Written by Michelle Kretzer
Christ's chief lesson to his followers was that they should "love one another" (John 13:34). And in Philadelphia, "the city of brotherly love," citizens are encouraged to embrace that sentiment. So as Philly prepares to kick off its huge annual Easter parade, PETA has asked permission to add some food for thought to the day, with a mobile billboard.
We're hopeful that our billboard will encourage everyone to start showing kindness to pigs, who don't want to suffer and die to become an "Easter ham."
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Pigs, who are as sociable and intelligent as dogs, are abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs or cats were the victims—so surely they are among the least powerful beings in our society .
We hope all Christians will act on Christ's teachings of love and empathy, and we have a wealth of vegan recipes for Easter to help them.
Written by Jeff Mackey
After learning that the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County in Connecticut had put out an urgent call for Thanksgiving food donations following Hurricane Sandy, PETA has sent the hunger-relief organization 20 delicious vegan Tofurky roasts.
© MeetTheShannons.net
Vegan Food: The Taste of Kindness
PETA's donation should make the season brighter (and healthier) for the region's hungry as well as for animals. PETA also hopes the Tofurky will offer food for thought, showing that compassion knows no species barriers.
More than 250 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. every year—45 million for Thanksgiving dinners alone. Yet turkeys are sensitive, smart, social, and resourceful birds, who deserve to be treated as living beings, not centerpieces.
Tofurky and other vegan faux turkey provide great alternatives, savory taste, and plentiful protein, with none of the cruelty or cholesterol that comes from eating real birds.
What You Can Do
Delicious, healthy vegan foods offer both hungry humans and exploited animals reason to give thanks. Enjoy fine vegan holiday dining with PETA's free recipes.
Washington, D.C., today was, well, sporktacular. The "Spork sisters," Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg, authors of the vegan cookbook Spork-Fed, whipped up some of the culinary creations from their cooking school, Spork Foods, at PETA's D.C. office.
Diners scarfed down dishes made with vegan products donated by award-winning Galaxy Nutritional Foods, such as Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Galaxy's new vegan mozzarella shreds, Spinach and Artichoke Heart Dip featuring vegan cream and Parmesan cheeses, and Amazing Caesar Salad. And when the sisters demonstrated how to prepare savory Strawberry Cream Cheese–Stuffed French Toast, everyone agreed that Galaxy's strawberry vegan cream cheese was out of this world.
Of course, everyone seized the opportunity to ask the pros their cooking questions, such as how to veganize recipes that call for eggs (they recommend using Ener-G Egg Replacer but mixing it with the dry ingredients).
Residents of Norfolk, Virginia, and Oakland and Los Angeles, California, stay tuned: PETA is hoping to book the Spork sisters for a galactic tour of all our offices.
New Mexico's motto is currently "Land of Enchantment," but the state's Tourism Department officials have become, well, disenchanted with it. They feel it doesn't accurately convey New Mexico's considerable appeal to potential tourists, so they're looking to rebrand the state with a new slogan. PETA's suggestion? Replace "Land of Enchantment" with the vegan- and animal-friendly slogan "New Mexico: You've Bean Wantin' to Visit Us."
Having vacationed there myself not long ago, I can confirm that New Mexico is full of animal-friendly folks—like the dedicated people I met who run a prairie-dog rescue organization—and tempting vegetarian food. Albuquerque was named one of PETA's Most Veg-Friendly Cities, and it's no accident: In a part of the country with a strong agrarian heritage, New Mexico is a major producer of plant-based foods, including nuts and beans (hence our proposed slogan) as well as their famous piñons and green chilies.
Wherever you live, PETA's database of great veggie recipes can help you enjoy mouthwatering, animal-friendly Southwestern foods, not to mention many other cuisines. And if "you've bean wantin'" to go vegan, PETA can help with that too.
Written by PETA
Like Claude Rains in Casablanca, federal inspectors were shocked—shocked!—to find that the egg farms implicated in the recent salmonella outbreak (which led to a still-spreading recall) were filthy and shoddily maintained. In fact, a recent investigation by the Food and Drug Administration turned up barns that were infested with flies, maggots, and scurrying rodents as well as piles of droppings 4 to 8 feet high in the manure pits below the battery cages.
Surprised? We weren't. Over the past decade, a series of undercover investigations by our friends at Mercy for Animals have inevitably found cruel and unhealthy conditions on egg farms around the country—including one that was owned by the same man who operates the nasty farms that are responsible for the current disaster.
Fortunately, it's easy to crack the egg habit; just scramble over to VegCooking.com for tips and recipes.
