This July, I served as a camp counselor at Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Camp, a camp for teenagers who want to change the world. The camp empowers teens on a variety of social justice issues, and the particular camp where I served was focused on animals. The experience was incredibly challenging and rewarding.

The camp ran from July 17 to 24 and was located at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Like any camp, we slept in cabins with several others, ate together, played games, and hiked in the woods. The special aspects of this camp were meeting and engaging with the farm animal residents and training youth on how to be activists.

Some of the topics of the talks that I led were how to conduct grassroots outreach, why people choose to become vegan, and nonviolent communication. It was satisfying to lead workshops on these topics because I have extensive experience in these areas and strong opinions about them. Other topics included challenging racism, sharing meaningful items from each camper, opposing sexism, and working with campers to determine their activist plan for the year.

The greatest reward was cultivating strong connections with individual campers. Shortly after the camp, I exchanged emails with one of the campers. She said:

I am so happy that I met you at YEA Camp! You inspired me to do great things with my life! … You always made me laugh and I loved when you danced! You always brought the good out of me and I had so much fun with you. You inspired me to ignore what other people thought and do what you like to do. At the beginning of camp I always wanted to join you jumping, but I was embarrassed about what the others would think of me. But, I started jumping with you on the last full day of camp! It was so fun! I didn’t care what the others were thinking, or that people were taking videos of us, I just wanted to have fun! YEA camp inspired me so much that I realized how much more confident I was at the end then I was at the beginning. I talked so much more louder and I didn’t care what others thought.

She later asked for my assistance in her activism, and I connected her with additional resources. I had so much fun at camp and at the same time developed deeply moving connections with young activists.

I was excited to meet the camp director, Nora Kramer, for the first time. We knew many animal activists in common across the country, but we hadn’t yet met face-to-face. She’s a powerful force for the animals and for social justice and was devoted to the development of the campers. She was attuned throughout the camp to the needs of both the campers and the staff. I felt inspired by Nora to have a broader view of empowering new activists and helping them develop their confidence, knowledge, ability, and enthusiasm.

Several of the campers as well as the younger staff inspired me. They are curious, driven, and kind. I’m glad I invested my time and energy in helping to cultivate an experience in which they can learn about how to be an activist, challenge themselves to be more courageous and gentle, and meet and connect with new and experienced activists. I feel hope for the animal protection movement.

Dear supporters, volunteers, friends, and donors,

I’ve enjoyed working with Compassionate Action for Animals over the past eighteen years, first as founder and then as executive director for the last five. After careful thought, I realize the time has come for me to move on, and I’ll be stepping down from my staff position in January of 2017.

Having been deeply involved with CAA since its inception, I realize I need a break, including some time to relax. While I don’t have any specific plans, I intend to stay in Minneapolis, continuing on my path of becoming the most effective advocate for animals that I can be. I’d like to consider new strategies and turn my focus to influencing institutions, such as food service providers and the government. I’m also interested in having my work more closely align with advocating against racism, sexism, and other ways that our society exploits humans.

My life’s work is to promote compassion, and CAA has been an incredibly fulfilling vehicle for that work. I’m proud to say that CAA is currently in a strong financial position with thriving programs, high morale, and unprecedented volunteer support. I wholeheartedly believe in the work we do and encourage your continued participation. Please donate, volunteer, come to our events, and continue to speak out for animals. I believe that CAA has been and will continue to be a powerful and effective voice for the animals.

My wish is that my leaving will be an opportunity for you and the organization to become even more powerful forces for the animals. The role of executive director for CAA is an important one, and this transition will allow for other voices in the movement to have more leadership. In that, there’s a great potential for expanding diversity and strengthening the organization.

The board of directors is currently assembling a hiring committee and will be announcing the position opening soon. If you or someone you know might be interested in applying, please stay tuned for the job posting.

I look forward to working with you over the next few months as we continue our important work, and at the top of the agenda is Twin Cities Veg Fest. (The festival’s fundraising campaign is currently underway!) After my departure in January, I can be reached at [email protected], 612-293-6876, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat as unnypn. And of course you can find me biking on the streets of South Minneapolis (listen for my singing).

