.
This is a huge cartoon series that reaches billions of children around the world teaching the message of being Veg. Not only that - he meditates and loves enjoying life.
it is such a great show.

But, in reality the reason why this post has been bought together is because one of Vegan Era's most flavour flavour bands - The Beastie Boys are totally ROCKING.
One of the members of this very talented trio is speaking publicly about the importance of leading a Vegan diet in helping to prevent breast cancer. We just couldn't believe how great this is.

Anyways; here is one of fav songs from the Boys. Enjoy - and remember......VEGAN POWER Ra-Ra-Ra Rocks!

A Very Merry Vegan Xmas!

2010-12-22T01:20:00.000-08:00

The Vegan Era Crew would like to get in early and wish all our wonderful friends a very merry Christmas! This year, instead of writing our own list of vegan treats we've compiled a list of some of the best vegan gift guides, xmas recipe ideas and online store guides.

Enjoy!

The best vegan xmas party food:

Holiday party fare: 7 vegan finger food recipes
Christmas Recipes from Vegan Easy

Some Vegan Xmas Gift Guides:

The Wellness Warrior’s Xmas Gift Guide
Vegan gift guide for men from The Ethical Man via Chic Vegan
Chic Vegan’s cruelty free gift guide
Lazy Smurf’s vegan gift guide
A Modern Girl's Life Xmas Wish List

Some xmas gift ideas from online stores:

Natural Collection Vegan selection
Eco Fashionista has gift ideas from it’s online store from $50-$200
Vegan Gift Hampers from Cruelty Free Shop

This list is by no means exhaustive, these are just a few of the sites we have come across. Feel free to comment and add to it! Of course the best gift that anyone can give this Christmas is the gift of life and a life without suffering by enjoying a vegan xmas!!

Be Love, Be Peace, Be Vegan; Save Our Home.

Healthy Vegan on a Budget

2010-11-29T03:25:00.000-08:00

When people are giving excuses for why they choose not to eat a healthy, plant-based diet, often the issue of money comes up first. I’m the first to admit that I can easily blow $500 on food in a flash, but with a little thought and planning, it doesn’t have to be this way.

I could harp on about how the Government subsidizes the meat industry but let me simply point out some facts about how we do spend money…

The average Australian household spends more on fast food than fruit and vegetables and five times more on recreation than healthy foods. As a result of our poor eating habits, we then spend nearly twice as much on medical expenses as we do on fruit and vegetables. It’s not as though we can’t afford to eat or feed our children- Australia is the only country in the world where childhood obesity is increasing faster than that of adults.

However, none of this changes the fact that it’s cheaper to feed the family at Maccas than to cook an organic nutritious meal. So, the Vegan Era Crew have been looking at ways to make it easier and cheaper to live a healthy, vegan lifestyle.

BUDGET
First of all, sit down and decide how much money you have to spend and go through how you spend it now. What are you splurging on? What do you really need?

WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Decide on what you will and won’t compromise on. There’s no point deciding to stop buying all of your favourite things because you won’t stick to it!

For example:
I will only buy organic greens and fruit
I will not compromise on choosing organic and GMO free soy products

ORGANIC OR NOT?
Organic produce is notoriously more expensive. Depending on what you are comfortable with, you can choose organic for some things and not others. To help you decide, consider the following:

Most supermarkets now offer an affordable range of organic canned goods that are handy to keep in the pantry, such as tomatoes, chick peas, etc.

The Dirty Dozen
The following fruits and vegetables are known as 'the dirty dozen' because they are contaminated with the most amount of pesticides. Therefore, it's best to choose organic wherever possible.
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes
11. Carrots
12. Pears

The following items are considered the 'cleanest' fruit and vegetables, so you could consider buying these non-organic.
1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mangoes
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papayas
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomatoes
15. Sweet potatoes

WASH YOUR PRODUCE PROPERLY
Whether you purchase organic or not, it is important to wash all of your fruit and vegetables. You do not need to purchase a specialty wash, which will often add to the chemical load of your produce and cost you money. Simple household ingredients such as vinegar or salt will remove many of the pesticides and bacteria.

Rinse your produce first in cold water and then prepare a mix of approximately 1 teaspoon of sea salt to 1 cup of water. Soak the produce for a couple of minutes and then rinse thoroughly with water. Dry off the fruit and vegetables before putting them away to ensure freshness or wash them as you go, just before using.

BUY IN SEASON

Just because you love strawberries all year round doesn’t mean you should eat them all year round! When you buy fruits and veggies when they are in season you will find them in abundance, at a reasonable price, and it is much healthier for you. Eating in tune with nature will provide the most nourishment for your body.

FARMER’S MARKETS

There are many benefits to shopping at your local markets. As you are often buying directly from the farmer or producer then it is often cheaper than the store. It is also often better for the environment as the produce usually hasn’t traveled as far. As you can chat to the stall holders and compare prices you can usually get great deals and great advice.

WHOLESALERS

Check out local wholesalers near you that sell direct to the public. They sell bulk products at a reduced price and you can find all sorts of things. Products such as nuts, canned goods, olives, legumes, olive oil, pasta, flour and spices are all things that you can save money on. For example, you can usually pick up a 1 litre can of cold-pressed olive oil for around $20 and then keep it in your pantry and refill your olive oil bottle as necessary. Wholesalers often specialize in certain cuisine, such as Indian, Greek, etc which have lovely surprises that you can’t find in your supermarket, and often at a fraction of the cost.

BE CAREFUL IN HEALTH FOOD STORES

It is very easy to spend a fortune in health food stores. Make sure you know what you want before you go in there. For example, you may choose to splurge on raw sprouted rye bread each week, which can cost close to $10 but it is much healthier than a regular loaf of bread and is so dense that you will only need a small amount. It also lasts a long time in the fridge, rather than going stale in a day or two.

MAKE YOUR OWN

We have certainly become a society that demands quick, easy and convenient. If you do have the time though, there are many things that you can make yourself at home. Simple things that take only 5 minutes or so include your own hummus. All you need is a can of chickpeas, some tahini, garlic and lemon juice and a food processor. Other dips you can make easily and cheaply include guacamole, pesto, olive tapenade, salad dressings, tomato salsa, almond butter etc. It is much cheaper than constantly buying dips and spreads and much healthier for you too as they are fresh and contain no preservatives. If you have more time then making your own breads, crackers, almond milk, etc are also more economical and much healthier.

GROW YOUR OWN

Even if it is simply having a pot or 2 of herbs on your balcony, this will save you money. Herbs are hearty so they often only need watering a couple of times a week and some sunshine and there is nothing better than the taste and aroma of fresh herbs in your food. The addition of fresh herbs can often mean that you don’t need additional flavour from unhealthy alternatives such as excess salt.

FOOD CO-OPS AND HOME DELIVERY OPTIONS

Do some research in your local area for co-ops and local food delivery options. It saves you time and often saves you money.

MEAL PLANNING

If you sit down at the start of the week and make a rough plan of the meals you'd like to have for the week, you can ensure that you only buy what you need.

FEEDING YOUR PETS

Specialty dog food and other pet food can get expensive. However, if you purchase a bag of vegan doggie biscuits and some treats, you can then make up some rice and canned vegetables to serve with it. This way your dog biscuits will go much further, and your animal friend gets a nutritious, yummy meal!

MAKE YOUR PANTRY GO THE DISTANCE

It is a great exercise to try to make your pantry go the distance before going out shopping again. Whether you make a decision not to purchase anything else for the next week or simply make a conscious decision to stretch everything a little further at each meal, you will be amazed at how far you can go and how much you can save. Get creative and use up some of those items hidden at the back of the cupboard.

There are many other ways that you can save money and keep a healthy diet. Choosing to avoid meat and dairy products is a great start! If you have any further tips for us, please don't hesitate to comment!

