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MISSION STATEMENT

V-EGANISM is independent in thoughts and actions, only choosing what is right and just for animals, humans, and the environment. V-EGANISM however does have a mission statement which is how the founder of veganism, Donald Watson, originally coined the word's definition. It was a perfect definition then and it still is a perfect definition now. So the following paragraph is V-EGANISM's official Mission Statement:


"V-EGANISM educates people and helps people and animals regarding the political and social justice cause, Veganism, which is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude--as far as is possible and practical--all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, cosmetics, household products, entertainment, service or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment."


OPERATION V-EGANISM SHARING LINKS

I share links daily regarding animal rights/veganism on Twitter. https://twitter.com/LorraineVegan.

Healthy Body, Mind & Spirit Maneki Neko Cat

Healthy Body, Mind & Spirit Maneki Neko Cat

Love & Peace Maneki Neko Cat

Love & Peace Maneki Neko Cat

Animals Killed Counter

The Animal Kill Counter: Basic Version << ADAPTT :: Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow

Animals Slaughtered:

0 marine animals
0 chickens
0 ducks
0 pigs
0 rabbits
0 turkeys
0 geese
0 sheep
0 goats
0 cows and calves
0 rodents
0 pigeons and other birds
0 buffaloes
0 dogs
0 cats
0 horses
0 donkeys and mules
0 camels and other camelids

These are the numbers of animals killed worldwide by the meat, egg, and dairy industries since you opened this webpage. These numbers do NOT include the many millions of animals killed each year in vivisection laboratories. They do NOT include the millions of dogs and cats killed in animal shelters every year. They do NOT include the animals who died while held captive in the animal-slavery enterprises of circuses, rodeos, zoos, and marine parks. They do NOT include the animals killed while pressed into such blood sports as bullfighting, cockfighting, dogfighting, and bear- baiting, nor do they include horses and grey- hounds who were exterminated after they were no longer deemed suitable for racing. Courtesy of ADAPTT

Veg Movies Website - Largest collection of Animal Activism films!

VegMovies plant-based and animal-friendly movie directory


Truth!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

F.A.A.R.M.'s First Year Anniversary!




Today is the first year anniversary of my animal rights blog, Faith and Animal Reverence Ministry.

I'm very proud of this blog and how far it has come in development. Although I don't get many comments directly on the blog, I do get tons via my email box and there's many more people who don't contact me, but are faithful readers.

To you all:

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I would not be doing this blog if it weren't for all of you emailing me and reading my blog. Of course, F.A.A.R.M. goes beyond this blog, and reaches many others via social media networks, educating people on the streets, and helping people to pay for education and/or treatment for their companion animals. So, again, thanks so much for the financial and readership support!

Last, I like to mention above, I just got this bracelet from Cafe Press yesterday. I will wear it every time I go out, to help bring awareness to Veganism, and to educate others about Animal Rights. I deliberately wanted to get something bold and beautiful to stand out as I want people to know I'm vegan before they even meet me! That's one way to be "loud" without being verbal. ;-)

For the Animals!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Two Vegan Voodoo Doughnuts



I was downtown yesterday at a focus group. Fortunately, to get there, I walked right by Voodoo Doughnut. Most fortunately, the line was very short; it was about a 10-minute wait in line to get my vegan doughnuts (here's a hot tip from one of the Voodoo Doughnut employees: Locals, to avoid a long line, it's best not to go to Voodoo Doughnut in the summer time and on weekends--way too many tourists during that time!).

Here is what I bought yesterday: My usual favorite--the vegan Cock-N-Balls, and my first time trying the vegan Double Chocolate. The Double Chocolate is good too, but not as good as the Cock-N-Balls.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Vegan Mabon





Mabon is the mid-harvest festival, and it is when Wiccans take a few moments to honor the changing seasons, and celebrate the second harvest. This year, Mabon will be celebrated on September 22. 

It is a time of giving thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops or other blessings. 