It’s been a pleasure working with you. I’m so grateful for all the progress we’ve made for the animals, and I’m also grateful for all the wonderful relationships I’ve developed with you. I look forward to all of that continuing into the future.

For the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

A bunch of us from CAA recently attended the Animals Right National Conference in Los Angeles. We spent four days attending informative and inspirational sessions, networking with others in the animal protection movement, and enjoying some of the great vegan eats that LA has to offer. As the cherry on top this vegan ice cream sundae, on the day after the conference concluded, many of us went on a tour of Farm Santuary. Meeting the rescued animals was perhaps the ultimate inspiration.

Having been to the conference twice before, I was eager for new information. As someone who works full-time for CAA, I’m routinely immersed in our mission, and I was most interested in being exposed to different perspectives, particularly those that include more confrontational approaches to activism. For this reason, I attended talks by Lauren Gazzola, who advocates for not avoiding “looking bad” as vegan, and Wayne Hsiung, who leads the controversial Direct Action Everywhere. Hearing these other viewpoints was enriching, as it gave me an opportunity to better understand the spectrum of approaches to animal advocacy and social justice.

In addition, I was especially motivated hearing Dr. Melanie Joy speak on the subject of sustainable activism and how to nurture a resilient organization. That information I will surely make use of, not only for myself, but also as a way to support our volunteers.

Each of us who attended the conference got something different out of it, and each of us brings back some unique inspiration that will surely infuse our Twin Cities community with a renewed approach to advocating for farmed animals. Here’s a glimpse of what some of our volunteers and other staff members experienced at the 2016 Animal Rights National Conference:

Transformation and Inspiration by AmyLeo Barankovich

I found the conference to be fun, rejuvenating, comprehensive, inclusive, and sophisticated. After advocating for animals in near-isolation for two decades, I’ve recently reentered the animal rights community. In the past few years, I’ve seen glimpses of the movement’s transformation. This conference has given me even more awareness of this progress and has restored my hope in how humans are reinventing our relationship with animals. I am grateful for finding inspiration to return to public advocacy, which will surely enhance my work as a humane educator and vegan chef.

The 91-Year-Old Vegan by Kathleen Keene

One of the most memorable moments for me was meeting a 91-year-old Dutch woman who came to the CAA table. She had been vegan all her life because her father suddenly didn’t want to eat animals anymore, and that caused quite an upheaval in the family. Eventually, she and her whole family eschewed eating animals altogether. And she was quite spry for 91! At the end of our chat, I gave her a knuffel, which is Dutch for hug!

Networking, the Future of Food, and the Animals Themselves by Dave Rolsky

The best thing about the conference is always the people. I go each year to connect with others in the movement and learn more about what they’re up to. The session I found most exciting was a panel discussing the future of food, specifically cultured meat, egg whites produced by yeast, and meat alternatives. Finally, visiting Farm Sanctuary after the conference was a good reminder of why our work is so important. Meeting individual animals reminds me of all the other animals suffering in factory farms who need our help.

Renewed Hope in a Violent World by Brita Bengtson

I think we can all agree that 2016 has been tough. I entered the conference wondering if it’s worth working for any cause in such a violent world. I left the conference uplifted by new knowledge of all the progress being made for farmed animals: new outreach technology (Animal Equality’s iAnimal project), new food technology (plant-based and clean meats that don’t require any animal use), legislative victories, and much more. I’m hopeful again that we may someday achieve peace for all beings.

Last month, Compassionate Action for Animals announced the first annual Twin Cities Veggie Awards, a new program that acknowledges the best of the best of veg-friendly businesses in the Twin Cities.

For this first round of awards, we gathered a panel of five of our community members to choose the five winners. Each of the recipients received acknowledgement on our blog and a framed certificate.

Here they are:

• French Meadow Bakery & Cafe
• Hard Times Cafe
• The Herbivorous Butcher
• Milkjam Creamery
• Reverie Cafe + Bar

  

The blog also lists all of the thirteen businesses in the Twin Cities that offer only vegan products as well as a list of eleven of the finalists, veg-friendly businesses that offer a great selection of outstanding vegan options. Though these finalists didn’t win the award, we wanted to be sure people know about them and support them.

Of course, the real winner is our community. This shift toward having more vegan options in the marketplace is undeniably gaining momentum, and we take it as a sign of great things to come. This consumer demand for more vegan products means fewer animal products being purchased and, ultimately, fewer animals suffering.

