Sunday, April 22, 2007

Happy Earth Day and Birthday!

This weekend, I celebrated Earth Day by participating in my city's Earth Day celebration! It was the most perfect day. We finally got some warm weather, not a cloud in the sky, and a whisper of a breeze! I got the chance to meet tons of nice people, and tell them all about how vegetarianism can save the planet!

I shared with them how methane from animal agriculture produces 23 times the global warming effects of CO2. How the footprint of a vegetarian is a mere half-acre, while a meat-based diet is seven times that. I got my information from the recent FAO United Nations report, supported by several countries and even the meat industry. Yet still, I got people questioning these facts, stating that they were, "out of context," and, "opinion." Sigh. Luckily, I kept my head about me and showed them some of these beautiful photographs! It's fun to eat veg, even if you don't believe it makes a difference to the earth! As the adults and I talked, the children drew pictures of their favorite fruits and veggies, and sorted a basket into the two types of products. Did you know that eggplants are technically fruits?

Anyway, the above photo is a shot of my hubby's birthday cupcakes (his day is Monday the 23rd), which happen to be from Isa's wonderful book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It is my goal to make every cupcake in that book by the end of the year! These tasted like a dream - similar to a peppermint patty!

The second photo is of my meal for tonight. I used the spaghetti squash from the Earth Day sorting game, cooked it in the microwave, and topped it with sun-dried tomato sauce from the freezer and chopped tempeh! I promised to post about tempeh soon, so here is a very quick and easy recipe! Just throw the tempeh in, in cubes, as you heat the sauce. My sometimes picky hubby loved this one! And the squash is like a low-carb spaghetti. Happy Earth Day!

Friday, April 13, 2007

Spring Treats!

After a couple of months of sweet treats like these,
I realized it was time for something a little healthier! Not that I ate all of these - honest! I just had some parties to bake for . . . None of these have much protein, beyond the soy milk, but they were all received with rave reviews! I particularly like that these were all so light and fluffy . . . but, "no eggs!"
Happy spring, everyone! (Check back soon for a post on tempeh - yum!)

From top to bottom:
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes (crumb topping)
from, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World


Maui Muffins (with an incredible, pineapple glaze!),
from, The Candle Cafe Cookbook











Mucho Margarita Cupcakes (a little too green, but hey - it was St. Patty's Day!)
from Vegan Cupcakes take Over the World









And finally, Orange-Chocolate Cupcakes (the icing tasted slightly like a Dreamsicle!), from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World











To end this sugar high, here is a completely healthy, Candle Cobb Salad (made with tofu, tahini, and loads of fresh herbs, topped with vegan cheddar cheese from Vegan Gourmet), recipe from The Candle Cafe Cookbook. (I omitted the dressing from this photo, because it looked really chunky and creepy - but tasted great!).