Depending on one's individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Mabon, but typically the focus is on either the second harvest aspect, or the balance between light and dark. While we celebrate the gifts of the earth, we also accept that the soil is dying. There is food to eat, but the crops are brown and going dormant. Warmth is behind us, and cold lies ahead. 

Here are some vegan recipes to help celebrate Mabon:


Simple Roasted Vegetable Medley

1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 lb. potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
1-2 onions, cut into wedges
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed 
1 Tb. minced garlic 
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. rosemary
3 Tb. oil, divided
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.

2. Toss the squash, potatoes, onion, garlic cloves, 2 Tb. oil, sage, and rosemary in a large roasting pan (a "turkey pan"). Season with salt and pepper. Roast, covered, for 25 minutes. Toss once. Add the minced garlic, and the remaining oil (if necessary).

3. Roast 25 minutes more, tossing once, until vegetables are browned on the edges and completely tender.



Three Squash Soup 

4-5 cups of squash 
1 cup of rice milk (or you can use almond milk or soy milk) 
1 large carrot 
1 med-large parsnip 
1 medium onion 
2 celery stalks 
2 TBSP olive oil 
A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) 
Salt & pepper to taste 
Herb for garnish, like parsley 

Preheat the oven to 375°. Cut the squash in half, remove seeds and compost them. Also, roughly chop up the carrot, parsnip, onion & celery.


Fill a 9X13 glass cake pan with approximately 1 inch water and place the squash face-down in the water. Take the chopped vegetables, toss with the olive oil and place on a flat cookie sheet in a single layer. Put both squash and vegetables in the oven to bake. This could take 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes depending on your oven, the size of the vegetables. 

Keep an eye on the vegetables to make sure they don’t burn--but you want the squash skin to brown. Once the squash is soft, remove from the oven and let cool just enough so that you can handle them and scoop the flesh out of the shells (but not cold!) and put them into a food processor. You can process the squash first until very pureed, and then add veggies and do the same thing. Add the milk, salt, pepper, cayenne at this time.  Serve warm with herb garnish. 

Alternative suggestion: Some people like their squash soup sweet, so feel free to add maple syrup or agave syrup. 



Vegan Pot Pie 


Note: You can also add extra vegetables. 

For the filling: 
1 cup diced carrots 
½ cup parsnips or golden beet 
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes 
2 garlic cloves whole and unpeeled 
1 sage leave finely chopped 
4 sprigs fresh thyme 
2-3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil 
½ tsp salt 
1 flavored vegan bouillon cube 
¼+ cup flour 
3+ cups water 
2 tsp tamari 
1 cup (approximately) of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed 

For the crust: 
2 cups all purpose flour 
1 cup barley flour 
½ tsp baking soda 
½ tsp salt 
1 tsp poppy seeds 
½ cup canola oil, chilled in the freezer for at least 30 minutes 
½ cup of ice water 
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 

If you didn’t cook the root vegetables with the above recipe, preheat the oven to 425°. Place the vegetables (not the frozen!), garlic, sage and thyme on a cookie sheet, drizzle with oil and mix well, flatten to a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool a little. 

While the vegetables are cooking, put a medium sauce pan on the stove at medium heat. Pour in the 3 cups water and bring to boil. Add the bouillon cube and boil until there are no pieces floating around and add the tamari. You can put the flour into a Tupperware container with cold water in batches and shake it to mix it well before slowly pouring it into the boiling water. Whisk it to evenly distribute (try to avoid clumps) and cook until thickened stirring frequently, adding more flour if necessary.  


When the vegetables are cool, remove and discard thyme  and squeeze the garlic out of its skin, place the skin in the compost and mash the bulb up then mix well with the roasted and thawed vegetables. Add just enough gravy to coat the vegetables and set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all dry crust ingredients and whisk together. Drizzle in the canola oil and mix with your hands until incorporated and forming M&M size balls or slightly larger. Mix the ice water and vinegar together, then drizzle into flour, continue to mix with your fingers until it holds together. 

