Earthlings

Well folks I've finally had enough courage to sit down and watch this movie. I purchased it instead of watching it online so that I would have my own copy to share with others. Boy is this movie an eye opener. Actually its more of an eye opener, its a movie that brings about great revelations. Earthlings has been dubbed "the vegan maker" and I can tell you that if I was not already a vegan prior to watching this film there would be no doubt in my mind that I would be after viewing this.

This movie is narrated by  Joaquin Phoenix who has been a vegan since he was 3 years old after a fishing incident with his family exposed him to animal suffering. This film takes the viewer through all types of animal abuse from factory farms, puppy mills, pet stores, fur trades and scientific experiments. The images in this movie are very graphic but I feel they need to be shown so that people watching will know the truth. Viewing this film brought me to tears and actually made me angry at how humans can be so cruel to other living creatures. I just wanted to reach through the television, slap the evil people and rescue the poor animals on the screen. I wanted to show those animals that not all humans are that hateful.

This film sealed the deal in my mind that I will never ever go back to eating or using anything that comes from an animal. Why would we want others to suffer so that we can have things we really don't even need? There are so many better alternatives in the world and no one had to experience pain for us to have them.

I feel that everyone should watch this film, vegan or not. The world  should be educated about what is really going on behind closed doors so that humans can have what they think they need and want from life.  People need to be shown how greedy and corrupt humans can really be.

This movie can be viewed in its entirety here

The Most Perfect Seitan Recipe Ever.... At Least According To My Kids :)

Last night I decided that I just had to make seitan again. I have become a little obsessed with it. Trying to achieve that perfect batch. Well it happened last night folks! I have been using a recipe I found online but have been slowly making some changes to it to make it better. It didn't take much and everyone in my family LOVED it!  My son wanted more!

Start out with about 8-10 cups of No Chicken Broth, I like to make sure there is a lot so that the seitan is covered well and can simmer. I put the pot of broth on the stove and let it simmer while I make up the seitan.

1 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten

2 1/2 Tablespoons Chickpea Flour

1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

pinch of black pepper

3/4 Cup water

1 1/2 Tablespoon oil 

Combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk them together. Then add the water and oil. Mix together until a dough forms.

 Take the "dough" out of the bowl and place it on the counter. Kneed it for a few minutes but not too long, it will get chewy the longer that you kneed. Kneed it flat onto the counter. Then cut the seitan into whatever size pieces that you want. Remember though that seitan expands in size when cooking!


After you have cut the sizes that you want, (I usually get about 30 pieces with this recipe) and the broth is simmering place the seitan pieces in the pot, one at a time. When you have put them all in stir them gently.

Allow them to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring gently about every 10 minutes.

After 30 minutes remove the pot from the heat and let it sit until it cools to room temperature.

While I'm waiting for the seitan to cool I get the pan ready for frying. I use extra virgin olive oil but I mix in a few spices to the oil before placing it into the pan. I use a little onion and basil. You can use whatever you want. I also get the supplies ready for whatever I plan to coat the "wings" with. Its usually Frank's hot sauce in this house! This is also a great time to start focusing on the side dishes that you are also serving :)

After the broth and seitan has cooled, put the oil in your pan and heat to medium-low heat. When the oil is hot enough for frying, using tongs take piece by piece of the seitan and place it in the oil. Brown each side a couple of minutes (it doesn't take long!) I like to leave mine in for a bit because they get nice and crispy but again, whatever you like.

When they are done frying I put them on a plate covered with a paper towel and if I'm serving them to the kids I keep them plain and serve with ketchup. If they are for us I put them in a bowl with a Tablespoon of vegan butter. Then I add about a cup of hot sauce and coat them! Everything will melt all together because the seitan is so hot.

 We served our with mashed potatoes and kale. I used vegan sour cream for dipping :) We sometimes have them when we have pizza night, or my fiance like them coated in sweet and sour sauce. However you eat them, they are fantastic!

Oh and don't forget to save the broth for another time!!

Vegan Is Love

Going along with a blog post that I did last week, I've decided to write a review about the other vegan children's book that I own. It's called "Vegan Is Love"  written and illustrated by Ruby Roth. She is a fellow vegan who had the idea of writing a children's book while teaching art at an elementary school. She has also written another book called "That's Why We Don't Eat Animals", which I have not had the pleasure of reading but if it's anything like "Vegan is Love", I know it's great.

This book is definitely better for older children, ones that have a better understanding of where meat comes from already and is not afraid of some realistic photos. The illustrations in this book are great and they really send a message without being overwhelming or too graphic. My son really liked this book, more then "Steven The Vegan" because this is geared toward a more mature child.

In the book, the reader is taken through all the ways that animals are used against their wills. Not only for meat and dairy production but also for clothing, animal testing as well as the zoo, the circus and the aquarium where the animals are not allowed to live a full and happy life but instead are forced to live in captivity and are made to do "tricks" to entertain humans.

This book is very honest and open and does not sugar coat anything, which is why it's better for an older child who will open up a dialog with you as they realize how far cruelty toward animals really goes. Be prepared to answer some questions as to why and how people can be so mean.

For my son reading this book really sealed the deal in his mind. I read him this book when our family first went veg a few months ago and we have read it a couple times sense. This book helped open his eyes to what is really going on in the world.

