The wait is over, Twin Cities. Fig + Farro has officially opened in Uptown!

Co-founders Michelle Courtright and Thomas Dambrine, along with creative director Ellen Hughes, are on a mission to serve globally-inspired, locally-sourced vegetarian (and vegan) food that is both delicious and reduces carbon footprints.

Michelle has a resume which includes co-founding both a design agency and co-working space. Thomas is the co-founder of Bean Sprouts cafe and most recently served as the Director of Social Enterprise at Appetite for Change. Their partnership is driven by a shared love for food, the environment, and reducing food waste. They want everyone to feel like a visit to Fig + Farro is like being with family or good friends. Their dishes are meant to be mixed, matched, and shared. Yes, you read that right: family-style veg food!

Taking over Figlio’s former spot, their opening fills a niche previously vacant: a sit-down, creative option for plant-forward dining. The decor is full of vintage accents and communal tables. There are no televisions to be found. Even their desserts and libations keep their mission in mind. They have a talented vegan pastry chef and will feature exclusively keg-based wines, which go a long way to reduce waste.

I had the privilege to attend their press event a few weeks back. Foolishly, I ate a snack before arriving without any idea of what to expect. Lots of food was served! Three hours later, after rolling myself out the front door and to my car, I had already decided I’d be back.

Everything I put in my mouth was either very tasty or downright delicious. Hummus and olives with a warm, toasted baguette welcomed me to the table. Then there was “Paan” to entice me. This flatbread creation is a cross between pita bread and naan and dusted with sumac. The parade of main dishes (my eyes got very wide) included vegan mashed potatoes with a gravy flight, vegan macaroni and cheese, glazed carrots with pearl onions, and roasted Brussels sprouts (that tasted magical and were cooked just right).

Fig + Farro will clearly have many fans in the veg community. But, they’ll also provide a welcoming place for omnivores to discover how truly delicious vegan food can be. This focus on the entire community has great potential to change hearts and minds, further reducing the suffering of farmed animals.

They would love to welcome you to the table!

Fig + Farro is located at 3001 Hennepin Avenue South in Uptown Minneapolis (inside Calhoun Square). Their grand opening was on Wednesday, January 24.

Exciting news! CAA has launched its new institutional food advocacy program, Wholesome Minnesota, in collaboration with The Humane Society of the United States – Minnesota.

Last Thursday, CAA and HSUS co-hosted the first training session for advocates who want to get involved with this new program that endeavors to bring more plant-based food options to places such as hospitals, schools, and places of worship. Through this program, we have the potential to spare thousands of animals through each cafeteria we reach.

Special guests at the training session included LeoLin Bowen and Karla Dumas of Forward Food, a program that does similar advocacy on a national level, working with hundreds of food service professionals from all industries to reduce the amount of animal products they serve.

Giving a glimpse of Wholesome Minnesota in action, CAA volunteer Julie Knopp talked about her experience working with Richfield Public Schools and gave concrete tips for getting started with this kind of outreach.

At one point in the evening, the more than thirty attendees each shared what institutions they are hoping to reach through the program. For some, it’s a school they are currently attending. For others, it’s their workplace. Others mentioned connecting with churches.

As noted by CAA Executive Director Laura Matanah, to hear the spectrum of ideas was exciting. And HSUS Executive Director Christine Coughlin remarked that these efforts to change institutions can lead to a significant transformation for people, animals, and the planet.

One attendee shared, “Now I feel like I have what I need to go out and do this.” Another said, “It was a powerful and practical session.”

Even if you couldn’t make the training, you can get involved today. Our Wholesome Minnesota Guide will take you through the process step by step. Contact program coordinator Julie Knopp at [email protected] to let her know you’re interested.

The next training will be Sunday, April 15 from 1:30 to 3:30pm. Register today!

Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero return with a 10th anniversary edition of their “ultimate vegan cookbook,” Veganomicon. The new edition contains more than 250 recipes, 25 of which are new. The recipes cover everything from snacks and brunch to baked goods and desserts making it a valuable go-to for anyone interested in exploring and celebrating a plant-based diet.

This comprehensive book is both accessible to beginning cooks while also offering more complex dishes for those of us who prefer a challenge. The introduction includes helpful information about basic vegan ingredients, kitchen equipment, and explanations of terminology and techniques. The rest of the book is divided into chapters covering offerings for every meal and occasion. Each recipe is coded with icons to help you easily find meals that are soy-free, gluten-free, low-fat, supermarket-friendly, or prepared in less than 45 minutes. The recipes themselves cover everything from simple side dishes to show stopping entrees.

But, how do they taste?