Flour the surface you’ll be working on and knead the dough onto it a couple minutes. Divide into 2 pieces (making sure to wrap up the one you’re not using with plastic wrap). You can use this as pie crust (both top & bottom) and make one big pie. Or you can make small pies by cutting out circles (you can use a 6+ inch bowl as a cookie cutter). Put a tablespoon or two on the bottom piece of dough and then place the top one over top--and make sure to seal the edges! Bake at 275° until browned about 30 minutes for the big pie, 20 for the small one. 



Apple Carrot Bread


1 cup almond milk or rice milk 
½ cup applesauce 
1 TBSP canola oil 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
2 cups unbleached flour 
¼ cup raw sugar
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp cinnamon 
½ cup grated carrot  
2 ¼ tsp (or 1 package) dry yeast (if you’re using bread machine yeast, follow the instructions on the package) 

Measure the milk, applesauce, and oil into the bread pan. Add the whole wheat flour, unbleached flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and grated carrot. Make a well in the dry ingredients and measure in the yeast. Select the basic whole wheat bread cycle for a 2-pound loaf. Baking time will be about 50 minutes. 
Serve this with homemade apple butter, peanut butter, or plain soy butter.



Pumpkin Muffins


1 ¾ cups all purpose flour 
1 ¼ cups raw sugar 
1 Tbsp baking powder 
¼ tsp salt 
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
½ tsp ground nutmeg 
½ tsp ground ginger 
¼ tsp ground allspice 
1/8 tsp ground cloves 
1 cup pureed pumpkin (Do NOT use pumpkin pie mix!) 
½ cup non-dairy milk 
½ cup vegetable oil 
2 Tbsp molasses 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin. 


Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. In separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, non-dairy milk, oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. 

Fill the muffin cups two thirds of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

My New Vegan Ankle Boots

I have a pear-shaped body so my legs are big, making it difficult to find knee-high boots that will fit my large calves, so that's why I buy ankle boots.

I found these two super-cool looking vegan ankle boots at one of my favorite clothing stores: Ross Dress for Less. Vegan fashion doesn't have to be plain-looking but can be very fashion forward!


These boots are awesome in the way you can wear them low or high...I love footwear with laces!







These ankle boots are cool in that it has both zipper and lace...I love the studs.






Wednesday, September 11, 2013

My First Susan Nichole Bags!







I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE handbags, so when I checked out vegan designer Susan Nichole's handbags, I just had to have these two!! (click on images for close-up)

When the bags arrived today (fast shipping--in less then a week) I was amazed (well, I shouldn't be, right?) the materials of the black bag and the red shoulder strap on the gold bag (rest of gold bag is cloth) are vegan, because it feels so much like leather. Nice and soft, and very durable! Exquisite, great quality bags!

Susan Nichole designs wallets too! She has a full line of wallets also at her website.

If you love handbags as much as I do--or even not nearly as much!--Check out Susan Nichole's website, at:

Susan Nichole

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Queen of Sheba: Ethiopian Restaurant




On Saturday, Jeffrey and I went to the Ethiopian restaurant, Queen of Sheba, in Portland.

No utensils are used; you eat with your hands (preferably your right hand only) using Injera, a flatbread with a slightly spongy texture to pick up the food. I ordered the Vegan Sampler; these delicious vegan dish can vary according to what vegan foods they have available on that day.

The Vegan Sampler serves a family of two and has their house salad. The meal includes 10 vegan options.

This very tasty meal definitely satisfied us!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Modak Recipe for Ganesha Chaturthi




Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday (rebirth) of Lord Ganesha the son of Shiva and Parvati, which will be September 9.
It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel. The festival, also known as Ganeshutsav ("festival of Ganesha") is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).
The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak (modak in Marathi modakam/kudumu in Telugu, modaka  in Kannada and modagam in Tamil). A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of fresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery, dry fruits and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried.
Here is a Modak recipe to celebrate Ganesha Charturthi:

Modak

For the dough:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup rava (cream of wheat)

2 tbsp transfat-free vegetable shortening

Enough soymilk to knead

Mix the ingredients together into a stiff but pliable dough. Cover and set aside at least half an hour.

