Fluffy Waffletacular Recipe!

If you missed the BUST Craftacular on Sunday, then you missed some amazing food! I teamed up with Farm Sanctuary and did a vegan waffle-demo with Q & A, then proceeded to pump out about 300 delicious banana-flax waffles with amazing toppings, and hundreds of delicious apple sage Field Roast sausage samples sauteed in Earth Balance with a touch of maple syrup. Lots of you asked where to get that Farmyard Waffle Iron, so HERE it is. Only $30!

I was so thrilled to meet some you in person for the first time! Thanks for coming out! Also, a giant super-duper thanks to my bestie Melissa for being a waffle-making-machine-in-a-pinup-dress! You rock. Ok, ok…Here’s the recipe:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
• 1/2 large banana
• 2 Tbsp flax egg-replacer*
• 4 Tbsp agave nectar
• 1 cup rice milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• pinch of salt
• canola baking spray (for waffle iron)
• maple syrup to taste

• Toppings!
DIRECTIONS:
* To make Flax Egg Replacer, simply combine Flax Seed and Water in a 1 to 2 ratio in a blender, until thick.

1. In a bowl, mash the banana until smooth.
2. Add the flax, agave nectar, and vanilla.
3. In a larger mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
4. Pour rice milk into the flour mixture, stirring with a fork.
5. Add the apple cider vinegar.
6. Add in the banana flax mixture from the other bowl.
7. Mix well.
8. Spray your iron lightly with the canola spray, and add the batter when hot!
9. Top with whatever you like! Try strawberry & banana, blueberry & soy whip, cinnamon & sugar, pecans & vegan butter, coconut milk-based ice cream, or chocolate sauce!

Special thanks go out to STOGO, Field Roast, Simple Food, Inc and Sweet & Sara for sponsoring  me with delicious chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and banana-berry ice creams, apple-sage veggie-sausages, decadent chocolate-soynut butter, and coconut, strawberry and plain vegan-marshmallows. Yum! Another special thanks to Brooklyn Kitchen for lending me amazing portable kitchen tools!

The Discerning Brute’s BUST Waffle-tacular!

Joshua Katcher, The Discerning Brute photo © RyanPfluger.com

Mark your calendars! I am collaborating with Farm Sanctuary to do a scrumptious food demo at the BUST Craftacular on May 17th.

Sunday, May 17th, 12-3pm (Waffle Demo at 2pm)
The Warsaw, 261 Driggs Avenue in Brooklyn NY,  Bedford Avenue L stop.
BUST Magazine’s Spring Fling Craftacular: 12:00 PM – 7:00PM

*Your entry ticket also gives you a shot at winning a BUST-load of booty in the Craftacular Raffle.

The BUST Craftaculars are probably the coolest and biggest craft fairs that happen in NYC – it’s a really young, DIY, cutting (the dotted) edge crowd full of smart, creative types. It is also a really big crowd, so it’s a perfect opportunity to reach out with amazing food and surprise people who believe the stereotype and the stigma that vegan food is gross! Clearly those people have never experienced the joy of plain iceberg lettuce, raw tofu, or grazed in their backyard for twigs and weeds. Yum!

If my protein and calcium-deficient arms don’t snap before sunday (where do I get my protein?), I am going to do a presentation on how to healthfully replace everyday products like milk, eggs, butter and meat by making big ‘ol fluffy waffles for everyone! I’ll provide the recipe, explain why to avoid animal products, and answer questions. There will also be other food goodies to sample, so make sure to be there!

Check me out on the Bust Blog:

My feature in BUST.com

Fresh Friday Finds

Fact! There are 700,000 homeless people in the U.S., and 18 million vacant houses and apartments…
Source

1. Turk + Taylor, Spring 09 is looking good! T+T is one of our favorite designers, who we’ve been following for a few seasons now. The collection is almost 100% organic cotton. Check them out! Also check out their new organic tees.

2. These shoes are golden! Cool, Vegan, fair-trade, and eco-friendly, does it get any better than that ? Jinga was started 3 years ago by two gals who give back at least 5% of sales to a social project in a Rio de Janeiro favela (shantytown) which provides activities and education to children to keep them away from gangs! (Thanks to reader Michael B. for this info!)

3. Undercover Animal Lover. This guy is an ethical vegan who risks his safety killing animals all day and shooting undercover footage so we can get a glimpse into the heavily-shrouded meat and dairy industries. Can you imagine? Read this rare interview with TIME magazine, and check his HBO documentary Death on a Factory Farm airing March 16.

