Happy Things to Come

The sun is shining brightly today and it's hard not to smile about things, even while visiting the laundry mat.  We took a detour and had a slice of vegan blueberry cake at a local tea bar.  We also ordered pita and hummus and I had a cup of berry tea, a very delightful event :)  As soon as I get a smaller camera I will start posting photos of local eats.  Believe it or not, there are more options popping up in Springfield, Missouri all the time :)

Up for tomorrow:  Heading to Mansfield for the Baker Creek Spring festival and hopefully getting back in time for a vegetarian potluck!  If it's not raining too hard I'll try to take some pictures.

It's not too late to sign up for the poetry swap!

In the news: The Good Stuff

How often do you get excited by the news?  Usually I end up pissed off or depressed.  Today that is not the case :)  I actually have some happy things to share.

Adventures in Veganism features a very positive outlook on veganism.  Published in our local 417 magazine, editor Katie Polluck goes vegan for a week and writes about her experience.

Have you heard of Loreen Dinwiddie?  This awesome lady just turned 108 and has been vegan since 1922.  That's 89 freakin' years!!!  Check her out on Vegansaurus!


*Don't forget to sign-up for the Poetry Swap!   
*Check out the updated Blog lists (in the right column)!  I've added some newer pals and cool blogs.  You can always contact me if you would like to be added ;) 
*Coming up: Spreading the Word (The Importance of Vegan Advocacy)

SWAP! *Poetry*

Public domain image link

It's SWAP time again!  In celebration of National Poetry Month (April) I thought it would be fun to send a poem through the mail.  It is your choice whether to send an original, favorite, or just an awesome poem that you happen to find.  Send it as a letter, card, postcard, mail-art, bookmark, or any way you like! Rose had a cool suggestion a few months ago to send a poem and picture.

It's only necessary to send a poem, but you may be as creative as you like.

Want to put a little verse in the mail?
* E-mail your mailing address to me by Tuesday, May 3: aveganfox[at]gmail[dot]com
* Once you have received your swap partner's info., send out a poem by Wednesday, May 11.

As always, feel free to discuss ideas for this swap or future swaps in the comments below!

Current Swappers: 
Amber
Rift Vegan
Rose
Affectioknit 
Rebecca
Dirty Duck
me

Two Raw Green Dips

Time for a food post!  Dip night has become a weekly event for us.  Dips are generally something quick and simple to whip up, not to mention extremely tasty!  Tonight's features were guacamole and broccoli hummus.

The guacamole was simple with two avocados, 7 garlic cloves, a little salt and a swirl of lime juice.

In our hunt to add more raw food to our diet I came across an exciting new hummus recipe.  It features broccoli, zucchini, tahini and a heaping tablespoon of mustard.  My next trial will probably feature a little less mustard, but it is very good either way.  Try it out!  [Broccoli hummus on Choosing Raw]

If you're excited about raw food, there will be recipes and links throughout the spring and summer because we're hooked!

Do not support VegNews!

You've heard of the VegNews fiasco by now, right?  Luckily for me, the ever-reliable Erik Marcus laid it all out.  Quarry Girl spilled the beans a few days ago on VegNews' meaty photos.  VegNews uses stock photos of nonvegan food to represent vegan food in their magazine and on their website.  After this was discovered, their initial response was to delete website comments that "bullied" them by revealing the truth.

Their response is not good enough.  What would be good enough is to take responsibility for the mistake and become a real advocate.  I really think that the recent New York Times headline "Meat discovered in Meatless Magazine" says it all.  These issues are confusing enough for people. 

Want to read more?  Check out Quarry Girl, some of the comments are interesting, too.  Though there might be a million by now.  Vegan.com updates regularly with related articles.  You can now read comments on VegNews site since the release of their statement.  And of course, since everyone's talking about it everywhere, you can hit up the PPK forum and anywhere else that supports veganism.

UPDATE 4/18:  VegNews has now issued an apology.  

Vegan Outreach Leafleting

Before I head to work this morning I just wanted to say that I had an awesome experience leafleting with Jon Camp (from Vegan Outreach) and Chip, another Springfieldian!  It was amazing to see how receptive people are to the information we were handing out.

Visit again soon because I guarantee I will be writing more about my experience and how easy it is to get involved.

Also coming up:  recent food pics and the next swap.

Live Delicious: Cookbook Giveaway!

Hopefully you've noticed this image in the sidebar.  I just wanted to take a few minutes to let you know about it.  So what's so awesome about this giveaway?!  The Book Publishing Company, who put out a great variety of vegan and raw food books, are hosting it as a way to promote veganism.  By entering you have the opportunity to win one of six titles, including Speed Vegan and Becoming Vegan.  There's a little something for everyone:  new vegans, fitness conscious, fast and simple recipes, and those interested in wholesome, unprocessed foods.

You may remember my review of Speed Vegan, where you can sample the Alan Roettinger's recipe for Hominy Hash, which I would definitely recommend!

Other great titles published by the BPC include The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, Sweet Utopia (preview a recipe here), and The Simple Little Vegan Dog Cookbook.

Enter to win a new cookbook for your collection and tell your friends to spread the awesome message of veganism!