For the filling:

In a heavy bottomed skillet, mix together:

1 cup shredded coconut (I used the pre-shredded kind from Whole Foods)

1 cup finely grated jaggery (found easily at Indian grocery stores)

Toast on a low flame until the jaggery is almost melted through. Keep stirring because coconut burns very easily.

Now add:

3 tbsp canned coconut milk

1/2 tsp ground green cardamom seeds

1/4 cup finely chopped cashew nuts

Stir together well, mashing in any lumps of jaggery that might remain. Once everything is well-mixed add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice, then turn off the heat and set the mixture aside to cool.

Break off a piece of the dough, about 1 inch in diameter. Roll into a ball and then, using very little flour, roll into a disc as thin as possible, about 3 inches in diameter.

Place a tablespoonful of the filling in the center. Now gather the edges of the on the top and pinch to seal into a pointed tip. Moisten with some water if needed to ensure a tight seal because you don't want the modak to come apart while it's frying.

Heat enough oil to cover the modaks in a skillet. Once the oil temperature reaches 375 degrees, deep-fry the modaks, a few at a time, until they are golden-brown all over. (Frying at this temperature ensures that the food will absorb almost no oil.)

Remove to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease. Cool to lukewarm before eating.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

What Are You Wearing?




As the big clothing season begins, full of shopping for school clothing, special clothes for religious holidays and festivals, buying clothing gifts for holidays like Christmas, or just your everyday clothing...What are you wearing (or buying)?


Veganism isn't just about food. Veganism is also about what we wear (and items we use in any way in our life, like body care, cosmetics, and household cleaning products). 


With clothing, it's about wearing apparel and accessories that are created without the use of any animal materials, which includes not wearing clothing made with animal fur (like angora), wool, leather, any animal skin (like snake, sheep, lamb, suede), or silk.


Even if the animals are not killed (to make items like leather or silk), there is still cruelty involved. With down materials, starting at 9 weeks old, baby geese are strung upside down and their feathers are ripped out. This happens every 6 weeks until they are sent to slaughter. With fur, it comes from anal electrocution, by sticking a metal rod in animals' rectums and electrocuting them from the inside, or by catching an animal in a steel-jaw leg-hold trap, which often leads to the animal trying to bite off their own limb to escape before the trapper finds him/her. With wool, weeks after birth, most lambs have their ears punched and tails chopped, and most males are castrated--all without anesthetics. When shearing, it's done with speed and often results in bloody slashing and mutilation. 


Vegan fashion is not all expensive. Actually, vegan clothing comes at many different price points, depending on the label that makes it. Whether you're in the market for a $30 vegan bag or a $1,000 vegan coat, you can and will find something on any budget. A small, independent label using cutting-edge fabrics will have higher costs per piece because they aren't spreading out a large production run. Also, vegan fashion isn't difficult to find. It's likely you've already came across vegan fashion items at your favorite stores. Target, Bakers, and Payless all sell vegan shoes for instance. If you seek it out--and even if you don't--you'll find it! From feminine pleated-skirt peacoats to beautiful bronze metallic T-strap pumps, vegan fashion isn't just animal and eco-friendly, it's also stylish, sexy and chic from head to toe!


According to a report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, animal agriculture (raising animals for production) is the number one cause of global warming. It's the largest contributor of greenhouse gases--more than all transportation combined. By opting for vegan fashions, you're doing your part to make a difference for the world beyond your clothing. 


You don't have to throw out all your clothes with animal materials all at once restarting your style from scratch; you can simply make more vegan choices moving forward, like from now on, avoiding anything with fur (even trim). In addition, next time you're out shopping at the department store or mall, look out for vegan bag and shoe options--they're everywhere. 