We can feel like we’re winning in that regard, for sure! And if you’d like to celebrate, I hope you’ll join us for our next festive event, Summer Soirée: A Benefit for Twin Cities Veg Fest on Wednesday, July 27 from 7 to 10pm at the award-winning Reverie Cafe + Bar. This is a great way to support Twin Cities Veg Fest, celebrate with the community, and enjoy all the amazing vegan nosh that Reverie has to offer. Reserve your tickets today!

Best wishes,

Justin Leaf

Communications & Events Coordinator

Check it out! This fantastic animation was created by Sydney Terwey, Cade Isaacs, and Hai Lo, who were all students at The Art Institutes International of Minnesota. They used their time and talents to share their enthusiasm for Twin Cities Veg Fest, and we love what they came up with.

After helping to create this animation, Sydney went on to intern with us at CAA in the spring of 2016. We’re very grateful for all that she contributed to the organization during that time.

Twin Cities Veg Fest 2016 will take place on Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30, from 11am to 4pm each day. Share this video and let your friends that they can now save the dates for this fun festival!

A shorter version of this article was included in the most recent edition of Twin Cities Veg Living, the CAA magazine. Here is the complete version, with even more tips on egg-free baking.

Did you know that often you can simply leave eggs out of a recipe and have great results? Not ready to try that just yet? We’ve got you covered. Consider this a primer on egg replacement for vegan baking. You can search online for endless resources giving you greater detail. It’s easy to veganize a recipe once you understand why the eggs are used.

1.     They add moisture and richness.
2.     They work as a leavening agent.
3.     They work as a binder.

Each of these plant-based foods replaces one egg:

•     1 tablespoon to ¼ cup applesauce
•     1 ripe banana, mashed
•     1 tablespoon ground chia seeds with 3 tablespoons boiling water
•     1 tablespoon EnerG Egg Replacer mixed with ¼ cup boiling water
•     1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds with 2 to 4 tablespoons of boiling water
•     ¼ cup mashed potatoes
•     ¼ cup blended prunes
•     ¼ cup cooked blended pumpkin
•     ¼ cup mashed silken tofu
•     1 tablespoon vinegar or 2 tablespoons lemon juice with 1 teaspoon baking soda

Now let’s test-drive your new skills. Try this recipe as it is and then try it again using another egg replacement option. Let the tasty fun begin!

Chedda Jalapeño Muffins

Yields 12 muffins

These delicious muffins offer up a great combo of nondairy cheese and heat. You will find “chedda cheeze” and jalapeños through and through with every bite. Either eaten alone, with a robust salad, or with a hearty vegan chili, these muffins land just right on the palate.

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon EnerG Egg Replacer ¼ cup boiling water ¼ cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup unrefined sugar 1 cup nondairy milk, plus more as needed 1 ½ cup shredded nondairy cheddar cheese shreds ½ cup minced canned or fresh jalapeño chile

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 12-cup muffin tin.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and into a medium bowl and set aside.

Put 2 tablespoons of the boiling water and the egg replacer in a small bowl and whisk until the mixture is thick and gelatinous. Add additional water as necessary. Set aside.

Mix the oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg replacer and continue to mix until well combined.

Alternating in small amounts, add the dry mixture and the nondairy milk to the wet mixture, stirring continuously until all of the dry mixture and nondairy milk have been added and a batter has been formed. If the mixture is too dry or thick, add up to 1/3 cup additional nondairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. The batter will be thick. Add the nondairy cheese and chile and mix until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let the muffins rest in the muffin tin for about 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Sit back and enjoy alone or with friends. These muffins will stay fresh up to 1 week when stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Variation For even more flavor, replace the unbleached all-purpose flour with 1 cup spelt flour, 1 cup oat flour, and 1 cup rice flour.

AmyLeo Barankovich, a passionate vegan chef, began cooking for a family of ten at the age of 13 and has since been delighting family, friends, and colleagues with creative, delicious wholesome food. She founded The Vegan Pantry: Where Taste Meets Grace, offering private and public cooking classes, personal chef services, vegan coaching, and restaurant consulting. Learn more at veganaffairsmn.com.