Canada Day/Fourth of July Vegan Recipes

Vegan Sliders (video)

Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw walnuts, toasted

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

12 ounce jar of sundried tomatoes in oil

1/2 cup packed fresh basil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup oil (from the tomatoes & olive oil)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

pepper to taste

16 ounces of penne or corkscrew pasta

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives

basil leaves, julienned, for garnish

vegan parmesan, for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water.

To make the pesto: In a food processor, blend the walnuts until they become a fine crumb. Drain the sundried tomatoes, keeping the oil for later use. Add the nutritional yeast, sundried tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Measure out the oil from the sundried tomatoes into a 1/3 measuring cup, if there’s not enough oil, fill the remainder up with olive oil. Blend the ingredients in the food processor and drizzle in the oil. Scrape down the sides as needed, then blend in the red wine vinegar until well combined.

In a large bowl, add the pasta and 2/3 of the pesto, toss until well coated. Add tomatoes, olives and more pesto as desired, then gently mix again. Top with the julienned basil, parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

Avocado Banana Chocolate Milkshake

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1 banana

1 cup dates

1 large scoop Vega chocolate protein powder (or 2 tablespoons cacao powder + 1/4 teaspoon stevia)

1-2 cups vegan milk 

1-2 cups ice

Blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding as much vegan milk and ice as needed to make it thick, creamy and cold. Adjust according to taste, then fill up 3 or 4 glasses.

and/or this recipe:

Chocolate Milkshake 

Ingredients:

3 frozen bananas (peel before putting them in the freezer)

handful of dates

2 tablespoon cacao

1 tablespoon maple syrup/agave/other sweetener 

handful cashews or 1 tablespoon nut butter

2 cups water/non-dairy milk

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

handful ice cubes

Blend all ingredients together until almost totally smooth. Leave the tiny date pieces in there. it should be pretty thick just like a milkshake at this point. Pour it in a giant glass and enjoy!

Optional to Add on Top of Milkshakes:

Whipped Coconut Cream

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk, left in the fridge or freezer overnight

Bean from 1/2 vanilla pod

1/8 teaspoon stevia 

To make the whipped cream: take the can out of the fridge - don't shake it! Open it gently and scoop off the solid fat that has settled on the top. Put it in your mixer bowl, or a normal bowl if you have a handheld mixer. Add the stevia and vanilla beans and whisk until stiff peaks form. Top off your glasses with it.

The Girl Who Loved Animals

 

The Girl Who Loved Animals (and who is still alive and still loves animals!), is a 2013 documentary about a former homeless teen who educates people about veganism/animal rights.

"Once upon a time Kitty Jones dreamed of being a dairy farmer. However, after discovering the cruel reality of animal agriculture and job shadowing at a "local, organic, family" dairy farm, Kitty has realized that animals do not exist for humans to use and has dedicated her life to animal and environmental advocacy. A recent graduate of Shorecrest High School in Seattle, Kitty has been profiled on the blogs of Vegan Score, the ASPCA, Rainforest Action Network, and the Humane Society. She won the President's Volunteer Service Award for volunteering over 1,000 community service hours, and was the founder and president of her school's Animal Rights Club. Jones aims to teach people that animals are not ours to eat, wear, test on or abuse, and that in exploiting them, we are harming not only our own health but the environment. She is now studying Conservation and Resource Studies at UC Berkeley and will forever continue to promote a peaceful, cruelty-free, plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle.

In the fall of 2011, production went into this full length documentary film, The Girl Who Loved Animals: Kitty Jones and the Fight For Animal Rights which follows Kitty for almost a year as she advocates for animals at her high school, hands out leaflets at farmer's markets, volunteers at a cat neutering clinic, and spends time with all the different animals at the Precious Life Animal Sanctuary where abused and neglected animals have been given a safe haven to live out their lives. Additional footage for the film was also supplied by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and The Humane Society of the United States."

Check the film out if it comes to a theatre near you.

Here is the trailer:

The Girl Who Loved Animals