Be Love: Be Peace: Be Vegan; Save Our Home

Reclaim Your Health Book Review Blog

2010-11-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

I don’t know about you, but it seems more and more people in my circles are suffering from so many illnesses. Every second person I talk to also have a loved one with some sort of cancer or diabetes....and you only have to take a tiny peek into our hospitals to realise the huge health problems in our societies. "Reclaim Your Health" is a great mentor guide to not only those who are suffering from cancers, it is a huge wake up call for all of us to SLOW DOWN and start looking after our bodies, and to BE CONSCIOUS of what we feeding those "cells’ that we so desperately need for everyday existence.

I recently had a sobbing seventy-two year old doctor call me for some health information. Her eighty year old husband who was also a doctor had been suffering from prostate cancer and had changed to a plant based diet. Not only were they amazed at the cell recovery rate of excluding the foods mentioned in "Reclaim Your Health," they were also saddened by the advice they had been giving their patients for the past 40 years. They are still practising physicians, and are trying their best to share their first hand experience of a plant based diet to cancer patients, other doctors and the general public.

The wisdom found in "Reclaim Your Health" should be the compulsory medical manual for all cancer patients as well as for general illness prevention! Relax, stop eating meat, dairy, eggs and processed foods as they are toxic fuels that breed disease in your bodies. Give yourself a great big KISS, that's "Keep It Simple Stupid" and eat fresh fruits, legumes and vegetables to keep your "car" running smoothly for the rest of your life. ‘KISS’ yourself by slowing down and enjoying everyday moments, and feel happy and grateful for all that you have.

To me it seems that having cancer can also be a blessing, as the wisdom shared in this book soaks into your heart and soul. I too am now inspired to look after my "amazing house’ known as my body even more, and to be forever grateful to feeling healthy from a plant based diet….oh yes..and to be ‘Loosey Goosey', let go and go with the flow!

Accolade

"Reclaim your Health should be the compulsory medical manual for all cancer patients"

From Earth and Water

2010-10-10T23:47:00.001-07:00

The Vegan Era Crew had the absolute pleasure of enjoying a scrumptious lunch at a new raw vegan cafe on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia last week. fRom eArth and Water is a gorgeous little place tucked away of James Street in Burleigh Heads. It is bright and airy with wooden, balinese inspired furnishings, and offers a simple, but oh-so-tasty menu.

This is what they have to say about their beautiful food:

"Our menu is a celebration of raw organic cuisine, 100% botanical with no animal products, gluten, dairy, refined sugars, or processed ingredients. Everything on our menu uses the purest seasonal ingredients locally sourced and organically grown. The result is vibrant rich deep flavour without guilt. The passion, commitment to detail, unique artistry food techniques and the use of exotic botanical ingredients is best experienced from the chefs table menu. this menu has been carefully constructed with your health in mind...Discover the inherent beauty and flavour of each ingredient in its natural raw state. Welcome, be well!"

The small cafe is run by one beautiful lady called Nic who has a passion for nourishing your body and soul.

We enjoyed the following:

Sweet Vanilla Nut Mylk (fresh coconut water, home made almond mylk and vanilla pod)

Pistachio Pesto Ravioli (Ravioli made from fresh young coconuts and basil and filled with pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara and marinated vegetables)

Soft mini tacos (taco shells made from golden flax and zucchini and filled with spicy sun-dried tomato filling, guacamole, fresh tomato lime salsa and house made "sour cream")

Coconut wrap spring rolls (light wraps made from fresh coconut and filled with avocado, coriander, mint, cucumber, cashews and a stay dressing)

Baja Burrito Wrap (wrap made from golden flax and zucchini and filled with nut cheese, marinated vegetables, seasonal salad greens, avocado, cashews and sour cream)

Banana pancakes filled with a decadent cream and topped with chocolate and raspberry sauces.

I know what you are thinking - how in the world did 2 people eat all of that?? Well, we went slow and worked our way through the menu gently. We shared everything and took some meals home to enjoy for dinner. Although we were still full from lunch!

I think it's best I let the pics do the talking (please note that I tried my best to remember to take photos BEFORE devouring the meals but, alas, a couple of times I got half way through the meal before realizing that I had to take a picture!).

Sweet Vanilla Nut Mylk

This was served ice cold and was absolutely divine!

Soft Mini Tacos

The sour cream on these tacos was delicious! We were expecting the sun-dried tomato filling to be a little spicier but the flavours of this filling and the salsa and guac complemented each other beautifully. Much better than a 'real' taco!

Pistachio Pesto Ravioli

The marinara sauce in the ravioli was beautiful and we polished these off very quickly.

Coconut Wrap Spring Rolls

We had 1 spring roll each and that was definitely enough! These were so filling, choc full of grated carrot and other vegetables and the satay sauce was lovely and sweet.

Banana Pancakes filled with cashew cream

Dessert was AMAZING. The cream inside was beautiful and not too heavy, while the raspberry sauce gave it a really fresh taste.

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and each and every dish. It is amazing how filling and tasty raw food is. Unfortunately, all the nuts in the creamy sauces gave Dave a few tummy problems, which I guess goes with eating a lot of raw foods. Nuts are just so versatile that they end up in everything!

It is one of those places we will certainly revisit, if only because we cannot be bothered making such beautiful creations ourselves! This is what dining out is all about! Thank you so much to Nic and her lovely staff for making our experience at From Earth and Water so enjoyable! Even Trudi was allowed to sit with us and enjoy!

Be Love; Be Peace; Be Vegan. Save Our Home

VEGANIZE your baking!

2010-09-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

A friend of the Vegan Era Crew asked us recently about substituting animal products with vegan alternatives. The free Veg Starter Kit on our home page has a few ideas to get you started but we thought we'd go into more detail with our favourite meal time....DESSERT!

It's certainly becoming easier to find vegan desserts, especially if you have access to a good health food store. However, there is

nothing like baking up your own delights and giving vegan life to old favourites! "Veganizing" your desserts can often mean making these desserts much healthier too so that you can enjoy them guilt-free. Hooray!

In particular, cookies, brownies and muffins are quite easy to adjust, but cake recipes can be a little trickier. It is better to go with a vegan cake recipe unless you are already experienced with vegan baking techniques.

Some general guidelines:

To replace one egg:
a) Packaged Egg Replacer (1 1/2 t. egg replacer + 2 T. water for each egg)
b) 1 T. soy powder mixed with 2 T. water
c) 1 1/2 T. ground flax seeds soaked in 3 T. boiling water for 15 minutes. Pour off excess water and use the gelled flax seeds.
d) Half a mashed banana
e) 3 T. apple sauce
f) 1 T. arrowroot powder

To replace milk or cream:
a) Store-bought non-dairy milk (such as a thick, rich soy/rice/oat or nut milk) or non-dairy cream
b) Home-made tofu milk (made by blending tofu with water). To prepare: Rinse and drain 8 oz. (one cup) of tofu. Using a blender, blend tofu with one cup water. Puree until smooth. Add one more cup of water and blend. This will yield 2 1/2 – 3 cups of tofu milk.
c) Silken tofu, pureed in the food processor, makes a great base for a “cream filling.”

To replace white refined sugar
(White sugar is not only very bad for your overall health, but it is often refined through animal bone char, especially in the US.)
a) Evaporated cane juice or other unrefined cane sugar such as Rapadura
b) Date sugar
c) Xylitol (birch sugar)

To replace honey
a) agave nectar
b) rice syrup
c) maple syrup*
d) barley malt extract
e) sorghum molasses

For some awesome vegan cookie recipes, check out The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur.

For any non-vegans who are just a little scared off eggs right now due to the massive recall in the US recently, here is a yummy egg free breakfast idea...

Vegan Breakfast Frittata

serves 8 (I got this recipe from VegetarianTimes.com)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

2 small carrots, diced

1 small zucchini, diced

1 package extra firm tofu

3 Tbsp grated vegan mozzarella

3 Tbsp soy sauce

6 tomatoes, sliced

fresh or dried herbs and spring onions such as parsley and basil.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C. Coat a 10 inch casserole dish or 24 cup muffin tin wiht cooking spray if you would prefer to make mini frittatas.

2. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and saute red onion for 3-4 minutes. Add carrots and zucchini and saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add herbs and then remove from heat.