4. This Sunday, March 15th, eat good vegan food and help farm animals!

Farm Sanctuary’s Dinner Night Broadway East
171 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Reservations for your party are available between 7:30 and 10 p.m.
Reserve your table online at www.opentable.com or by calling Laurie at 212-228-3100.
Be sure to mention Farm Sanctuary when making your reservation.

5. One of our favorite organic companies, Loomstate, is having a party at one of our favorite eco-boutiques, Kaight, on Friday March 20th. Get a free Loomstate organic tee with any purchase of Loomstate S/S ’09!

6.  Person to know: Historian and Activist GEORGE DRAFFAN

” ‘Development’ is a euphemism, much like the word ‘efficiency.’ Efficiency within the current system is really about how fast you can turn forests and mountains into wastepaper and soda pop cans. Is that good? If the purpose of life is to consume and destroy, then international trade and industrial civilization are definitely proven ways to speed that up .”

7. Chloé Jo and the GGA weigh in on the myth that leather can be ‘eco-friendly‘ , on the best Vegan Cheeses, and on the controversy surrounding veganizing your companion animal. Watch out for those crazy cat people! They get their claws out!

8. You might need a french terrycloth motorcycle jacket. I’m just saying….

9. From the folks who brought you EcoRazzi, Veg Daily is Born!

10. Veteran vegan rockers Propagandhi talk to VegNews about their forthcoming album, Supporting Caste.

New Year, Same You?

After the holiday binge, many of us are ready to hit the ground running, and we do! Things go great for the first few miles, but by Valentines Day, we’ll have fallen off track and stopped going to the gym as often as we said we would. We start smoking and drinking again, we have more than a cup of coffee a day, and we even find rationalizations to eat unhealthy and ‘convenient’ foods. Worst of all, while we hurt our own bodies and brains – we often are unknowingly hurting other people, animals, and ecosystems in the process.

What if I told you that there’s a resolution you can make that will help you stay healthy and slim, that will curb global warming more than getting a hybrid, that will save lives, and help stop torture? Sound too good to be true? This year why not make a resolution that helps everyone and everything? Even if you’re selfish – you’ll look better, smell better, and taste better. Go vegan! It’s the greenest, healthiest, most compassionate lifestyle choice we can make.

I have compiled a list of New Year motivational stuff to keep you on track, and moving forward!

BOOKS:

DVDs:

COOKBOOKS:

It’s Me or the Turkey!

Thanksgiving is already a holiday that’s wrong on so many levels. I don’t need to go into the details of the nature of our ancestors interactions with the Native North Americas – or the clinging to the fantastically ridiculous and false fairy tale of our chummy dinner together one night a few hundred years ago. But the last thing we should allow Thanksgiving to continue being is yet another massacre concealed under the guise of tradition, goodwill, and entitlement. This holiday season, I am refusing to sit at any table with a big, dead, tortured, cooked bird on it!

Why? For one, I had no idea how similar turkey’s are to cats until I met one. Like most people, I subscribed to the convenient belief that they were dumb and void of personality. This is such a pervasive stereotype because A) Most of us do not get to actually meet a turkey who is not dead, frozen, sliced, de-footed and beheaded. B) The turkeys can’t speak in any language that we validate; their clucks and gobbles are written off as nonsense in that same fashion that racist and xenophobic Americans make fun of any language they don’t understand, and C) It’s the only way to rationalize what we do to Turkeys – because if they’re dumb, they must have a dull ability to feel pain and fear, right?

When I finally met a turkey who approached me and rubbed his head against my leg like a cat and purred as I scratched his warm belly, I realized just how silly our rationalizations are for calling some animals ‘pets’ and others ‘Thanksgiving dinner’. Just because something is popularly participated in, and offered up on a platter doesn’t make it right. Our third-grade history books could tell us that much.

This thanksgiving, I am telling my friends and family, “It’s me or the Turkey!“. I will not sit at the table if there is a Turkey’s body on it. I never thought I’d say this, but I have friends that are turkeys! It doesn’t sound silly to say we have friends that are dogs and cats, but when we take an animal that is typically stripped of individuality, and whose sole purpose is supposed to be getting it’s throat slit, cooked, and eaten – it comes out sounding strange. Thankfully we don’t need to have dead turkeys at our tables, and we can certainly insist that our families and friends give the turkeys something to be thankful for this year.

At Farm Sanctuary, Animal Acres, The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, and other sanctuaries, Thanksgiving is for the birds. Literally. If you have no plans, or don’t know what to cook, check out the THANKSGIVING SURVIVAL GUIDE:

EVENTS:

SuperVegan’s NYC Thanksgiving Dinner Events Page!