My wife and I spent a month trying a few recipes per week and then had a potluck party. We sent recipes to a bunch of our friends to really broaden our scope of the recipes in terms of execution and taste. We deliberately chose recipes that would meet various budgets and skill levels from throughout the book and pretty much enjoyed everything we tried. Some of our stand-out favorites among them all included Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Shredded Parsnip & Beet Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette, Fresh Dill-Basmati Rice with Chard and Chickpeas, Broccoli-Potato Soup with Fresh Herbs, and the Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

We made the Chickpea Cutlets for Thanksgiving, and they were a huge hit served with the Mushroom Gravy. We also loved the Mac Daddy, Veganomicon’s take on mac and cheese, which is loaded with a heavy dose of nutritional yeast instead of cheese alternatives. In fact, you’ll find no processed food at all in any of their recipes. This is great for some of us but may be challenging to those who don’t have the time or skill level to prepare their own seitan, salsa, or mole sauce. That being said, most of the recipes that lay out extra steps for prep could easily be shortened and adapted by substituting a similar premade store-bought product.

As a newly vegan household, we really enjoyed exploring the variety of tasty dishes that Veganomicon offered. We liked the layout and appreciated its straightforward approach, all while encouraging us to try making our own seitan, vegan ricotta, and basic sauces. It would make a great addition to any cookbook library and help anyone wanting to explore or adopt a plant-based diet. Veganomicon, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook is available in hardcover or on Kindle.

Grab a copy and bon appetit!

Laura Thompson was a chef for over two decades before becoming a Unitarian Universalist Minister. She sees plant-based eating as spiritual practice.

This time of year, we often hear the story of the nativity, with the baby Jesus surrounded by a donkey, camel, and other animals. Unfortunately, farmed animals today are hardly given a life that reflects the Christian values of kindness and compassion. Yet there is a growing concern for the treatment of farmed animals, and The Star Tribune’s article, “More Shoppers Demand Ethical Treatment,” published on December 19, was right in mentioning that.

Sadly though, the practices described in the article as “humane” don’t give pigs the lives they deserve. To make matters worse, Hormel is portrayed as a company supporting improved conditions for animals. The reality is that they have yet to make meaningful commitments to animal welfare. Let’s take a closer look at the video posted online with the article.

“We’re looking for farm partners that raise the pigs with integrity, raise the pigs with care,“ says the Hormel spokesperson. I am sure they are delighted to partner with families like the one featured in the article. But the truth is that there are no laws or policies at either Hormel or in state or federal law to stop suppliers from engaging in horrific abuse, such ripping out piglets’ testicles without painkillers. This is a standard practice in the industry.

Mercy for Animals has asked Hormel to commit to implementing the following practices throughout it’s supply chain:

• Eliminate abusive and extreme confinement systems, such as gestation and farrowing crates, and replace them with less cruel group housing systems
• End agonizing mutilations, such as castration and tail docking without pain relief
• Provide a safe, sanitary, and cognitively stimulating environment by keeping all animal areas dry and clean and providing environmental enrichments, such as straw and other natural materials
• Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for animal abuse and install video monitoring systems that live stream to the internet to deter egregious acts of violence against animals

Hormel has not yet committed to these practices. Other large suppliers, like Walmart and Nestlé, have committed to ending the use of gestation crates, as well as ending castration and tail-docking without painkillers.

Let’s also be honest about the conditions pigs face even on the best of farms. “Industry practice is to house pregnant sows individually to protect them from aggression they may face,” explains Mr. Mogler, the farmer featured in the article. In fact, mother pigs are typically forced to spend their pregnancies, averaging 114 days, in “individual housing” (otherwise known as a gestation crates) where they can’t even turn around. This practice is apparently changing on the Mogler’s farm, but it’s unclear how much time the pigs get to spend in group housing. In the video, we regularly see the pigs in farrowing crates (where they still can’t turn around) to nurse. After the piglets are removed from all contact with their mothers at around 28 days, the moms will be caged to be artificially inseminated, and so the cycle of pregnancy and loss will begin again.

In nature, mother pigs find a private spot to build a nest for their piglets. Other moms don’t bother them; they’re too busy caring for their own young. And, needless to say, the pigs aren’t killed at six months old so that somebody can eat them. Instead, moms and piglets stay together in social groups for a full year. The young pigs then move out on their own, and adult pigs live four to eight years.

Obviously though, all of Minnesota’s pigs won’t be running wild. The good news is that farm sanctuaries here in our state such as Farmaste Animal Sanctuary, Spring Farm Sanctuary, and SoulSpace Farm Sanctuary take in pigs. In these loving and protected conditions, pigs can live up to 20 years, developing close bonds with humans and other animals.