3. Puree tofu, mozzarella and soy sauce for 2 minutes in a food processor until smooth and thick. Stir tofu mixture into vegetable mixture and spoon into casserole dish. Arrange tomato slices on top and bake for 40-45 minutes (until the top is firm to touch) or 25-30 minutes if making mini frittatas. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

For more information on eggs and the differences between free range eggs, caged eggs, etc check out Renata's earlier post here.

Be Love, Be Peace, Be Vegan; Save Our Home.

Build me up buttercup!

2010-07-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

One of the Vegan Era Crew has started chemotherapy and so we've been very interested in how the vegan diet can support the body during this time. The usually high-raw vegan diet that we have become accustomed to, is not adequate for putting on the weight and protein that the body needs to handle periods of sickness and excess weightloss. Of course most doctors believe lots of dairy and meat are the key in this situation, so we have been researching ways to put on weight, vegan-style.

According to The Vegetarian Society, "In order to gain weight it is essential to increase the energy content of your diet. Also, in order for your body to make proper use of protein, you must ensure sufficient energy. The most concentrated form of energy in the diet is from fat. If you can tolerate fat then try and increase the fat content of your diet."

Have an Avo: Avocados are creamy and high in calories and nutrients. They are also soft and easy to eat during times when mouth ulcers and other nasty side-effects take hold.

Get Smooth: Smoothies are a great way to add extra protein in the form of a protein powder, and calories with the addition of soy or rice milk, soy yoghurt or ice-cream, nuts, seeds, bananas and even soft silken tofu.

Get Saucy: Have meals with a good sauce, made with pureed fried onions, perhaps with tomatoes or mushrooms. To increase the energy density of sauces use vegan margarine and add soya milk or silken tofu.

Beans: Cooked beans can be added to soups, stews, pies, salads, etc as well as being able to be pureed or used for dips such as hummus.

Soy Soy Soy: All of the over-processed soy products that we usually steer clear of are full of calories and protein. If you are looking to bulk up, delicious products such as Tofutti cream cheese will certainly help!

Go Nutty: Nut butters are a great way to get lots of the good fat and nutrients from nuts in an easily digestible way. Choose raw almond butter, sunflower butter, tahini, or hazelnut butter and add them to crackers, vegetable crudites, salads, deserts, baked goods or have them on toast.

Oily Goodness: Extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc are a healthy way to add good fats to the diet.

Rice, Pasta, Gnocchi, sprouted bread, vegan custard and yummy vegan cheese are some of the other things that spring to mind if you are looking to put on weight.

Unfortunately, there are not many vegan meal replacements, such as Sustagen, which offer all of the nutrients that the body needs in a liquid form for times when patients cannot eat. Vega Complete Meal Replacement is a powder that was formulated by a vegan triathlete and is available at www.pureprescriptions.com, but it contains some natural products that pharmacists and oncologists may not agree to.

If you are looking to put on weight as a cancer patient, then there will likely be other challenges that need to be addressed also, such as dry mouth, loss of appetite, sore throat and mouth ulcers, nausea, constipation or diarrhea and loss or change of taste. The most important thing is to get some form of nutrients in to the body each day, so whatever is tolerable and appealing is often the only consideration.

While some of the Crew are enjoying pigging out on all of these vegan delicacies, we are looking forward to the end of treatment when a return to a healthy RAW vegan diet will help to detox the body!!

Here is a lovely recipe for Lemon Poppy Scones to get your taste buds drooling...

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup margarine

1 lemon, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Cut in margarine until the mixture is the consistency of large grains of sand. I like to use my hands to rub the margarine into the flour. Stir in poppy seeds, lemon zest and lemon juice. Combine the soy milk and water, and gradually stir into the dry ingredients until the batter is moistened, but still thick like biscuit dough. You may not need all of the liquid. Spoon 1/4 cup sized plops of batter onto the greased baking sheet so they are about 3 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes the preheated oven, until golden.

It's All About the Dog!

2010-07-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hallo Readers,

Have been away in the lush green organic countryside of Northern NSW, enjoying some great vegan restaurants in Lismore and Byron Bay. If you are looking for animal friendly vegan eating, then "Sweet Peas" is a great place in Lismore to eat with a friendly relaxed vibe as well as "Cardamon Pod" in the centre of Byron Bay! We stayed at an eco resort which I read about here on Veganera www.byronecobeachretreat.com where our pooch was allowed to roam freely right behind a dog friendly beach. It's a great place for families with dogs to holiday...so much so that our "Odie" is now officially depressed, after spending a week living right on the beach.

Dogs have feelings...and he really is a very sad city dog this week...just lying around with a look on his face like, I have no beach, I have no sand, I have no sticks, I have no surf, no nothing, my life is over!! This is a dog who gets walked at a leash free 3 km creek bedded park at least once a day, played with in the backyard constantly and pampered to every stretch of the word, but he is just in dog heaven at the beach! When he arrives, he runs up to strangers barking madly in excitement, as if to say, "I AM AT THE BEACH!! CAN YOU SEE ME...I AM AT THE BEACH!!"

People become frightened of his excitement mistaking him for a viscous hound, understandably not realising he is trying to tell them only of his fortune! After he calms down from the mere arrival, he then finds the biggest stick he can possibly find, and digs it around in the sand, carries it to the water, pushes it back out to the sand...over and over! When my partner surfs, he is not sure who he likes the most, so he runs between myself and my book and the edge of the water...of course "Bottom Feeder" as Odie and I like to refer to my partner, both know he loves me the most, however we like to humour "BF" into the illusion that he may be "Top Dog."

Enough said of my little family idiosyncrasies, here is a new recipe for the week for you all to enjoy. It is a vegan pooch recipe this week, that my Odie loves.

1 cup cooked Brown rice

1 Grated carrot

1 flower Broccoli cut up very small

1 fat clove of garlic

1 can (400gms) bortelli beans, or chick peas, or lentils

1 zucchini grated

handful fresh basil

1/2 cup pinenuts

Smash pinenuts, garlic and basil in a mortor and pestal. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and warm in a frypan.

Lightly fry broccoli and carrot until soft, drain beans in collander then add beans and raw zucchini. Mix around and add rice at the end. Serve in your animal friends bowl with a blessing of love!! hehe

It's all about the dog!!

Over and Out

Renata

Super frugal living

2010-06-20T01:09:00.000-07:00

The Vegan Era Crew came across this sweet blog today called New Dress A Day.

Marisa will be going a whole year without doing any traditional clothes shopping. From the blog:

"So, that’s where my ode to no traditional shopping begins. This year, I will be foregoing trips to Bloomies and Nordstrom for brand new gear. Goodbye to H&M purchases and accessory grabbing at Forever 21. And seeing the “must have” French Connection dress in People’s Style Watch will just have to suffice as a cut out on my inspiration board.

Instead, the only shopping that I’ll be able to do is that of pieces that have been used and worn already. So long to mall trips and hello to sifting through piles of vintage pieces at flea markets and at neighborhood garage sales. Each day for the entire year, I’m going to introduce a new piece into my existing wardrobe that I’ve found from these places. On top of this, I’m giving myself a budget of $1 a day.

One person’s trash is becoming my treasure this year.

365 days. 365 items of clothing. 365 dollars. And the blogging begins…"

There are people all over the world taking pledges like this and even taking it one step further and going without buying a thing! We are always inspired by people taking steps to reduce their impact on our beautiful world.

A man taking it a big step further is vegan Irishman, Mark Boyle who lives without MONEY. He began his money-free challenge "simply as a means to a more connected, respectful, loving and gentle way of life." He is the founder of the Freecommony Community and has just released his first book called The Moneyless Man which is available from Amazon.com. The moneyless man believes that issues such as environmental destruction, resource wars, factory farms, sweatshop labour are all related.

"I believe the fact that we no longer see the direct repercussions our purchases have on the people, environment and animals they affect is the factor that unites these problems. The degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed have increased so much that it now means we're completely unaware of the levels of destruction and suffering embodied in the 'stuff ' we buy. Very few people actually want to cause suffering others; most just don't have any idea that they directly are. The tool that has enables this separation is money, especially in its globalised format."