Read labels. The way one would read labels on food containers, always read the labels on clothing and accessories to make sure what you're buying is truly without animal materials. For example, sometimes labels plainly state, "all man-made materials" on the inside of shoes and bags. Many shoes have leather soles and were made overseas, so you also want for words that mean "leather" in other countries. This includes "cuero" (Spanish), "cuoio" (Italian) and "cuir" (French). 


To keep your budget well-balanced with all of these fashion temptations, invest in good quality vegan clothing items that you know you'll wear often. The goal is to create an edited closet rather than a pile of clothes, so think about the true price of clothing in terms of how often you will wear it.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Vegan Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה‎, literally "head [of] the year"), is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im ("Days of Awe") which usually occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration, which begins on the first day of Tishrei. The day is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of mankind's role in God's world. Rosh Hashanah customs include eating symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey to evoke a "sweet new year". But you can use agave nectar, brown rice syrup or pure maple syrup in place of the honey. Additionally, various symbolic foods such as dates, pumpkins, leeks, beets and pomegrates are enjoyed during the second day of Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah, begins tonight at sundown. Here are a few vegan recipes to help celebrate Rosh Hashanah.


Whole-Wheat Vegan Challah Bread

2 1/4 tsp or 1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water

Mix the yeast and the warm water in a mixing bowl and leave alone for five minutes to ensure the yeast is alive. If it froths and bubbles, it is!

Add to the bowl:

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
4 tbsp ground flax seed + 6 tbsp water, whisked together
3 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt

Mix on medium-low speed until blended. Add:

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cup bread flour

Knead on medium low speed in a stand mixer for about 5 minutes or about 10 minutes by hand. The dough should be elastic and smooth.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turn it once to coat the top with oil, then cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 2 1/2 hours in a warm place.

Punch down the dough, knead a bit, and then refrigerate for about 4-5 hours until the dough has doubled.

Divide the dough into three balls and let them rest, covered with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, for about 15 minutes.

Roll each ball into a rope about 12 inches in length. Dust with flour.

Place the three ropes side-by-side. Now pinch together the top ends and carefully braid the three, like you'd braid your hair. For instance, pick the left rope and place it between the right and the middle rope, then pick the right rope and place it between the left and middle ropes, and so on.

Pinch together the ends and tuck them under the bread.

Transfer the loaf to a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.

Brush the top of the loaf with some olive oil which will give it a lovely glaze after baking.

Cover the loaf with oiled plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise. In about an hour, it would have nearly doubled in size.

Brush the loaf again with olive oil, sprinkle some sesame seeds over it, then place it in a preheated 375-degree oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Cool the loaf on a rack before cutting in.


Sprouted Lentil Salad

¼ cup red lentils
¼ cup green lentils
¼ cup black lentils (or French lentils)

chopped celery
chopped green onions
chopped parsley
chopped cilantro
grated carrots
grated beets
chopped red cabbage
1 red bell pepper, or ½ red and ½ green pepper
½ sweet red or yellow onion
grated zucchini (optional)
diced cucumber (optional)
lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil
dulse seaweed, kelp seaweed, or sea salt
Nama Shoyu or Soy sauce
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic or more

Wash the lentils in water separately, making sure that there are no stones or other matter in the lentils. Soak the lentils in tepid water in a glass jar or in a bowl overnight. They will expand by at least a ½ if not more, so make sure there is enough water for them to expand without going dry. Drain the water in the morning, rinse them in cold water under the faucet and put them in a colander or other container where they can germinate for at least 4-6 hours. You will know they have germinated by a tiny growth tail, and they will be soft to eat.

Chop and grate your vegetables, adding or subtracting the vegetables you want to eat. Those in the list are some of the choices you have. Add your own favorites. Put all of these vegetables in a different bowl from the sprouted lentils.

