Being Vegan is for the dogs!

Ok, well, not just for the dogs! My 2 1/2 year old Saint Bernard and my 9 1/2 year old Great Dane are both vegan. Stillwell (the Saint) has been vegan for most of his life and I switched Belize over to a plant based diet about a year and half ago. I cannot justify killing an animal to feed an animal and if I won't eat something I am surely not going to feed it to my dogs.

There are a couple of sound vegan dog foods on the market; V Dog (http://www.v-dogfood.com/) is probably one of the best, though hard to find so I often feed Natures Recipe Healthy Skin Vegetarian formula because I can large bags of it nearby. With more than 300 total pounds of dog, you can imagine I go through some big bags.

Like so many times when we want treats and our outside choices are limited, dog cookies are loaded with horrifying additives and animal products. Milk Bones are certainly not on the menu, I wouldn't give them those if they weren't vegan. I love my dogs and want to spoil them as much as anyone, so after visiting some dog bakeries I have come up with a vegan dog cookie that is tasty (Yes, I tried it...), nutritious, easily made with items already in your pantry, and adaptable for any size dog.

Stillwell's favorite cookie (He's the finicky one!)

*You can make more or less of these proportions, the recipe is very flexible.

2 cups Rolled Oats
1/4 cup Blackstrap Molasses
1 cup Natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 Tablespoons vegan cane sugar
3 Tablespoons unbleached flour
Hot water (if needed)

Preheat oven to 375f
Mix everything in a large mixing bowl until it is a thick, chunky paste. Form into balls applicable to the size of your dog (mine are ping pong ball size), placing onto parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet and bake until browned and dry looking on the outside.

If the cookies don't form easily into balls add VERY small amounts of hot water to the mix and reattempt.

Cool on rack completely and store in an airtight container high away from the reach of your dogs.

They love these cookies! Please let me know what additions you made and share a photo of your furry friends!

Back to blogging!

I started "Vegan Everywhere!" with ambitious intentions to blog more days than not and increase my presence in the blogosphere. Well, as you can see that has yet to occur. I am trying to finish my second book Pieces of Her in my horror fiction series.

In the midst of this I am still a great wandering vegan. I did, in fact, go to the fair and found it less than met my expectations. A lot of the craft exhibits were downsized for expo areas that sell wonder mops and ladders strong enough for elephants. This time the agricultural exhibits rang too true for comfort. These animals, even when well treated, are part of a broken system of servitude, slaughter, and pain.

The final nail in the state fair coffin was the epic stretch of food vendors. With the exception of an apple and a big pickle, there was nothing there that a vegan or sensible person might eat! The only vegetables to been seen were dredged through egg batter and deep fried in the same oil as meat. The possibilities to eat meat heavy foods laden with calories and trans fats were however, endless.

If you are an adult I guess you can decide what you eat, but if you grew up in a culture of conspicuous consumption can you make an educated decision? The visuals of heavy, already unhealthy people shoveling in more toxic food than their bodies can bear was a bit overwhelming. What was worse was seeing them give these same foods to their children, setting them up for a lifetime of the same health problems until someone shows them there is another option.

I'm not sure I can manage another fair? Ugh, no... Instead I will direct my fall adventures to farm sanctuaries like the one in Watkins Glen, NY (http://www.farmsanctuary.org/) and organic, produce-only farms.

We cannot continue to value one animal over another. If you won't kill and eat your own pet, why do it to an animal you don't know? Meat does not come from the store!

Falling for Fall

The end of Labor Day Weekend has brought us a few days of cold, rainy weather to remind us of what is to come. There are a lot of beautiful days before snow flies and I have always thought fall to be the best time of year.

Fall in New England is more than leaf peeping. Images of pumpkin fields and apples come to mind, strolling brick sidewalks in an old warm sweater, and country fairs (some in their 2nd century of existence).

The country fair of which I speak should not be confused with ramshackle carnivals that may come to mind. Sure, over the years most of the large fairs added this component, but I ignore that part and visit the agricultural exhibitions. Beautiful displays of heirloom vegetables await, as do well treated sustainably fed llamas and alpacas raised for fiber and companionship.

My heart breaks for the beef cattle in the next shed over from horses. I have never understood why we would value one animal differently over another. I hope when city dwelling omnivores visit the fair and see that their food once had a face and feelings and a mother of its own that they may be given pause to think.

The other side of that coin is that 20 yards from where your food has a face, you can go to any one of countless food stands for some of the most calorie dense, toxic compilations of animal protein you can find. What can a vegan eat amidst deep fried Twinkies, turkey legs, and mega burgers of death? That is, after all, the point of this blog.

I'm not going to miss seeing the 800lb pumpkin and the church ladies didn't make all those quilts for no one to see them because there is nothing for a vegan to eat. I am out to prove that you can be vegan everywhere and that's what I'm going to do.

Being kosher, there were a lot of things off my list even before I went vegan: pork, milk and meat in the same meal, shellfish, and hunted animals. I don't think of any of these things as dietary restrictions, but choices for better living. I think the same of a vegan lifestyle. I'm not going to compromise my health and wellness for a vegan "cheat" day; that's not how it works. I don't think I could even consider eating meat anymore and dairy would make me sick enough that I know better than to try that. I have no desire for any of this.

So, vegan everywhere means exactly that. I'll chronicle my actual trips to the fall fairs in upcoming blogs, but often being vegan everywhere requires a bit for forethought. Here are some strategies:

1. Don't go hungry. It doesn't help at the grocery store and it certainly won't do you any favors at the fair.

2. Stay hydrated, bring water. There's no need to contribute to plastic bottle waste and it is way overpriced.

3. Look online at the vendor lists. At Fryeburg Fair (www.fryeburgfair.com) and Topsfield Fair (Topsfieldfair.org), 2 of the oldest fairs in New England and the country, some of the agricultural exhibitors sell their produce in a micro-farmer's market.

4. Make a plan and stick to the plan.

5. Go to the enjoy the season and see the things that interest you; don't go to eat. One of the truths of being vegan everywhere is that sometimes you need to bring your own food. There is a lot more to any given event than eating. A lot of fairs have picnic grounds, take advantage of this and bring a vegan spread to enjoy on your own terms. Last year we picked up wonderful varietal apples and some of the last local peppers of the year to munch on while we walked around. As you come to know me and my blog, you will learn about my deep love for all things pickled. I did enjoy a large half-sour kosher dill and bought some pickled green beans and garlic to take home.

Where will the season take you? I have fairs, camping, and hiking on the horizon, but let's share our journeys. Pictures, stories, and recipes to follow. Thank you for taking these first steps with me.

Welcome to Vegan Everywhere!

Let it first be said that I love being vegan. Unless you live under a rock, you know a vegan lifestyle is healthy and humane, but that is not going to be the sole purpose of this blog.

With all our increased energy and vitality, vegans should be exploring the world. There are adventures out there just waiting for us. Adventures may be half a planet away or in our own communities---it doesn't matter, just get out there!!!

Too often I hear vegan friends worry that they shouldn't or worse, can't go to ______ because they won't be able to eat anything. That doesn't work for me. I loved to travel before I went vegan (then intermittently vegetarian and always kosher), and there is a lot left on my list. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle that you can be vegan everywhere and that is what I intend to do.

Let's go on this journey together. Starting in my own neck of the woods for the best of fall in New England, I'm going to prove there is no place you can't love being vegan. On our journeys we will look at articles, recipes, restaurants, and talk to some fascinating people.

The world can still be our oyster, even though we wouldn't eat one!

Let's go!