While the Vegan Era Crew are not making any dramatic pledges, these stories remind us to live more consciously and frugally in this world. Be Love; Be Peace; Be Vegan. Save Our Home.

Giving Love

2010-06-09T23:39:00.001-07:00

The Vegan Era CREW loves to give, and share lots of Love and Happiness with the world. On our journeys out and about in the world - we come across many beautiful people. It is so Lovely to meet all our new friends.

For our Lovely friends we like to show our appreciation. The CREW spend the night in the kitchen creating little gifts of food. They are similar to that of Bliss Balls - but ours a totally Vegan, filled with Love, Peace and Happiness.

We had the pleasure of having so many of our new friends hanging with us, coming back for more and more. It was so great to see.

People were actually coming to find us wanting more and more. They even said they would buy them from us because they were totally amazing. What made it even more amazing was the fact that they were Vegan. They couldn't believe their ears.

It brings the Vegan Era CREW so pleasure to make people happy. It warms our little hearts.

Each week the Vegan Era CREW will be out and about not only spreading the word of leading a Compassionate, Earth Loving Vegan Message to the world - we will also be there with our little balls of Love.

So when you see us out in the world - come and find us and grab a Vegan Bliss Ball and hang out. See you all soon.

Here is a little recipe that should help you out.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Almond meal (what is left over from the milk)
1/3 cup RAW cocoa powder
Handful of big beautiful green grapes
1 Cup sultana's or medjool dates
2 Cups shredded coconut (for dusting)
Agave nectar (if you want more sweetness)

Directions:

This is a little different as we are adding some grapes, but they add so much more extra sweetness. Plus, it enables you to add or not add agave nectar depending on how sweet you like it.

Pretty easy method - just add all the ingredients to the food processor and blend away.
Though, we have found that when you add the almond meal then the cocoa powder first - it tends to not cause as much 'dust' when you let the food processor work its magic.

Do check the consistancy of the mixture. You want it to be a moist, but not wet or hard. If you find that it is too hard, add some more grapes - they work wonders in adding a natural sweetness liquid.
If too wet, don't be afraid to add some shredded coconut in. This helps to bind it all together.

Lay a foundation of shredded coconut on a table, or plate. With a dessert spoon, scoop enough to fill and roll a ball in your hands.

Once ball is complete, dust in coconut. You may wish to have a bowl of water and perhaps a dry cloth in case things get sticky later on

New Cards

2010-05-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Vegan Era crew love getting creative and have been working hard to bring you some more loving cards! Check them out at www.veganera.com/shop

Photoshoot #2

2010-05-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Vegan Era Crew had the pleasure of working with the amazing and talented stylist and photographer, Dott, on our latest photo shoot yesterday. It was a fun afternoon and our boss, Trudi, also managed to sneak into a few of the shots!

Here is a little sneak preview of the shoot, featuring our new range of bamboo and organic cotton tees, hoodies and scarves...

Little Miss Trudi with Dave wearing the black organic cotton Vegan Era hoodie.

Dave wearing the organic cotton Vegan Era Hoodie and natural coloured 100% bamboo scarf.

Mandy wearing 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton tee featuring love balloon print and stylist's own fake leather jacket. Dave wearing organic cotton Vegan Era hoodie and 100% bamboo natural coloured scarf.

Dave wearing the 70% Bamboo and 30% Organic cotton tee featuring a PEACE print and fake leather jacket (stylist's own).

Mandy wearing 70% Bamboo and 30% Organic cotton tee featuring Born to Be Free print.

All of these items are available online now and are selling quick! Each item is made under certified fair-trade conditions with the most eco-friendly materials that we can find. Bamboo is considered one of the most sustainable crops on the planet and you can read all about it in our Green and Gorgeous article, The Beauty of Bamboo. All screen printing is done with low-impact, water-based dyes. So you can rest assured that each of our loving items is Earth-friendly, animal-friendly and people-friendly! Check out the shop at www.veganera.com/shop

Be Love; Be Peace; Be Vegan; Save Our Home

Vegan Era Crew Dinner!

2010-05-21T00:17:00.001-07:00

This week we had our annual Vegan Era Crew dinner. Although, quite a few people were missing so we are thinking we'll have a rerun in a month or so! Never the less, it was a great night with too much yummy vegan food and lots of laughs.

On our way down to Brisbane, we stopped in at Sushi Wave at Peregian Beach for a Wakame Salad, Edamame and some sushi! We LOVE it there. Dave's wearing our new Peace symbol tee and one of the new scarves.

Then we went to Lush in Queen Street Mall to purchase a pot of None of Your Beeswax vegan lip balm for each of the crew. It's so moisturizing and beautiful!

We then headed to Loving Hut at Mt Gravatt a little early so I could write out the thank you notes for all of our wonderful crew...

Then the crew started to arrive! Here's Mandy Moo 2 our awesome nutrition writer, going through her goodie bag!

This is Lana on the right, she is the amazing graphic designer who put together our catalogue. You can view the digital version at our Wonderland site. She's feeling how amazingly soft our new 100% bamboo Vegan Era scarves are...

This is Rach, she writes our beautiful Body articles.

And here is a pic of some of the amazing raw vegan food that our favourite chef cooked up especially for the occassion!

It was such a great evening and we can't thank the crew enough for being a part of the Vegan Era journey. Thank you thank you thank you! We hope you enjoyed meeting them.

Be Love : Be Peace : Be Vegan

Market Fun!

2010-05-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Vegan Era Crew love heading to the weekend markets to spread a little more love and peace. This Sunday, you can find us at the Peregian Markets on the Sunshine Coast.

We are slowly getting our stall just how we like it - making it as fun and pretty as possible to display all of our loving products. This week we are pumped to have our brand new range of super-soft bamboo and organic cotton tees, hoodies and scarves. If you are in the area, please come on down and let us know what you think of the new designs. The full range will be available online at the Vegan Era Shop in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned!

The three new tee designs capture our motto perfectly - one for LOVE, one for PEACE, one for VEGAN. We love them all and hope you do too!

The new hoodies are AWESOME. They are made of 100% organic cotton so they are sooo soft and warm. They are beautifully made, fit really well, have a great big hood and the pockets are in just the right spot to keep your hands nice and cosy. We only have a VERY limited number of these unfortunately, so you'll have to get in quick. They are black and have our pink and white logo on the back.

Another winter addition to the range is our black 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton scarves and our natural coloured 100% bamboo scarves. We have been busily making these over the last couple of days and now we can't take them off! The fabric is just so luxurious and warm...you have to come and feel them to believe.

We also have some new beautiful, handmade gift cards for that special someone. The range features lots of love hearts (of course!) and our cute animal friends, all cut out of recycled paper. Not to mention all of our handmade jewellery...

The markets are on from 7am until 12.30pm at Peregian Beach - hope to see you there!

Blessings,

The Vegan Era Crew x

P.S. We will have some free yummy vegan treats for you to try too! And with every purchase we will give you a free copy of our cookbook, Compassionate Cooking for a Vegan Era. Woohoo!!

Soi Dogs

2010-05-10T02:35:00.000-07:00

Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) is a loving, compassionate not-for-profit organization, which help the homeless, neglected and abused dogs and cats of Thailand. The beautiful volunteers and supporters aim to set an example for the Asian region on how to better the lives and living conditions of the many stray dogs and cats and humanely reduce their numbers in the long term.

The saintly group of volunteers have de-sexed or sterilized 20,649 dogs and 6,917 cats totaling 27,566 up to March, 2010.

Thousands more have been treated for injury and disease by providing emergency and ongoing veterinary treatment for abused and neglected dogs and cats.

They also provide free veterinary treatment for those who cannot afford it at the clinic in Mai Khao.

A shelter and rehoming centre for over 200 dogs that have been abandoned or abused and subjected to sometimes terrible cruelty is also run by the foundation.

The volunteers also feed hundreds of dogs and cats in temples and other locations.