Mix the lemon juice, oil, and spices in a bowl or container.

Putting your salad together

The amount of lentils in your salad should be about 1/2 of the ingredients. Add handfuls of your chopped and grated vegetables and mix thoroughly. Add the dressing and taste the salad. Let the salad “marinate” for at least an hour, so that the flavors soak into everything. Taste again and add more dressing if needed. This salad can be served with other vegetable dishes or green salads. For optimum digestion, do not eat this salad with fruit dishes.




Mock Gefilte


½ cup cashews, soaked overnight
½ cup almonds, soaked overnight
½ cup pine nuts, soaked overnight
½ cup green onion /scallions, chopped
½ bunch parsley, chopped
¼ cup water
2 tsp Braggs Amino’s, Dr. Bronners Bullion, Nama Shoyu or another “salty” liquid
¼ - ½ cup lemon juice
1 clove or more fresh garlic
½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp – 1 TBS or more of kelp granules (this creates the “fishy” flavor)

In a Champion juicer, run the soaked cashews, almonds, and pine nuts through with the ‘solid’ blank attached. The mixture will come out very thick. Turn into a bowl and add the lemon juice, aminos, and a small amount of the water until it is a wet paté consistency, adding more water if needed. Mix. Add the onions, parsley, and other seasonings. Taste for flavor and “fishiness.” Form into patties, and let seasonings continue to flavor the paté. Serve on a bed of lettuce with a small amount of fresh grated horseradish on the side. Serves 4 – 8 or more depending on the size of the patties.




Chickpea Falafal Balls

  • ½ cup bulgar wheat
  • 1 whole yam (large)
  • 2 tbsp plant-based milk
  • 1 whole garlic clove
  • 3 tbsp fresh Italian parlsey
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 2 tbsp chickpea flour
  • 3 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried parsley flakes
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. Add bulgar with 3/4 cup of water in a pot without heat and set aside to soak. Meanwhile, cook yam until fork tender by steaming, microwaving or boiling (peeling skin away is optional). Using hand beaters or a potato masher, blend cooked yam with non-dairy milk until the consistency is like mashed potatoes and set aside. Return to bulgar, which should have absorbed some of the water. Bring the pot to a boil and once boiling reduce to low heat and simmer. Continue to cook, uncovered, until all the water is gone, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

Meanwhile toss garlic, parsley, onion powder, cumin, coriander, chickpea flour, bread crumbs and salt in a food processor. Allow the motor run until it's very crumbly and spice-like. Mix spice mixture with yam mixture until well combined. Then add in cooked bulgar. Drop tablespoon-sized portion on to the cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray. Lightly cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Flip the balls, respray and then bake another 20 minutes, or until the outsides are crispy.

While the falafel balls are baking, make cilantro-yogurt sauce. Stuff warm whole-wheat pitas with falafel balls, chopped lettuce and the "yogurt" sauce.

Carrot Spice Muffins

Dry ingredients:
  • 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and unbleached flours)
  • 1/4 cup natural sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup soy yogurt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 3)
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • Optional topping: Vanilla sugar

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray or use muffin liners. (I used silicone muffin pans.)
  2. Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Add the liquid to the dry and mix just long enough to combine. Add the carrots and raisins and stir to combine.
  3. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups–it will be very thick. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar, if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  4. Note: People sensitive to soy may try substituting rice milk or other non-dairy milk.
Total time (duration): 30 minutes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes


1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup raw sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 whole carrot, shredded
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a muffin pan or spray paper liners to prevent sticking and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt & cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add dry mix to wet mix in 3-4 batches. Stir until just combined. Fill cups to the top bake 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For cream cheese icing, use electric beaters to whip and combine 1 container Tofutti cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar at a time until the consistency is thick and sweet enough.

For maple icing, use electric beaters to whip and combine 1 cups confectioners sugar, 3 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp cinnamon, adding additional sugar as necessary to reach a thick and fluffy consistency.

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