DELICIOUS TURKEY ALTERNATIVES:

OTHER THANKSGIVING RECIPES:

VEGWEB Thanksgiving Recipes

DB Named ‘Ethical Style Icon’, 2008!

The results are in! This year, the chic and controversial Joshua Katcher and Chloe Jo Berman who spent the year redefining cool and calling on everything from organic cotton to haute vegan shoes – while calling out greenwashers and animal abusers, were named “VegNews 2008 Ethical Style Icons“. Chloe and Joshua have their fingers on the pulse of the emerging takeover of everything green, eco, and completely fabulous. Their manifesto? The new cool is being ethically gorgeous, conscientiously hedonistic, and unapologetically fierce in your passion for mother nature and animals.

Joshua & Chloe featured in Veg News, November 2008

Chloe Jo’s ‘Girlie Girl Army – our Glamazon Guide to Living‘, is a weekly newsletter with 20,000 uber devoted subscribers chock-full of tips on everything from eco fashion, to healthy, earth-lite recipes that rock your kitchen – not your wallet, to the best spots to get Organic and chic clothes on the cheap. She’s also Star of the upcoming TV show “Hot Green Girl.”  Beyond being a writer, green expert, animal rescue gal, radio host, model, online personality, yenta, and ethical fashion expert; she has a built-in audience of readers and fans from years of being a NYC local celebrity; from named NYC’s hottest party promoter in her early twenties to being named one of 2008 hottest Jews in the world! What she knows about; pop culture, eco living, cupcake baking, fund-raising, scouring vintage stores, crafting, animal care, and greening just about everything. You are as likely to see her front row at a fashion show air kissing her fabulous friends, as you leading a demonstration for a cause she’s passionate about.

Joshua Katcher, whose internet mag ‘The Discerning Brute – fashion food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man‘ after only a year is snowballing across the web, most recently graced the pages twice as the centerfold of Time Out New York’s Horny Issue, and was featured in Veg News magazines‘ “What’s In Your Fridge?” From publicist to activist, his mouthwatering earth-lite recipes have entered many a star-studded mouth, and his trend-setting fashion and lifestyle advice geared toward men is breaking down the walls of a largely female-oriented movement. If he’s not busy veganizing his bubbie’s rugelach recipe, being gossiped about on New York Magazine’s Grub Street or voted on as “stripster dude you’d most like to hit it with” on Gawker, he’s probably at the farmers market scoping the best organic ingredients, helping Olsen Haus to design a line of men’s vegan classic boots & shoes, interviewing the fashion industry’s eco visionaries, attending a black-tie benefit gala, or hanging out with some rescued farm animals in upstate New York.

Fresh Friday Finds

1. John Patrick Organic Spring 2009

John Patrick has done it again! As one of my favorite designers, his dreamy, bucolic, utopian vision came to life at the Desmond Tutu center in Chelsea last month. This American Gothic reminds us that our land-base in primary, and taking care of it (like using organic cotton, fair-labor, sustainable practices – developing sustainable cottage industries, and growing your own organic cotton in the jungles of Peru) is crucial. Click here to view the complete collection for men and women.

2. Vegetable-Based Leather is my bag, baby!
Vegetable-based ‘leather‘  made by Amazonian natives from sustainable plant matter, and recycled canvas from cargo trucks. Need I say more? The bags and accessories from Paz Apparel are hot, and I love this oversized “Uptown Handbag“. Thanks to reader, Ari for the tip-off!

$125, Paz Apparel

Also from Paz:

3.

One of DB’s favorite organizations, Sea Shepherd, will be featured in Animal Planet’s 7-episode special series “Whale Wars”. On Friday, November 7th Animal Planet will premiere Whale Wars at 9 PM ET/PT in the US, and internationally in early 2009. For additional information, photos and a sneak peak at the series go to:
http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/

4. Peter Singer is the Godfather…

Joshua & Peter Singer at Karen Dawn's event

I got the honor of meeting Peter Singer, father of the modern animal rights movement and author of “Animal Liberation” at a party for Karen Dawn’s (Dawnwatch) birthday and book reading. It’s not often you get to meet the person who set the new course for your life. I recommend reading both books!

When Purchasing Books, I also strongly recommend supporting local independent bookstores. Use Indiebound.org as opposed to the not-at-all-ethically-fabulous Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Do it!!!

5. Autumn is in the Air

And so are these seasonal smells from DB friend, A Scent of Scandal! Check out: OLD SCHOOL  – granny smith, ROUGH PATCH – pumpkin, & TURNING TRICKS – candy corn.