The Vegan Era Crew are so touched by the work of this foundation and we are very humbled to be able to offer some support. Check out the amazing recovery of one dog that was blessed to be saved by Soi Dogs. His name is Tai Chi. The photos were taken only one month apart - when he was brought to the shelter and with his new owner looking healthy and happy.

Check out the new Free Our Friends section of the Vegan Era Shop to free your own doggy from misery. By choosing to free a dog, we will add 100% of your purchase to our donation to Soi Dogs. We also have a range of other animal friends that you can free!

Be Love : Be Peace : Be Vegan; Save Our Home.

Mother's Day

2010-05-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

As Mother's Day quickly approaches I thought I would bring your attention to the cruelty that some mothers are forced to endure. I know it's not the loveliest of subjects, but I was heartbroken to see how these mothers and their babies are treated and think it is important to share it. Ignorance is bliss sometimes but once you do know the truth about how these animals are treated, it's tough to consciously continue supporting it.

Take a look at this short video which shows a very gentle view of one aspect of what goes on in dairy farms. If you would like to know more you can simply go to You Tube and find many videos that are much more confronting than this one or go to PETA.org, who never fail to provide shocking, undercover footage.

I have to admit that even after becoming aware of these conditions, it took me a little while to actually cut out dairy altogether. Due to everything that has been put in our faces for most of our lives, I was convinced that dairy is a necessary part of our diet. I guess we are pretty good at finding excuses to justify whatever it is we wish to justify to ourselves!

It was not until I was diagnosed with cancer and did some research that I realised that this could not be further from the truth. Dairy products are constantly being linked to breast cancer and prostate cancer, among other diseases. The hormones present in milk can cause cancer cells and other abnormal cells to grow more rapidly. People in western societies who consume a lot of dairy products also have a higher rate of oesteoperosis. This is due to the fact that animal protein actually leaches calcium from the bones.

Humans are the only animals to drink a mother's breast milk past those first few formative months and the only ones to drink the milk of another animal. It's kinda gross when you think about it. Not to mention how fattening it is. I know I have mentioned these points before in a previous post so I won't harp on about it. :)

Spread some love to ALL mothers this Mother's Day and substitute your regular latte for a soy latte (it doesn't taste the same but I'm sure you can handle it!). You can also go to www.cowribbon.com to purchase a cow print ribbon to wear on Mother's Day, raising awareness of this cruelty, or send a cute Mother's Day ecard.

Vegan Era Crew Journey

2010-05-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

Some of the Vegan Era Crew, including our little mascot Trudi the staffy, went on a little journey last week to indulge in delicious vegan delights! Unfortunately where we live there are no vegan or even vegetarian restaurants around so we got to make a little holiday out of it.

Our destination and vegan heaven? Lismore, NSW Australia. Check out this weeks Green and Gorgeous article for a closer look at what this area of Australia has to offer the compassionate traveler.

On our way down to Lismore we stopped at the Gold Coast at the Magic Apple vegetarian restaurant for lunch. Unfortunately we didn't get photos of the awesome burgers that we had because we were too excited and ate it all (this happened numerous times on the trip so my apologies for not being able to truly show you how great some of the food was!). The Magic Apple has had a refurb since we were last down there and it was much lighter and modern, with a beautiful wall of quotes and images.

Then we got into Lismore and went straight to Sweetpea for some soy gelato! Even though we've made beautiful raw ice-cream at home out of frozen fruit, this was still a lovely treat. In fact, I was so happy with a big cone of Chai and Chocolate flavoured icecreams in a big waffle cone that I started skipping down the street!

Next we headed to 20,000 Cows for dinner. We went with a few friends and had a big banquet of tasty Middle-Eastern and Indian dishes, including these amazing spinach and nut-cheese spring rolls, pakora (vegetables fried in chickpea batter), dips and garlic naan bread, a couple of curries and a sticky black rice pudding with coconut cream.

The next day we went to Goanna Bakery and Cafe for Vegan Pancakes.

They were heaven.

Then we travelled to the coast to Ballina and played on the beach - Trudi's favourite thing to do!

We headed back to Lismore to go to 20,000 Cows again because it was just so good! That night we stayed in a beautiful spot on the edge of a river, where we woke up early to light a fire and have our first breakfast of toasted turkish bread, avocado and tomato...

And then headed off for our second breakfast - another batch of vegan pancakes! This time at Sweetpea Cafe. They were equally as good as the other ones but so different. The ones at Goanna Bakery and Cafe were thick and fluffy, whereas these ones were thin and covered in syrup and vegan cream cheese...mmm

That concludes our little trip where the Vegan Era Crew got very close to turning into cute little fat piglets! We highly recommend a fun trip solely focussed on food...go on treat yourself, it's loads of fun! For a great site with a list of vegan and vegan friendly restaurants around the world, head to Happy Cow. Be Love : Be Peace : Be Vegan.

More reasons to choose organic!

2010-05-04T01:12:00.001-07:00

Check out this video which showcases the diseases that conventional farming methods are causing in rural India and their new savior...organic farming. For a range of cool organic cotton tees that support these organic farms in India, check out our store!

Green Up

2010-04-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Space....I am back again...to fill in my blog space this week..been busy feeling a bit low the past 2 weeks... Unfortunately sometimes I let myself get attatched to the animal cruelty cause too much and don't look at things as I should in a positive light...!!

It is difficult sometimes our lives....we are 'supposed' to feel happy and positive all the time, whilst as we look around there is so much on this planet that needs "fixing"...and it is easy to let yourself drown in unhappiness and unfairness..... and I guess the ego too..! And you are not supposed to admit these things either...just be happy, be delightful, smile, enjoy, and don't allow yourself to feel sad!

However I just let it be there and now it's gone! So, chin up, get over myself, do what I can in my life and be happy and thankful!! I know to 'do' these things, feel 'happy and thankful' that is, but sometimes I allow myself to get lost in deep deep thought...and you can't get much sense out of me as I am kinda, as my partner might describe.... "outerspace"

But I am back now!!................. Hello!! hehe

So...little update....we are hitting our first school tuckshop this week with an extra quick powerpoint on how to "Green Up" the tuckshop area for schools...cows farting and all that to show the effects all the factory farming has on our environment, so I will keep you updated with the principal's reaction...we have a lovely vegan lady with our first school contact so cross your fingers for us!! In the meantime, as promised, I have a FANTASTIC new recipe for 'Ginger Pudding"

Did your grandma used to make you this?? Well it is my partners favourite, and I got the "non-vegan" recipe from his mother,passed down from the grandmother, and I "greened" it up, and I do not tell a lie, maybe a white one to my partner, but he does not know the difference between vegan and non vegan ginger pudding! He even liked the soy custard!!

Hopefully his grandma is smiling at me from the heavens......here it goes...It is SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO good!!!

STEAMED GINGER PUDDING
2 tbsp golden syrup

2 tbsp nuttlex margarine (or any non dairy margarine)

1 heaped tsp powdered ginger

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 cup soy milk warmed

Mix with blender/mixmaster and put into a steamed cake tin...if you don't have one of these or you don't know what they are, then ask any lady born before the 1970's and then head to a lifeline shop in the cake tin section. Fill the tin with mixture and steam for 2 hours! This is an awesome dessert!! Don't forget to drown it in the next recipe!

SOY CUSTARD

1 tbsp cornflour

1 1/2 tbsp raw sugar

1 cup cold soy milk

/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix cornflour tosmooth liquid with little cold milk

Heat remaining mild with sugar

WHen near boiling, remove and stir in cornlour

Return to heat and boil, stir constantly for one minute, and add vanilla

Bon Appitite Friends

And remember, be happy and thankful!! hehe

Mr. Vince Spirooli

2010-04-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

The most exciting thing happened to me today...my Spirooli arrived. "Spirooli?" I hear you say, as though I've gone a bit loopy. Yes ladies and gentlemen....SPIROOLI (or, as Dave has named it, Mr Vince Spirooli - our new best friend). It is a vegetable slicer that is nothing short of awesome.

