CAA volunteer and vegan powerhouse AmyLeo Barankovich is leading a cooking class at Valley Natural Foods on Tuesday, August 19th at 6:00 pm. AmyLeo will show you why veggies need not be gulped down as a boring side dish. These amazing gifts from nature offer up everything from B vitamins to protein. Yes, protein is plentiful in vegetables! Be prepared to experience something new and delightful. You will even get to eat veggies for dessert. Samples will be served, and you won’t leave hungry!

Very Vital, Versatile Veggies

Tuesday, August 19th

6:00 – 8:00 pm

Valley Natural Foods

13750 County Road 11

Burnsville, MN 55337

952-891-1212

$10 (co-op member-owners) and for $15 (for non-members)

Register in advance!

Is it just me or are salads sometimes a double-edged sword for vegans? On one hand, you’ve got the restaurant where the only vegan option is a very basic garden salad and those unfamiliar with veganism assume that you only eat salads. On the other hand, you have Terry Hope Romero’s Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Healthy Easy-To-Make Salads You Don’t Have To Be Vegan To Love, in which flavor, texture, and visual appeal meld in delicious dishes like Fiery Fruit & Quinoa Salad or my personal favorite, the Tempeh Reubenesque Salad. Romero hits a home run with her newest cookbook, which offers a hundred recipes that can be mixed and matched to make countless meals that will make even the most reluctant a fan of salads.

Salad Samurai offers recipes by season and supplies the basic building blocks for you to choose-your-own-adventure with dressings, proteins, and salad toppers. (Homemade croutons are the way to go!) She encourages you to pick a day of the week to prep a bunch of options to have at the ready for salads all week long. Throughout the book, beautiful, full-color photos of the dishes will make your mouth water. While the salads certainly have you covered for lunch and dinner, the final chapter includes sweet and savory breakfast options like Overnight Oats with Mexican Chocolate Creme and Avocado & Tofu Breakfast Bowl with Carrot Ginger Dressing.

With most recipes, Romero includes cooking tips under the heading “The Spin” and variations labeled as “Samurai Stylings.” Of the seven variations for the loyal standby ranch dressing, my favorites included maple “bacon” and creamy sriracha. Romero also does a great job of labeling recipes as raw or gluten-free for those looking for those options.

Romero is an expert with flavor and technique, but she shows restraint with her gourmet prowess and provides recipes that even novices in the kitchen can execute. I tried the Relaxed Shredded Kale, a simple side salad recipe. I gobbled it up and made a mental note to add it to the weekly rotation. Following her recipe guidance and using a standard blender, I whipped up an ultra-creamy Herbed Pea Ricotta and served it on a bed of sliced tomatoes. (Try the leftover ricotta on pasta — so good!) I made the tangy, creamy Galapagos Island Dressing with the smoky-sweet Tempeh Bacon Bites and rye Classic Croutons and had a dinner party of omnivores raving for the Reubenesque Salad. What a clever take on the classic Reuben! The dressings and salad toppers often made more than needed for a recipe, but I didn’t mind. I could use the leftover ingredients to create quick salads while on the go, and I would enjoy the intensely tasty 5-spice Tamari Almonds on their own as a protein-packed snack.

If you love flavor and want some help creating healthy, mostly non-processed meals that will satisfy your taste buds and fill your tummy, check out Salad Samurai.

Have you ever wondered what kind of person reduces their meat consumption, becomes vegetarian, or becomes vegan? And why do they do it? And why do some of them return to their carnivorous ways? Nick Cooney’s new book, Veganomics: The Surprising Science on What Motivates Vegetarians, from the Breakfast Table to the Bedroom, offers some possible answers to these questions.

I met Nick when he spoke at Their Lives, Our Voices in 2010. He talked about the need to use psychology to influence human behavior. Soon after TLOV, he wrote his first book, Change of Heart, which applied this kind of scientific research to his recommendations for activists.

Veganomics is an excellent follow-up. In preparation for writing this book, Nick thoroughly reviewed dozens of surveys that documented why different groups of people did or did not consume animal products. While the steady flow of statistics may have a mind-numbing effect, the conclusions are ultimately illuminating. For example, the surveys unanimously show that animal suffering and human health are the primary motivating factors to reduce meat consumption, but that environmental devastation and world hunger are much less influential.

Unfortunately, even the best research on which the book was based could be much better. Many of the surveys are old, have a small sample size, and limit the conversation to diet, not exploring other forms of activism, such as sharing videos, volunteering, or donating funds. With this in mind, we can assume that these conclusions are not completely accurate, comprehensive, or current.

All in all, the book furthers the conversation about how we can use science to improve our strategy for helping animals. Nick provides clear recommendations for the demographics we should target and the messages that we should send in order to have the most far-reaching effect. Along with that, the survey findings are often amusing or fascinating.

This book is an excellent read for anyone involved in the animal protection movement. I highly recommend it as a useful resource that may take our work for the animals to the next level.

Last weekend, I presented “How to Plan a Veg Fest” at the Animal Rights National Conference. It was my first time speaking at the conference, and I was honored to have a chance to present what I’ve learned through producing Twin Cities Veg Fest with Compassionate Action for Animals.

Twin Cities Veg Fest has been one of our most successful events. It drew 2,000 people last year, and we received tremendous amounts of positive feedback. People tasted excellent vegan food and were empowered with resources to move towards a plant-based diet. Just as importantly, the festival showed the general public that many people care about animals and are embracing lifestyle changes to help them. At the conference, I shared with other animal protection activists what I’ve learned so that they can do the same thing in their own communities.

I don’t have very much experience with public speaking, but this subject was easy for me to talk about. I’m enthusiastic about sharing what I know, as I see the veg fest as being an effective form of outreach that I hope other communities will try. After the talk, I heard from at least three people who are interested in planning a festival. I couldn’t ask for a better response than that!

Last year, CAA created a website as a resource for other communities interested in planning a veg fest. All of the information from my talk at the conference can be found there. 

This coming weekend, I’ll be speaking at the Animal Rights 2014 National Conference on how to plan a veg fest. The first thing I’ll mention in my talk is that our organization got a lot of help from other festivals when we started planning our own Twin Cities Veg Fest over three years ago. We’re now inspired to help others who would like to create veg fests in their own communities. With this intention, we here at Compassionate Action for Animals created a website, How to Plan a Veg Fest.

If you’re coming to the conference, you can hear my talk on Sunday, July 13th at 3:30 pm. If you want to plan a veg fest but won’t be attending the conference, please check out the website.

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll post an update about my experience at the conference. I look forward to learning from and sharing with our national community of animal advocates.