6. Do Rabbits Scream?

Find out more about Armani on peta.org.

The answer is yes, and this new undercover video of rabbit fur farms in France and China is enough to make anyone give fur the cold shoulder. PETAs Armani campaign is in full swing. Get involved!

7. Shoes that will make you swoon
A little bird told me that Elizabeth Olsen (Olsen Haus), whose vegan shoe line is blowing up and selling out all over the place right now, will be making vegan shoes for men that are as equally badass as her womens’ shoes. And to get a taste of how she rolls, take a look at these:

(All I can say is that I am looking forward to dancing in some blue suede-like mens’ shoes.) More to come, stay tuned.

8.

In Defense of Animals is taking on Zappos‘ hairy sales, exposing outdated primate nicotine experiments,planning for Fur Free Friday, and standing up to Puppy Mills. Check out their campaigns and get involved!

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9. Pick an Apple!

Get out of town before the season is over. If you haven’t been to the Hudson Valley in New York State for an autumn adventure, you don’t know what you’re missing! Click Here! or Here!

10.

Support Farm Sanctuary’s Party for the Pigs:
A benefit for the survivors of the Midwest flood disaster

In June of this year, Farm Sanctuary mobilized in Iowa to take part in one of the most ambitious farm animal rescues ever undertaken, after thousands of pigs were left to die in the Midwest flood disaster. During both land and water rescue operations, 69 pigs were rescued, including many pregnant sows who were once confined to gestation crates on factory farms. Now, these pigs, many of whom are still suffering from serious health problems, are at Farm Sanctuary receiving urgent care and undergoing rehabilitation.

On October 18, Farm Sanctuary will honor these survivors of the Midwest floods and raise critically needed funds for their care.

Please, help the pigs by attending the event or making a donation today!

PARTY FOR THE PIGS

Saturday, October 18, 6-9 p.m.
Equality Center
1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C.

FEATURING

Hosts
Persia White and Nellie McKay

A special performance by
Singer/songwriter and Broadway actress Nellie McKay

And…
Vegan hors d’oeuvres, a wine and beer bar, and a silent auction

Cocktail attire requested

RSVP now or call 607-583-2225 ext 221 to reserve your space.
General admission tickets cost $50.

Ethical Star-Fucking & International Meat-Shunning

1. If you care about global warming, you should consider eating less meat. At least that’s what top UN climate scientist says.  Yesterday, the BBC released yet another article quoting the UN’s top climate scientist, Rajendra Pachauri, who chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Dr. Pachauri will make a speech tonight in London. “The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that direct emissions from meat production account for about 18% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions,” he told BBC News, “So I want to highlight the fact that among options for mitigating climate change, changing diets is something one should consider.”

2. Ethical Star-Fucking: Want to have lunch with Alicia Silverstone? Girlie Girl Chloe Jo announces that on CharityBuzz from September 3-18^th, you can bid on unique celebrity experiences, rare memorabilia, and compelling special merchandise online to raise funds for the animals, to advocate for their protection, and to save lives. Support Farm Sanctuary and make a bid! You can shop for the most unusual and special items and gifts – everything from yoga classes to once-in-a-lifetime celebrity one-on-ones, all while giving to the animals!  And some things you were going to buy anyway, like yoga and dinner. Right?  May as well have your money supporting a wonderful cause! How about a private lunch with Kristen Bell on the lot of “Heroes” or a visit to the set of Forest Whitaker’s latest movie and lunch with the star himself, or a gourmet cooking class in Los Angeles with “Skinny Bitch” Rory Freedman and Spork Foods?  How about a shopping spree for the ladies in your life at Funky Lala Boutique, as your own celebrity stylist teaches you what styles look good on you, and what to be wearing this season or Joan Jett VIP Concert Tickets with Hotel & Airfare for Two? Need a laugh? Meet Fred Willard (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman) or Paul Reubend (Pee Wee Herman!) Perhaps a Long Distance Reiki Animal Communication Session or a luxe, organic faux fur throw from Loyale? Over 70 items NOW available for the bidding, as you’ll see there is definitely something for everyone!

Fresh Friday Finds

1. MALCOLM FONTIER accessories
Check out the new line of vegan accessories from Malcolm Fontier. These slick urban bags come with names like “The Director” and “The Agent” to accommodate what you do. These bags are PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) free (PVC is a nasty substance that can be an environmental and health hazard). The main material on our bags, which comes from Italy, is natural canvas coated with PU which gives it a unique feel and durability. Thanks to contributor Joelle for the heads up!