There is much that concerned readers can do to help see that farmed animals have the lives they deserve. A great first step is to stop eating pigs. There are many bacon and pork alternatives found in grocery stores. Plant-based meats can be bought from The Herbivorous Butcher or ordered in dishes at many local restaurants.

Compassionate Action for Animals and other local groups can support the transition toward plant-based eating. Together, let’s make this holiday season meaningful. Let’s take compassionate action for farmed animals, and start taking them off our plates.

A version of this commentary was submitted to the Star Tribune but not published. We are sharing it here on our blog instead. If you’re interested in writing letters to the editor in response to breaking news stories, please let us know.

Last week, The Washington Post shared the story of Esther the Wonder Pig. She’s the Internet sensation who was adopted as a mini pig but grew into a giant pig the size of three linebackers. She’s the kind of pig that you would find on a typical factory farm—bred to be enormous.

But Esther is not a factory cog in the wheel. Anyone who follows her on social media knows her as a living, breathing individual. She’s sometimes hysterically funny, often snoozing and nibbling, and altogether adorable.

But Esther is really not so different from the thousands—no, millions of pigs that you’d find on a factory farm today. Of course, they’re each distinct in their own ways, yet what they have in common is what we all have in common: the capacity for pleasure and the capacity for suffering.

At Compassionate Action for Animals, it’s our mission to reduce the suffering of farmed animals. We want to help the greatest number of animals and have the biggest impact possible. We acknowledge that the vast number of pigs alive today aren’t nearly as fortunate as Esther. Just last week, we shared this video of a shivering, scared pig on her way to a slaughterhouse. It was heartbreaking and for many of us a wake-up call.

Her name could be Esther, and she needs your help today. Please make a gift to Compassionate Action for Animals and support our work speaking out for farmed animals.

At CAA, we’re always asking ourselves how can we create a world where there’s less demand for animal products. How can we create a world where more people choose vegan and fewer animals are used as food?

It’s a long road perhaps, but as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

We have to believe that’s true, and certainly there is evidence to show the arc is beginning to bend our direction. There have been undeniable strides in our movement to help animals: plant-based foods are increasingly in demand, the word “vegan” is one that virtually everybody knows, many celebrities are going vegan and talking about it with their millions of followers, and vegan food options are available at supermarkets and chain restaurants with increasing variety.

None of this was true twenty years ago. What could the next twenty years bring?

Animal agriculture is rightfully quaking in their boots. They consider the growing sophistication of animal activism and the rise in popularity of plant-based food to be two of the biggest threats to their business. And we are a threat because we are making a difference. We are creating change.

But how has that change happened? And how will the momentum continue?

It takes passionate, dedicated advocates like you to make the difference.

Over the past year, CAA has reached thousands of people through outreach initiatives. Check out these numbers:

• Vegan food samples given away: 6,058

• Pay-per-view outreach participants: 1,580

• Virtual reality outreach participants: 439

• Leaflets given away: 19,741

• Attendees at Twin Cities Veg Fest: 7,000+

• Students reached through Bridges of Respect: 1,200+

And these people reached through our direct outreach programs are in addition to the hundreds who attend our community-building events, including potlucks, dine outs, camping trips, and the annual vegan chili cook-off.

All of these programs help raise awareness about why farmed animals need our help and how people can make more compassionate choices in their everyday lives.

We’ve seen amazing response:

• “It was fun giving out the quesadillas—lots of people had never tried vegan food before.” –Vegan food giveaway volunteer
• “Someone came up and told me she’d seen the video at last year’s festival and had gone vegetarian.” –Pay-per-view volunteer
• “It was great to get to connect with folks from my community at Cinco de Mayo. People’s eyes were opened and some cried as they watched the videos. I had lots of great conversations with people interested in making changes.” –Virtual reality volunteer
• “It’s so rewarding to see people reading the leaflets and starting to think. I know we helped people make the connection between what’s on their plates and what happens to animals.” –Leafleting volunteer

Thanks to these volunteers and to the more than 200 other individuals who have helped with our programs throughout the year.

In many ways, it’s our local community of animal advocates that makes CAA unique and effective. As part of the global movement, we’re building vital momentum on a grassroots level.

We look forward to the tipping point, to that moment when the global community that takes action for animals becomes so large that we cannot be denied. Until then, we move forward guided by our new strategic plan, which includes branching into institutional outreach as well as expanding on our current programs.