When I was thinking about going raw I never wanted to buy tools to be raw. To me, that kind of defeats the purpose of eating whole foods in their natural state and keeping things nice and simple. BUT, on other raw websites I keep seeing recipes for zucchini pasta and I have been craving it. I love zucchini and my attempts at trying to simply slice the zucchini thinly to create "pasta" failed miserably - I just had long zucchini sticks that didn't remotely resemble spaghetti.

So, now that Dave has put me on this 3 week challenge, I decided it was time to look around for something that could do the job a bit better than I can and make my raw food exciting!!

You may not get as excited as me over spirals of zucchini pretending to be pasta topped with a cold sauce...but, to me, this is the best purchase I've made in a very long time. (Note to skeptics: don't burst my bubble - this looks EXACTLY like pasta and when you leave the sauce marinating in the 'pasta' for a while, it goes all soft... just like pasta!)

Here is the recipe for a lovely "pasta" I made:

Sauce (adapted from one I found at Raw Food Punk):

½ red capsicum

1 clove of garlic

½ cup packed fresh basil leaves

3 tomatoes

¼ cup olive oil

cayenne pepper

handful of black pitted olives

Directions: Make pasta using a spiral slicer. Put all ingredients of sauce into a food processor or blender. You can also add mushrooms for a chunkier sauce. Serve sauce on top of zucchini ‘pasta.’

Optional extras to serve on top include:

marinated artichoke hearts

more olives

halved cherry tomatoes

(I added all of the above!)

It was scrumptious and my main man Vince is definitely earning his keep!

The RAW Journey

2010-04-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

I thought it was time to give you a bit of an update on my attempt at going raw. I have stumbled a few times and, to be honest, I have not really put any pressure on myself to stick with it wholeheartedly; rather, I have decided to eat as much raw as possible but if I feel like something cooked then I make sure I have it. Otherwise I will go crazy and stress out about it. Who wants to stress about something as glorious as food?

Below are some of the delicious creations that I've had

over the last week or so...

Big fat fruit smoothie (see above)...This has a bit of everything - watermelon, banana, pineapple, sunflower seeds, spinach, frozen berries, pink grapefruit and some water. So refreshing and very very filling!

Nori rolls filled with veggies. Even without the rice, this attempt at sushi was

really yummy. I filled the nori sheets with avocado, sprouts, capsicum and asparagus.

If I do say so myself, this was an awesome salad. I bought a jar of marinated artichokes and a jar of olives from the supermarket and tossed them with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, sliced zucchini, parsley, and topped it off with a homemade hummus dressing on top.

Dave has upped the anti for me and challenged me to go three weeks completely raw without any faltering. This was inspired by him seeing a program the other day which featured a doctor talking about how adapting a completely raw diet has proven to heal, or at least assist in the healing, of many diseases, including cancer.

He has encouraged me by promising that if we do this, we will then treat ourselves by going on a little journey to Lismore and the surrounding areas in Northern NSW. Dave just got back from a trip there over the weekend and cannot stop raving about it. Apparently the Channon Markets down there are huge and full of goodies and there are a couple of vegan restaurants and even a vegan ice-cream parlour down there! In fact, he said the best restaurant in the ENTIRE WORLD was down there, called 20,000 Cows. Apparently the owner is a food scientist and knows exactly which foods complement each other to bring out the best flavour. Dave particularly liked the beetroot chocolate cake...sounds interesting!

So this is my challenge, but I'm sure with such a great treat at the end I'm going to be able to do it easy! Although it is cold this morning and baked beans have been on the brain...

Lessons From Nauru

2010-04-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I was chatting to someone who had traveled extensively through Europe and he was saying that he spent ages in a country called Andorra. I had never heard of this country and he explained that it is the smallest country in the world other than the Vatican. It's not, Monaco is (just as I suspected) but researching this country, that I had never heard of, led me to a list of the 5 smallest countries. (There is a point to this so stay with me....) In the list of the 5 smallest countries (in which Andorra didn't actually feature, but hey we can't all be right all the time) Nauru was one of them.

I found the description of Nauru really interesting as it is an island nation and you can almost look at it as a small sample of exactly what will happen to the world if we keep going the way we are going.

You may have heard of Nauru because it is home to an Australian detention camp. Anyway, this is what the site said (and please note that I didn't go searching around to find out if this is all actually true, I have copied and pasted directly fromThe 5 Smallest Countries in the World).

"Nauru is the world’s smallest island nation, the smallest independent republic, and the only republic in the world without an official capital.

Nauru only has one significant source of income: phosphates from thousands of years’ worth of guano or bird droppings. This proved to be both a boon and a bane for Nauruans – for a long time, its residents enjoyed a relatively high level of income as the country exported its phosphate like there’s no tomorrow.

The government employed 95% of Nauruans, and lavished free medical care and schooling for its citizens. Most didn’t take advantage of this offer: only one-third of children went on to secondary school. The adults didn’t really work, either – office hours were flexible and the most popular pastime was drinking beer and driving the 20-minute circuit around the island. For a while, Nauru was a paradise – for a brief moment in 1970s, Nauruans were even amongst the richest people on the planet.

Nothing lasts forever and sure enough, Nauru’s phosphate reserves soon dried up and left 90% of the island as a barren, jagged mining wasteland. Wasteful investments (like buying hotels only to leave them to rot) and gross incompetence by the government (former presidents used to commandeer Air Nauru’s planes for holidays, leaving paying customers stranded on the tarmac!) didn’t help either.

As if that’s not bad enough, Nauru is also beset by obesity problem. Decades of leisurely lifestyle and high consumption of alcohol and fatty foods have left as many as 9 out of 10 people overweight! Nauru also has the world’s highest level of type 2 diabetes – over 40% of its population is affected.

So now, Nauruans are poverty-stricken and fat – but they are trying to turn things around. With no natural resource left, in the 1990s, Nauru decided to become a tax haven and offered passports to foreign nationals for a fee. This attracted the wrong kind of money (but a lot of it): the Russian mafia funneled over $70 billion to the tiny island nation. Things got so bad that most big banks refused to handle transactions involving Nauru because of money laundering problems.

This led Nauru to another extraordinary money-making scheme: it became a detention camp for people applying for asylum to Australia!"

Between this little look at what was once paradise and the movie Avatar, I think this planet could be heading for destruction if we don't change our ways....

RAW Food

2010-03-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to change my diet to a completely raw diet ever since I did a juice fast in Thailand last year at The Spa Resort Koh Chang (which was the most relaxing and rejuvenating holiday I've ever had). I blogged about this experience here. After you do a big cleanse like that, you only want to put good things back into your body. But, of course, over time I have gotten back into my old habits of eating too much vegan chocolate, chips, pasta, bread and other processed nasties!

The thought of going completely raw has always been a bit daunting for me and I greatly admire anyone who has attempted it or succeeded with going raw. I often scour the sites and blogs for raw recipes for that final inspiration to make the switch but I am often left wondering how on earth any of these meals will really satisfy me.

So, going raw has been a distant dream for a while. However, 4 things have happened to me recently that make me think that I could actually do it...

1. I found an amazing raw, organic choc-hazelnut slice at Organika in Noosa. I love it so much that they now check to see if it's in stock as soon as I walk in the store. haha

2. I realized that our juicer isn't broken like we thought, so I can make lots of big, filling veggie juices.

3. I discovered young thai coconuts and try to eat one most days. Today I found a great video for raw pad thai where the 'noodles' are made out of coconut meat. Yummy.

4. Yesterday I found this awesome raw cheese made from cashews, basil, tomatoes and olives, also at Organika. It is like a cream cheese spread with a beautiful, rich flavour.

If you are wondering what the hell I am going on about and haven't heard of going 'raw' before, here is a little rundown. The whole point of going raw is that you cut out any processed or cooked foods so that you are eating whole foods that are still full of all of their nutrients. As soon as you start to cook something you are beginning to destroy the vital nutrients that it provides, so the idea is to stay clear of cooked foods as much as possible. Some people call it a 'living foods' or 'live foods' diet as all of the foods are still completely live and whole. Basically, you stick to fruit, vegetables and nuts. However, you can still make things interesting if you get a bit creative and check out what other raw foodists are doing.