I encourage all vegan parents to buy this book and even if your child is not old enough for it now, they will be one day and it will be a perfect thing for you to share with them.
 

Her website is great as well, I encourage you to check it out: http://www.wedonteatanimals.com/home.html

Steven the Vegan

With my son home from school this week for spring break it's my job to keep boredom at bay for both kids. We've done crafts and practice sheets for his 3rd grade ELA testing at school in a few weeks, but nothing is better than cuddling up with both of them and reading a good book. Especially when the changing season has caused a cold to run through the house.

With my daughter being young and still learning about being nice to all animals I searched all over the internet for a book that would be appropriate for her and my son. I was very happy when I found Steven the Vegan by Dan Bodenstein and illustrated by Ron Robrahn. It's a great little story about a young boy who goes on a school field trip to a farm sanctuary and tells his classmates that he is a vegan and explains to them what that means. Steven goes through the farm and shows his friends exactly where the meat and milk that they love so much actually comes from. He even debunks the myth that you need to eat meat to grow up big and strong.  By the end of the book all of his friends are so moved by what Steven told them that they decide they will not eat animals any more because "animals are our friends, not food"

This book is really great for younger kids age 3 to 10. My son loved it but my 2 year old got a little restless toward the end of it because for her it was a bit long. She did love the very bright and colorful pictures of all the animals and for her age group, showing how cute and cuddly the farm animals are helps when driving home the idea that we don't eat our friends.

I would recommend that anyone who is vegan and has small children get this book and read it to them. It really is a great way to answer questions that your child may have as they get older and starts to experience criticism from classmates and non-vegan friends. It's a gentle and friendly way to explain where meat comes from without scaring or traumatizing children with real life images of what goes on behind closed doors at slaughterhouse and on factory farms.

The book can be purchased on Amazon

The Beginning...

Hello Everyone!

So this being my first official post I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Sara Till and I'm a vegan stay at home mom of 2 kids. My son Evan is 9 and my daughter Marley is 2. Our family (which includes my fiance Robert) has only been vegan for almost 3 months, but so many great things have happened in that short time that it feels like this is the way it's always been for us.

I have always been interested in food and would call myself an on again/off again vegetarian. I was very well aware of where meat came from but chose to be blind to how meat was produced and the actual effect that the whole process has on us, animals, the environment and our economy. After reading countless posts from my many vegan friends about different things, I decided in my mind that it was time. I went to my local library and checked out Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Eat to live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I came home and talked to my fiance about it and he was totally on board! That night we watched vegucated and I guess you can say the rest is history!! We were both hooked on learning everything vegan, I couldn't get enough information. I was reading everything I could find on the internet, asking my vegan friends a TON of questions and watching every movie I could to better learn the truth about our food.

Then I got overwhelmed! There is so much information out there, and when you start to not only see with your own eyes what is happening to all those animals but start really reading the labels of the food in your cupboard, it starts to get disheartening. Plus it was not just myself that I needed to change it was my fiance and my 2 kids. However in this whole process, each day gets so much easier. I am now eating fruits and vegetables that I had only previously eaten very occasionally. I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes more then I ever did before because with vegan cooking even the simplest dish has many different ways it can be prepared. I am also very fortunate in the fact that my fiance LOVES to cook and  we have spent many hours in the kitchen together, cooking, laughing and talking. He is even great about trying new things out. He was a good sport when he had to try my first failed attempt at making seitan wings. The only thing since we've gone vegan that he couldn't stand to eat. I don't blame him, it was very rubbery and gross! But we have since figured out a better way to make it! More on that later! My son is doing well with the transition and even talks about a opening 100% vegan restaurant, and wants to know how we can make the food that we used to eat but vegan! My daughter loves pretty much everything that we've given her to try. The advantage is that she's so young, being vegan will just be natural for her as she gets older.

Since being a vegan it didn't take long for me to want to start making some changes in the world! I didn't think that I would find something so quickly but I did by way of the NY State WIC program. My daughter is currently enrolled and I went to my local WIC office to get her new checks, armed with a note from her pediatrician stating that my daughter was now on a vegan diet and that we would like dairy alternatives in her WIC package instead of the usual milk, eggs and cheese. Little did I know that NY State does not allow vegan children this option, the only way is if the child has a milk protein allergy. My daughter's case worker was very helpful in the best way that she could be and advised me to make a formal complaint. When I returned home that afternoon, that is exactly what I did and the ball started rolling. In this whole process I have met, talked to and have established a relationship with many wonderful vegans in different fields that have been helpful in pointing me in the right direction to the next step in getting this policy changed. I have sent several letters to elected officials and have started to hear back from them. The most common complaint during this whole thing (besides the price) is that there is not enough demand for soy alternatives to vegan children so I have constructed an online petition for people to sign so that I can show that there in fact is. As a result of me rallying to see some change in the NY State WIC program I have been fortunate enough to become the volunteer events coordinator for ASHA a local farm sanctuary that is opening this summer in Newfane NY. As well as becoming a contributing writer for thisdishisveg.com

Becoming a vegan has been the best choice for myself and the people in my family, my mom has even gone veg since finding out about our change! Everyday is a new adventure in making new foods, trying new things and reading new material. This family will be celebrating it's first vegan Easter this Sunday, and I couldn't be more excited!