We are very grateful for the support of our community through volunteerism and also through monetary gifts. Your donations do have an impact. They help to maintain the vital infrastructure and programs required to run an organization that reaches thousands of people every year. With those dollars, we help people get on the road to compassionate living, and we teach the next generation of advocates how to be most effective.

If you want to help animals, please make a gift today and support CAA’s effective advocacy. Your donation will be matched and you can help us reach our year-end goal of $24,000 by December 31.

We are very grateful for your support for CAA and your dedication to ending needless suffering and death.

We hope that whenever you see Esther the Wonder Pig, or even the other Esther on her way to the slaughterhouse, you will feel your compassion burning bright, whether it manifests as a feeling of joy or sorrow. But take heart knowing that you are doing your part to make the world a safer, kinder place.

Thank you for all you do for the animals.

The cooking demos at Twin Cities Veg Fest 2017 offered free samples for all attendees. Were you there?

Did you get to try Mistress Ginger’s Barbarian Torte? How about one of Steve Leinen’s vegan cheeses? And then there was that peanut curry made so easy by Chelsea and Norine of Feed Me Vegan. Yummy!

In case you missed it (or want to relive the nom nom), here are the recipes—all vegan!

• Barbarian Torte

• Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese Ball

• Instant Pot Peanut Curry

• Mediterranean Herbed Feta

• Nacho Cheese Sauce

Using only plant-based ingredients, you can satisfy all your comfort-food cravings for luscious cake, creamy cheese, and savory curry. Delicious and compassionate? Sign us up!

We hope these recipes take you back in your memory to the beautiful day that was Twin Cities Veg Fest 2017. And we hope they have you looking forward to next year’s festival, already scheduled for Sunday, September 16 at Harriet Island Regional Park.

If you’d like to support the expansion of Twin Cities Veg Fest as it moves to Harriet Island, please make a gift to CAA today. We are the organization that annually produces the festival, and with the support of generous individuals like you we’re able to keep admission free. That means we can reach even more people with a message of compassion for farmed animals.

Our year-end campaign is well underway, and we are nearly halfway to reaching our goal. Your donations will be matched!

Give today and double your support for Twin Cities Veg Fest!

Yep, the holidays revolve around food. And if you don’t eat animals or their secretions, that’s gonna set you apart from most everyone else. And sometimes that sucks.

I mean, just when you want to connect with loved ones, you’ve got this thing that’s keeping you apart, and it’s sitting right there in the center of the table. On a platter.

And “it” is actually not an “it.” You know, “it” is actually a “she” or a “he.” (Or maybe a “they” if you want to be all gender neutral about it.)

And so do you talk about her? Or do you ignore her body there and try to have a nice time?

Or somewhere in between?

A little of both?

Even those of us “level-seven” vegans who are immersed in a metropolitan veg paradise, flitting from The Herbivorous Butcher to J. Selby’s on the daily, even we occasionally have to go home for the holidays.

Granted, I’ve been vegan fifteen years, so at this point, my family gets it. They know this isn’t a phase. And they know what I can eat and are willing to accommodate. (Mom’s last text message to me was asking about my favorite brand of nondairy ice cream.)

Still, it wasn’t always like that. Even now, I know there will be a turkey on the table. Not one of them has gone veg. And so, even though there’s this general comfort-level with my veganism, there’s also the possibility that icky questions might come up.

Will my brother-in-law ask me why I don’t eat the turkey? Or where I get my protein? Or what I would eat if I were stranded on a desert island and my only choice would be to kill an animal or die?

Though maybe I’ve heard it all before, I know some of you haven’t. (Just wait till you hear about the circle of life. Oh, goody!)

These questions can make us feel anxious, throwing a wrench into an otherwise pleasant family affair. (Wait—is there is such a thing as a pleasant family affair?)

I could share a list of savvy responses to those annoying questions, but other people have done that and probably better than I could.

And memorizing the answers to those FAQs may or may not be what’s gonna actually get you through the holidays. I actually think not.

I’m thinking about what’s gonna get me through, and I’ve come up with a little list of very general approaches that have me feeling empowered. Here they are.

1. Choose your own adventure.

You could use this schmoozefest as an opportunity to speak out for animals, or you could put that intention aside, especially if you think it could keep you from connecting with your loved ones and nurturing your relationships.

And if you are making those personal connections and the subject of what you eat (or don’t eat) comes up, then you’re arriving at the conversation from a more openhearted place. And that’s going to improve the chances for mutual understanding.

But even if the subject of your veganism doesn’t come up in conversation, rest assured that just by being you, eating your vegan food, you are going to have an impact. They are going to notice. You are making them think about their food choices.