Many people have made it into quite a science and have decided that a food can be heated up until a certain temperature and still be called 'raw.' There are also all sorts of gadgets such as a dehydrator that works in a similar way to baking something in an oven, but it takes longer and dehydrates the food rather than cooking it. This way it is still full of nutrients. So you can make raw crackers, raw bread, raw cookies, etc. I am not interested in purchasing new equipment or making things complicated. I would just like to try to add more raw foods to my diet and try to eat mostly raw.

What I like most about the thought of going raw is the deserts! I always find so many yummy raw desserts - it is the main meal that I am worried about.

Vegan Doggies

2010-03-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

Here at Vegan Era, we LOVE animals. That's a given. Our resident doggie is little Trudi and she is a beautiful Staffy. We rescued her from a local no-kill animal shelter when she was about 6 months old. Trudi is a happy little vegan also. She seems to be growing almost every day and is full of life and love.

Seeing how happy and healthy Trudi is, we always have people ask us how they can help their best friends to adopt the compassionate vegan diet. So we thought we'd share our experience and ideas with you.

First of all let me tell you how much Trudi LLOOVVVEESSS food. Like most doggies, food is her favourite thing. She loves toast in the mornings with avacado or left over porridge with extra milk. We met another gorgeous doggie the other day that loves soy banana smoothies so we'll have to see if Trudi likes that too. Our guess is she will love it!

For dinner, Trudi enjoys rice with vegetables and beans/lentils/vegan mince and some baked beans or some tomato pasta sauce for flavour. Trudi prefers just the canned veggies from the supermarket and she loves corn. We always make up a big batch for her so that it lasts at least a few days. As well as this, Trudi loves to mix her rice meal with some Vegan Pet doggie biscuits. She loves crunching on them!

We've heard that many staffy's are as fussy as Trudi so we usually don't adjust her dinner too much. It's funny watching her carefully remove the things that she doesn't like from the bowl, such as anything green!

Trudi also loves Vegan Pet treats such as the chocolate or peanut butter flavoured doggie biscuits. Yummy!!

When we first brought Trudi in to our home it took her a few days to get used to her new situation and she didn't eat much for the first few days. This is normal. So if you are trying to change your best friend's eating habits, please keep this in mind. After a few days your doggie will probably love the new food and you may start to notice differences such as a more gentle nature and a shinier coat.

I'm sure your happy little girl or boy will embrace the compassionate, vegan lifestyle just as much as you have!

If you have a vegan pet please let us know what food they love.

Be love : Be peace : Be vegan; Save Our Home.

Pretty Pink Vegan Valentines Day

2010-02-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day to everyone and lots of love to you! This Valentines Day I organised a girls picnic in the park with an array of vegan treats that I thought I would share with you.

To get into the valentines day spirit we had red love heart cut-outs hanging from the trees, lace cushions, sparkling pink drinks, and a bunch of girls dressed in their prettiest pink!

On the menu:
Dips including: Susan's Saucepan 'hold the cheese' pesto, Susan's Saucepan roast capsicum and cashews, Tofutti 'Better than cream cheese,' babaganouj, home-made bruschetta mix, Maggie Bear's quince paste and Wattle Valley exotic thai with cashews. With a selection of crackers and bread including Always Fresh Grissini italian breadsticks in rosemary & sea salt.

We also had a few different types of olives - some marinated in herbs and lemon juice, others stuffed with semi-dried tomatoes. A couple of the dips were at the supermarket, but most supermarket dips tend to include parmesan cheese in everything! Many of the crackers also had milk or cheese solids in them - even plain watercrackers. So I purchased everything but the Tofutti and exotic thai dips from a deli instead.

Then we had Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls and lots of them! Mum and I made these up - so easy. I have the recipe for them here.
For drinks we had a couple of different organic fruit juice mixes and some tall bottles of Tiro sparkling pink grapefruit juice.

Finally for desert, we had Bliss Balls made up by Davey. These are really easy: simply add some soaked almonds to a food processor and then slowly add dates, figs, goji berries, raisins, or anything else that will be sticky enough to mould it all together. If you are a sweet tooth you can also add some agave nectar. When it is not too mushy and a good consistency to stick together, roll up little balls and then cover them in desiccated coconut.

And last, but definitely not least, these pink raspberry vegan cheesecakes from Loving Hut at Mt Gravatt. So DELICIOUS and they taste exactly like cheesecake.
That's it! It was so nice to have a girly picnic and I have to thank all of the lovely ladies who attended - you made it such a special Valentines Day! xx

WHY NO EGG??

2010-02-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

One of the most common questions that gets thrown at you when you mention the vegan diet is "Why don't you eat eggs?' I understand the curiosity behind people not putting them in the animal cruelty category, however I met a lady on the weekend who may be able to help you understand why.

But firstly, there is no real need for eggs, which by the way are full of cholesterol and unhealthy fats. If you are a baker, there is a product on all supermarket and health food shop shelves called "Egg Like" or "Egg Replacer" which works wonders in binding cakes. You can also use 2 tablespoons of cornflour and a little water to form a glue that won't interfere with the taste.
If you like the big breaky to fill you up on those Sunday mornings, then a cruelty free "Vegan Big Breaky" consists of things like:
veggie sausages (Mrs Flannerys, all Coles & Woolies)
baked beans
fan of avocado with cracked pepper and salt
fried tomato
fresh Turkish bread with nutelex margarine
freshly squeezed orange juice
scrambled tofu...(soft tofu..just pretend it is eggs and cook with favourite ingredients)
Here are some simple facts about where your eggs come from

RSPCA Barn Eggs are produced by housing hundreds of chickens in sheds with laying boxes around the edges. Theses chickens are stressed and confused as they have little personal space and confused pecking orders. After 18 months they do not lay fast enough and are taken to abattoirs
FARM FRESH/SUPERMARKET EGGS are laid from battery hens that live in small cages holding 5 hens each. These hens have barely enough room to turn around and their feet become painful from holding onto the metal cage beneath them . Again these hens are taken to the abboitors after 18 months
FREE RANGE are once again in sheds, but supposedly let out for some time in the day, however it is not monitored.
So you as a consumer can CHOOSE to purchase eggs, or you can CHOOSE to purchase some egg like and go for a vegan breaky. It is easy to live without them, and you don't have to contribute to the never ending suffering of our beautiful animals.

If you live in Brisbane and would like to give some battery hens a home after their first 18 months of a horrendous life, there is a wonderful lady by the name of "Monique" who is going in to the battery farms and taking as many as she can find homes for before their trip to the abboitors. Her phone number is 0419 709 729 and she lives in Banyo. Monique will be available at Brisbane's Green Earth Festival on Saturday 13th March at the City Botanical Gardens to talk with the general public.
Email is homesforhens@hotmail.com

Transitioning to Environmentally Friendly Recipies

2010-02-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

How many of you out there wouldn't mind altering your recipes some days to be animal free? Is anyone listening to the fact that meat is now officially terrible for the environment? I am sure many pepple know this, however it is hard to make the change with husbands, wives and family situations....but what if you just didn't tell them they were eating a vegan meal?

Now I am not trying to encourage you all to lie, but slowly and surely I am going to be giving you some recipes ideas that no-one will notice are meat free. These recipes will be not too far away from what the "Average Aussie" is already doing...just 'altering' the shopping basket and family recipes a little, so that slowly, slowly you can transition to some meat free meals, and start consciously thinking about what to buy to cut back without too much effort of fuss!

I am going to start today with a "Vegan Spaghetti Bolognaise", and if you don't tell anyone, I can promise you no-one is going to know the difference! With the help of a product from Sanitarium called "Vegie Mince" in all of your Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, you can make a bolognaise sauce that looks the same as meat, tastes the same as meat, and has a high source of protein, iron, zinc, B12, and is cholesterol free as the icing on the cake!

I have no doubt you all have your own bolognaise sauce recipes, but I will give you all one just in case.
If you are super organised, make this sauce a day early as as you know, sauce always tastes better the next day...that is just a small tip for you all!!