We’re busy, busy little worker bees in PETA’s Marketing Department, and nobody is busier than everybody’s second favorite PETA blogger, Amy “I think I’m so smart cuz I can make vegan cupcakes” Cook, who, in addition to running the Veg Cooking blog, coordinates most of the vegetarian-focused content that goes up on PETA’s websites. Well, in her unquenchable enthusiasm for the Holiday Season, our Amy coordinated so much Christmas content that we’re having trouble keeping up with it, which is a shame, because it really is very good. So the point is, even though she runs a rival PETA blog and is thus my evil arch-nemesis, I do want to highlight some of the exciting stuff she’s been working on for the Holidays. Check it all out, and be sure to congratulate her on the great work.
Amy has managed to exhaust her lifetime quota of favors from me by also asking me to talk about the variety of Christmas recipes she’s going to be posting on her blog in the next week, so be sure to check those out too. I hate to say it, but her first Christmas-themed entry does actually look pretty delicious. Feel free to scan her blog for a little while, but don’t forget to come back here, otherwise I shall be hurt and sulky. Enjoy!
I am very, very excited about the fact that it's finally summertime and, by extension, barbeque season. My roommate and I kicked off the season a couple of weeks ago with a Memorial Day barbeque to end all Memorial Day barbeques—Boca burgers, chick'n patties, grilled portabella mushrooms, vegan potato salad, veggie bratwurst, veggie dogs, and pretty much every other fake meat you can think of. Doubtless inspired by our legendary cookout, the folks in PETA's Vegan Campaigns Department have cooked up a little BBQ recipe contest of their own, with a sweet-ass portable grill as first prize and some other cool stuff, including a cookbook and some barbeque sauces, for the runners-up.
Anyway, if, like me, you have an unbeatable vegetarian recipe for a summertime barbeque, you should enter that bad boy here—the winners will be featured on VegCooking.com and PETA.org, so even if the portable grill isn't enough of an incentive for you, you may enjoy that opportunity for instant Internet celebrity. Also, if you have any cool vegan BBQ recipes that you'd like to share, feel free to post them. Barbeque king though I may be, I'm not above learning something new every now and then.
By now, most people in the country, and certainly everyone in the blogosphere, have heard about the letter we sent Al Gore urging him to face the reality that while the steps he asks people to take in An Inconvenient Truth are certainly important, the most effective way to stop climate change is through diet change. So, for Big Al (oh and by the way, vegetarians weigh, on average, 10 percent less than their meat eating-counterparts … I'm just saying) we want to make the veg thing easy by offering to cook him food and giving him recipes.
The story has been covered all over the world, but my favorite by far is the Fox News piece that starts with “Can Al Gore be a meat-eating environmentalist? PETA says no… and is offering to cook the following meal for the former vice president to prove it!” and goes on to list the vegan recipes we are offering to cook for him. Brit Hume also talked about the issue on his show last night, which is pretty cool too.
Anyway, since this whole thing made the news, we’ve been getting tons of requests for the recipes, so here you go. Have fun!
Fried 'Chicken'(Makes 4 servings)Ingredients:1 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. onion powder1 tsp. pepper1 tsp. garlic powder2 cups unbleached white flour4 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)3 Tbsp. yellow mustard1/2 cup water2 Tbsp. baking powder1 lb. soy chicken (Morningstar farms chicken strips)3 1/2 cups vegetable oilMethod:Mix together the salt, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, flour, and nutritional yeast in a deep bowl.In a separate bowl, dilute the mustard with 1/2 cup water.Add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the mustard mixture and stir. Add the baking powder to the dry flour mixture and mix.Dip chunks of the soy chicken into the mustard batter, then drop each chunk into the flour mixture and coat with the desired amount of "crust."Fry the chunks in hot oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or deep fryer until crispy and golden brown, turning as needed.Slow-Cooked Collard Greens(Makes 8 servings)Ingredients:4 bunches collard greens4 Tbsp. olive oil4 medium onions4 cloves garlic, minced4 carrots, minced1 1/2 cups vegetable stock2 chipotle peppersSalt, to tasteMethod:Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and the garlic cloves. Sauté until the onions are soft.Add the collard greens, carrots, and vegetable stock. Cook until tender.Season with the salt.Cornbread(Makes 6 to 8 servings)Ingredients6 Tbsp. water2 Tbsp. ground flax seed1 cup all-purpose flour1 cup cornmeal1/4 cup sugar4 tsp. baking powder3/4 tsp. salt1 cup plain soy milk1/4 cup canola oilWalnut halves, optionalMethod:Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish.Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, simmer for 3 minutes, or until thickened.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, Florida Crystals, baking powder, and salt.Add the flax seed mixture, soy milk, and canola oil to the flour mixture. Combine just until smooth.Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and place the walnut halves on top. Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.Creamy Chive Mashed Potatoes(Makes 4 to 5 servings)Ingredients:5 large potatoes, diced1 cup liquid nondairy creamer (try Silk brand)2 Tbsp. margarine1/4 cup fresh chives, choppedSalt and pepper, to tasteMethod:Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes.Drain the potatoes, place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, and mix until smooth.Serve hot.Chicken-less Gravy(Makes 6 to 8 servings)Ingredients:2 cups boiling water2 Tbsp. vegetable oil3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast1 vegetable bouillon cube1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, diced1/2 cup onion, finely choppedOnion salt, to tasteUnbleached all-purpose flourMethod:In a large saucepan, simmer all ingredients except the flour for approximately 5 minutes.Slowly add the flour by tablespoons, whisking after each addition, until the desired thickness is reached.Keep warm.Preparation time: 10 minutesAll-American Apple Pie(Makes 8 servings)Ingredients for the Crust:2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour1 tsp. salt1/4 cup cold water3/4 cup solid vegetable shorteningIngredients for the Filling:1 3/4 lbs. Golden Delicious apples, thinly sliced1 3/4 lbs. Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced3/4 cup sugar1 tsp. fresh lemon juice1/2 tsp. vanilla extract1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon1 Tbsp. unbleached flour3 Tbsp. Earth Balance margarine, diced1 Tbsp. soy milk1 Tbsp. Florida Crystals sugarLarge pinch of ground cinnamonMethod for the Crust:In a bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Mix the water with 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to make a paste. Set aside.With a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the vegetable shortening into the remaining flour mixture until the texture is "pebbly." Add the paste and mix well. Shape into a ball and divide into 2 parts.Lightly flour a clean countertop and rolling pin. Roll 1 portion of the dough at a time. Roll from the center out, lifting the roller at the end of the dough (rather than rolling back and forth). Roll to a 1/8-inch thickness.Have an 8- or 9-inch pie pan ready. The rolled dough should be at least 2 inches larger than your pie pan. Loosen from the rolling surface, fold in half, and place in the center of the pie pan. Unfold and gently work into the pan, pressing lightly. Trim any excess dough with a knife.Method for the Filling:Preheat the oven to 400°F.In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Let stand for approximately 15 minutes, or until juices form. Add the flour and mix.To Assemble:Spoon the filling into the bottom crust and dot with margarine.Roll out the second ball of dough to form a 13-inch round circle. Drape over the filling.Seal the top and bottom crust edges together and trim any excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold under and crimp decoratively with a greased fork.Brush the pie with the soy milk. Combine the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the pie.Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven.Immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F. Bake for approximately 2 hours, or until the crust is golden brown, the apples are tender, and the filling is thick and bubbling. If the edges are browning too quickly, cover with foil.Serve warm or at room temperature.
And if you’ve read this far, chances are you’d like some more ozone-friendly vegan recipes, so here you go.
I know I was just talking about how cool Simon Cowell is, but he is at it again.
This time he’s got some choice advice for American Idol hopefuls: Be kind to animals. Everyone knows Simon is notoriously harsh when Idol contestants deserve it, but he’s got a big soft spot for animal advocates. Simon opened up on the set of his new PETA ad, which is due out early this summer, saying:
“The people I work with … are all animal lovers. That’s part of the criteria for judging the show, you’ve got to like animals.”
And he applies the same standard to wannabe contestants as well:
“I once had an incident with a guy who auditioned who actually admitted that he likes killing animals. Didn’t go through.”
Considering that Cowell raked in a reported $36 million last year and has been ranked the second-highest-paid person on TV by OK! magazine, it might be wise to heed his suggestion . . .
Have you seen Fast Food Nation yet? If not, the DVD was just released, so you can go rent or buy that jam this weekend.
Just like the book, this film does a great job of getting people thinking about the screwed up process of turning living, breathing animals into a bunch of 99 cent hamburgers. And it’s actually a really good movie too! Not that I’m biased or anything . . .
You can still check out our interviews with the cast and director Richard Linklater here. It's pretty cool to see what they thought of making a movie like this and how it affected them personally.
Anyway, my weekend plans are now complete: Fast Food Nation screening with friends on Friday night, followed by my Willie Nelson party on Saturday. And my friend Joel just got a Wii, so I’m sure I’ll be playing my share of Madden ‘07 this weekend too.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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