Ultimately, you don’t have to feel compelled by anything but your own intention. How do you want to spend your time?

2. Engage in openhearted conversation.

If something on the subject of farmed animals or veganism does come up, practice effective communication. Let go of any agenda and think of it as an openhearted conversation. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Listen at least as much as you are speaking.
• Ask questions. Be genuinely curious about who they are and what they think.
• Respect the person in front of you, even if you don’t agree with them. You have some core values in common. Bring the conversation back to that common ground to keep the connection.
• Let go of expectations. Rather than having an agenda for the conversation, just think of it as an opportunity for sharing and learning about one another.

And remember that you don’t have to know it all. (And by the way, you don’t know it all. None of us do.) But you also don’t have to know it all. It’s okay to say “I don’t know.” Just say what’s true for you.

Also, you can always choose to bow out of the conversation or to postpone it for a later date. And remember that the dinner table is not always the best place to talk about what’s happening on factory farms, as people will likely be more defensive when they are eating animals. Suggest that you talk about it more later.

And if they show genuine interest in why you’re vegan, that’s surely a conversation worth having. But if they show no interest or worse yet just want to push your buttons, then you’re probably better off saving your activist energy for someone else, which brings me to the last point.

3. Use your energy strategically.

There’s probably a reason that I’ve been vegan fifteen years and none my family has yet gone vegan. And it’s not that I’m a bad animal advocate. I certainly have influenced at least a few friends and some strangers, but not family. (And it’s not that I didn’t try.)

I’m no psychologist, but I’m guessing this has something to do with the complicated relationships within families. At this point, I’m aware of this dynamic, and so I put my energy where I think it will most likely yield results.

If you find yourself upset by the turkey on the table, consider logging onto exploreveg.org and signing up for a volunteer shift at an upcoming outreach event. Channel the energy there and just use your time with your family to talk about fun stuff, like politics.

CAA and many organizations like it offer numerous opportunities to take action for animals. What’s more, the audiences they reach tend to be genuinely interested, and they’re not your family. To them, you’re just a friendly and passionate advocate for the animals. And they get to leave the conversation feeling informed, inspired, and empowered.

If it feels helpful to you to memorize some responses to the frequently asked questions, then go for it. Ultimately however, effective communication requires more nuance than that. It means being present, listening, being unconditionally compassionate. There’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all response for every situation.

In my experience, I find a slightly laid-back attitude with loved ones to be most effective. It’s the lead-by-example approach. (I also call it the sneaky vegan approach.)

Activism is work, and sometimes we do need to refresh ourselves so that we can return to that work with renewed energy. You get to put your passion for helping animals to use in whatever way you think will be most effective, and you can even choose to take a break from speaking out if you feel like you need one.

I look for ways that my activism can be sustainable and effective, and for me these approaches help me to feel that’s possible. I hope they feel helpful to you too.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to all who joined us for our 15th Annual Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck on Saturday, November 11 at Matthews Park. More than 150 people came out to enjoy vegan food with the compassionate community.

Everyone had the opportunity to explore plant-based alternatives to the foods traditionally enjoyed on the Thanksgiving holiday. Huge thanks to Tofurky for generously donating a number of their delicious meat-free Tofurky roasts. Thanks also to Tiny Footprint Coffee for providing coffee for the event.

We’re also grateful to all of the volunteers who helped to make this event such a success. Special thanks to volunteer Julie Knopp, who took the lead on much of the planning.

We invite all our attendees to take this short survey to let us know about your experience. We’ll use your feedback to help improve our events.

Enjoy this slideshow of photos, featuring a glimpse of the food and the fun.

CAA Thanks 2017_32

CAA Thanks 2017_16

CAA Thanks 2017_17

CAA Thanks 2017_37

CAA Thanks 2017_34

CAA Thanks 2017_24

CAA Thanks 2017_23

CAA Thanks 2017_15

CAA Thanks 2017_22

CAA Thanks 2017_25

CAA Thanks 2017_6

CAA Thanks 2017_9

CAA Thanks 2017_8

CAA Thanks 2017_7

CAA Thanks 2017_29

CAA Thanks 2017_11

CAA Thanks 2017_33

CAA Thanks 2017_21

CAA Thanks 2017_10

CAA Thanks 2017_3

CAA Thanks 2017_14

CAA Thanks 2017_12

CAA Thanks 2017_5

CAA Thanks 2017_20

CAA Thanks 2017_31

Tofurky!

CAA Thanks 2017_28

CAA Thanks 2017_19

CAA Thanks 2017_2

Many of these photos were taken by Brooke Reynolds of Captured by Brooke. (Thank you, Brooke!)