2. CocoNUTS
Our dreams have been answered! Purely Decadent has made a line of coconut-cream-based ice creams and yogurts that are to die for. These chilled treats the silkiest, the richest, and the tastiest vegan ice-cream yet. No ice cream lover could resist. Good luck not eating the entire pint in one sitting! My personal favs are the Cookie Dough and the Mint Chip.

Coconut Based Cookie Dough Ice Cream

3. Jersey Supreme Court Rules for Animals
In a unanimous landmark decision fostered by Farm Sanctuary, the New Jersey Supreme Court today struck down the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s (NJDA) regulations exempting all routine husbandry practices as “humane” and ordered the agency to readdress many of the state-mandated standards for the treatment of farm animals. Read More…

4. Proposition 2 and You
Find out about Proposition 2 in California, and what it means! Thanks to Dawnwatch for the New York Times Article on the bill.

5. Dr Cow goes DigitalOur favorite vegan cheese is now available for purchase from the Vegan Store. Get some!

Dr Cow Aged Cheese

Wall Street Goes to the Farm, Anti-Sex Teen Magazine, & Vegan Suits

1. Vegan Suits that Don’t Suck

DB Reader Jared asks:

I have been on a year-long quest to find a good vegan suit, but to no avail. There are of course cotton suits, but I am looking for something more classic (but slim) and slightly more professional looking during the non-summer months. H&M is the best that I have found, but their options tend to look polyester-ish and have low rise pants. Would you happen to know of somewhere where I can obtain what has become my holy grail? I would be forever indebted to you.”

Jared, you are not alone in your quest for ethical suitage! When I was attending the anti-globalization protests in the early 2000′s, I posed the question to some of my fellow protestors “Can you image what would have happened if every activist showed up in a business suit? The f***ing cops wouldn’t know what the hell to do!”. I still believe this – especilly since the main purpose of the police is to protect the haves from the have-nots. Since the suit is a symbol of having, the typical dance between activists and cops would take an interesting turn for sure. It certainly wouldn’t be as easy to know who to arrest or whose face to bash in with a night-stick.

Isn’t it funny how the suit has come to represent the official non-verbal symbol of power? This is the power of fashion – it’s all too underestimated in many activist circles. When searching for an ethical suit, there is a near conflict-of-interest when we consider 1) what the suit represents, and 2) how suits are typically made (sweatshops, animal skins & hairs). It’s almost like wearing a faux-fur! “Don’t worry, this suit isn’t really a tool for global domination, oppression and resource pillaging.”

So what’s to be said for appropriating a powerful symbol in the name of gaining clout for your cause? I think it’s great!

If you need an affordable suit – I would first go to a thrift store. Some people are opposed to secondhand wool. I am not, and my argument is simple: If you are purchasing something that looks like a suit, no one is going know if it’s wool or synthetic. Buying a new synthetic suit requires a lot of undesirable processes and labor practices. Secondhand requires no new resource extraction or labor. In the ethical equation of new synthetic vs secondhand wool I have to say that secondhand wool wins. The drawbacks of new synthetics are just too great.

Next I would check sample sales. Finally, if you can afford to purchase new designer suits or commission a designer to make one for you, some ethically produced suits are:

Linda Loudermilk (not everything is vegan, so check labels)

Turk & Taylor (not everything is vegan, so check labels)

Covet (not everything is vegan, so check labels)

Bamford & Sons (they use fur & aligator skins, so def write them a letter )

Pangea Vegan Store

DownBound (Organic Hemp Suit Jacket)

Seersucker Suits

Hemp Suit

Linen Suits

2. Wall Street visits Farm Sanctuary! Read the article Here (thanks to Dawnwatch for this newsbite)

3.Right Wing Tiger-Beat?

My friend Esther Bell pointed me to the scary and inaccurate new tactics that some right wingers are using to scare kids about sex and abortion.

The publication is described by the Human Life Alliance as “this extremely marketable, cutting edge magazine will cause your friends to want to get their own copy. The colorful graphics will catch their attention, and the thought provoking stories and facts on the inside will challenge them to change the way they think about sex outside of marriage.”

These “facts” are actually (and not surprisingly) tons of misinformation cloaked in teen rhetoric. One example is a advice column type section with Dr. Mary Paquette, who she contends that abortion causes infertility, breast cancer and ruins girls lives. The feature also ends with a section called “My Choice,” where there is what seems to be a biographical note of a teen who put her baby up for adoption, saying, “I thank God every day that I don’t have to visit the memory of an aborted baby, the grave of an innocent life.”