Don't forget to be happy and think positive thoughts, or sing your favourite song when you are cooking - as the love will go into your families hearts and taste so much better!! That is a spiritual fact!

So to feed your family, you will need to boil up enough spaghetti or whatever pasta you enjoy! To be even more environmentally friendly, go for an egg free pasta.

Then buy:
2 packets of Sanitarium Vegie Mince
1 bottle 500g tomato bolognaise pasta sauce of your choice
500g tin organic tomatoes of choice
one huge white onion and 2 fat cloves garlic chopped
cold pressed Australian olive oil...lets say...1/4 cup
dried basil herb
fresh basil,salt and pepper to taste
The bolognaise sauce goes as follows:

Fry up your finely chopped onions, dried basil herbs and garlic in some olive oil
Add Sanitarium mince and mash into the garlic and onions
Add tin of tomatoes and stir
Add bolognaise sauce and simmer for 30 minutes on low heat, stirring
Add salt and pepper to taste, and freshly chopped organic basil from your garden

Relationships Part II

2010-01-30T04:31:00.000-08:00

Even the good relationship is only bondage, because we are thinking in there and we forget to set each other free. We demand from each other attention, love and return all these kinds of things.
Rarely a Love between a couple flows freely without attachment, without demand, without command, without really any condition and without effort.

Mostly, you must make an effort right? In order to keep it. Any effort take time and energy and any person who you love surround you, you must take time and attention. Even if you don't want to, you know? You just have to pay attention and we are diverted from the one pointed concentration inside. And not many people can concentrate inside and outside at the same time. Even if he or she can; there must be time - you know what I mean?

And time consuming, and while you pay attention to this thing, you can not pay attention to that thing. Even you can remember both thing at the same time, you can only do one thing at a time. Is that not so? Hmmm? You can not pay attention to this one, and then also at the same time fully - how do you say it - pay attention to the other thing.

So actually we are perfect alone.

We know what we do and what time and to do what. But at unluckily this world is made up of beings; including Human beings. And we have to integrate with them all the time. If we have to do something. Or else, just go to the Himalaya. Or some other mountain - be alone. Do things yourself, that is also good. Maybe sounds very useless but it's good.

Suma Master Ching Hai.

So you see, if we are alone - we are alone. It gives us time to get to know ourselves, perhaps get to love ourselves first - rather than looking for that love in someone else. When we find that love of ourselves, then we no longer have that needing energy that we transmit to the universe. At this time - it is very frequent that if we still seek to share, and walk this path with someone - the universe will act in accordance and bring a true love to our sides.

Enjoy your life - enjoy your own love and if the universe has arranged you to have a friend - enjoy their love too (sometimes the universe can reveal that love in an animal too - don't blindfold yourself to think that love just has to come from a Human being)

Relationships Part I

2010-01-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

This world creates many bondages for us - through material gain, or acquiring 'things' or even relationships. You can see how money and things can keep us drilled to this world, but if you are not aware of it - your relationships that you form can also keep you bound to this world too.
You have to remember that these things, though create much love; and much suffering - in the end they are nothing. Don't put so much emphasis on these things, because it will ultimately upset your hormony and you will not be able to turn inwards as easily.
Being on this Planet, that is our only real goal - to turn inwards and remember our true nature and reconnect with the supreme force.

So, if during our contemplation on the inner light and sound our family and relationships become more peaceful, be thankful and that is all.Thank God, thank the supreme teachings; but if it should not be so - thank God, that you have more time to spend inward.

To have to pay attention to, and to worry weather he is pleased or she is happy with you or not is nonsense. You are both free - and you should both be free of eachother if a relationship is to be loving. Because, that is the only truth - through your actions of setting one free, they become more loving and give you more attention. But if you keep them there, clinging to the physical - they will want to run further away. It is not you - it is our minds that do this. Do not blame yourself, no, because it is not you - it is the physical mind thinking this is what needs to be done.

If you are both free, you are both happier and love each other more. Because you appreciate each other.

Everything in this world has a price, even if a person loves you - you must take extra care of him or her, so that he is happy - because if he is not happy you are not happy. But if a person hates you - pheww, NICE - Goodbye, nothing to do anymore.

So just be thankful what ever God has blessed you - if have a loving large family; thank Hirm - but set them free. If you are by yourself, that is good also.

Stay tuned for Part II

Climbing The HImalayan Mind

2009-12-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

Do Noodle, Don't noodle; you are too concerned with tomorrow, and worried about yesterday instead od being in the present.
That is why it is called 'Present' - it's a gift.

Our beautiful Home is blessed with many great spiritual leaders; Jesus, Buddha, Prophet Mohammed and Krishna - just to name a few. All of whom have graced HUmanity to guide us back Home; to find our inner light and sound and be one again with our Creator; God.

These past Masters have bestowed blessed teachings onto us, and today we are graced with Heavens blessings to have author, artists and spirtual teacher Supreme Master Ching Hai guide us through the Earth's turbulent times.
Supreme Master Ching Hai has spent over 20 years bestowing teachings and guidance to Humanity from past Masters; we are blessed to be able to share some of these with you today.

Here is a piece, an exert form one of Supreme Master Ching Hai's Lectures.

One choice to go upward in the more Noble direction. The other choice to go the ordinary way, the easy way and the more beneficial materially way.
Perhaps our choice, make us Noble or Lowly.

If we do not struggle with in ourselves and trying to better our thinking and our ideal or our work, our action; then we will always remain in the same level as before. A very ordinary Goose.

Fear - everyone else fear. Worry - everyone else worry. Eat - everyone else food. Dream - everyone else dream. Do - everyone else action, and habitual expectations. Nothing better about us, nothing improves, nothing more than just a goose. Who eat grass and drink lake water, and pass their lives like this.

So, there lives are also peaceful, harmonised and to how say - no stress, stress free. And they also, look good. But they achieve nothing, more than just grass and lake water. So now we should ask ourselves wether we would desire a so called peaceful life too.
Therefor, I have asked you before not to be proud of your harmonised family, your peaceful surroundings, your material gain and your whatever benefit that you think comes to you through the blessings from the Master, or through practice of the Quan Yin method.

It is true that the Master will bless us with whatever we desire. But, we should not be satisfied with that and feel proud of that achievement. Because this is just nothing.

Blessings

Love & Peace

2009-12-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

Living in this world you can certainly say that from time to time it can throw you a few curves balls here and there.

Recently I saw a movie, I can't remember the name of it, but it was Heath Ledger's last movie. Although this is no movie review - I wanted to bring it up as it is pertinent to this editorial. You see, although the movie was crazy with many twists and turns, there was an overall message being portrayed - and it was simple, choice. Choose to be noble, loving, caring and compassionate which sometimes can be a road less travelled. Or, take the road travelled along a path of temptation and turmoil for the soul (even though at the time it seems simple and easy).

This then brings me to a famous trilogy I watched this week; The Matrix. Once again an overwhelming theme of the movie was choice. It was Neo when deciding upon life he said "the problem is choice" - he had the choice to save it or not.This year, has been well to say the least interesting.
In moments of this life, many choices have been thrown in my face. It is not wether they are right nor not - because every choice that we make is perfect. It is always perfect in the realm of Heaven. Because, as creations of God - we are perfect.

Though, through this year I have more and more understood that only through Love and compassion can we save our Home. Only through unconditional love for each other do have the choice if we want to live or not.

It goes a lot deeper than the Love for our children or family - it extends to all living inhabitants of this world. The choice to show them love, and show love to a fellow Human on the other side of the world is what will enable us to survive. By us making a simple choice of compassion, and love by not harming another life - we are enabling a chance of another - It is cause and affect. As you sow, so shall you reap - Karma.

By us emitting love instead of violence, we are promoting beauty. In a recent article, that exact though stood true - by placing a pencil in the children's hands instead of a gun provided the child with a chance. His family were so grateful that they no longer had hatred.We must be that - every single day, we must be the light to enter into people's hearts so they too can be compassionate and loving. No matter how hard, nothing is hard in the kingdom of Heaven.

Be Love - Be Peace - BE VEGAN.