SoulVeggie

Nobel Peace Prize Winning Advice: "Go Veg!"

"...Don't eat meat... the head of the UN's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said.  The 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued last year highlights "the importance of lifestyle changes," chairman Dr Rajendra Pachauri said.

"This is something that the IPCC was afraid to say earlier, but now we have said it."

A vegetarian, the Indian economist made a plea for people around the world to tame their carnivorous impulses." Please eat less meat - meat is a very carbon intensive commodity," he said, adding consuming large quantities was also bad for one's health... He says another lifestyle change that can help was not buying things "simply because they are available..." He urged consumers to only purchase what they really need..."

[I did many projects for both Gore and the IPCC related to Climate Change, and can recall the skepticism I'd get from many scientists explaining the environmental impact of eating meat.  It's great to see somone of Dr. Pachauri's standing acknowledging the issue of meat.  The full article (with stats) is here and below.  Do even better... go vegan.]

"Quick-Fix" Wins Proggy!

Robin Robertson's 2007 vegan cookbook, "The Quick-Fix Vegetarian," just won a 2008 PETA Proggy!  How marvelous... and well deserved (you can read my review of the book from last month here).  An excerpt from the PETA Press Release:

""Every mouthwatering recipe in Quick-Fix Vegetarian is a tribute to healthy, humane, and delicious eating," says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. "This remarkable cookbook makes it a snap for veteran vegans and beginners alike to enjoy gourmet meatless cuisine in less time than it takes to order a pizza.""

Sample Recipes,  Full press release here, and below.  List of all Proggy's:  here.

The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra

[A video of "The Vienna Vegetarian Orchestra," where all the instruments being played are hand-made from vegetables (and vegan!).  A lucky find for my 200th blog post... 1st half shows them making their raw devices, 2nd half is acoustic performance.  Listen, watch, enjoy, and go vegan!]

Mad Cowboy Holiday Msg., Hummers/Nuggets, Chimp Wits

Intro, t.o.c., and direct link, to the latest MC Newsletter:

Howard's Holiday Msg., Hummers/Nuggets, Chimp Wits

"Welcome to the 61st Edition of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter!

We've a special holiday message from Howard as well as a significant change to the Vegan Mind-Poser Contest.  There's also two great recipes from Robin Robertson's fine new vegan cookbook, "Quick-Fix Vegetarian," new studies about the impact of grains and beans on heart disease, the issues regarding too much sodium in the average diet, and a clear relationship between food additives and hyperactivity in children.

Further down, there's research linking red meat and dairy to a specific cancers, beans lowering cholesterol, and a new report about McDonalds and children's dietary habits.  You can also peruse our "Mad Cow Round-up" and "Bird Flu News" collections, read an excellent essay by Bruce Friedrich on Veganism and the Environment, learn just what's under your feet, why it's getting difficult to seperate other species from us, about a "Compassion Over Killing" winning campaign, and then take a break in our "Vegan Digital Theater Showcase."

... and, as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers.  Y'all can read past issues of the newsletter at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Best Wishes to All for a Happy New Year!

Mark, MC editor/webmaster

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: A Holiday Letter from Howard
02: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
03: Recipes from a New Vegan Cookbook
04: Mad Cow Info Round-up
05: Bird Flu News
06: Too Much Salt, Americans Fatter, Kids/Additives & McMktg.
07: Grains & Beans vs. Heart Disease, Dairy/Red Meat=Cancer
08: Vegan Digital Theater Showcase
09: Under Feet, Bird Declines, Gulf Dead Zone, Toxicity Hypocrisy
10: Censored Stories, Hummers/Nuggets, Activist Win, Chimp Wits
11: Howard's Schedule
12: Quick Bytes
13: Closing Thoughts"

Review: "Quick-Fix Vegetarian" Cookbook

Owning over 300 veg'n cookbooks, I tend to view a new vegan cookbook differently and perhaps more critically than most people.  Even so, I was excited by the opportunity to review Robin Robertson's latest work, "Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less."  She's one of the most prolific veg cookbook authors around (rivaled by maybe Bryanna Clark Grogan or Nava Atlas, esteemed company indeed!), and I will never forget being asked to evaluate her astounding opus, "Vegan Planet" by a local veg/AR group.

Now, years later, it's apparent from Robin's new effort that the cascade of hits continues.  From the ambient "Sacred Kitchen,"  the laid-back percussion of "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker," the symphonic "Vegan Planet," to the brassiness of "Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes," we now have a book of string minuets... fast vegan recipes all creatively composed and arranged to prove the tired, old refrain "it takes too much time to cook vegetarian" just isn't true.

"Potato Dosadillas" (using mashed potatoes), "Garden Vegetable Strata," "Couscous Shepard's Pie," "Linguine with Edamame Pesto," "Black Bean Sauce with Sherry," "Mixed Baby Greens with Pears, Pecans, and Polenta Strips," "Rustic Plum Tart," and the amusingly alliterative, "Phast Phresh Pho," (a hearty Vietnamese soup), are just a few of the many clever, practical, and fun recipes scored.

This cookbook is excellent:  well-organized, diverse, with a superb index and abundance of useful tips and advice.  In this age of "instant text messaging," FedEx, and hectic lives, the wonderful "can do" melody throughout these recipes is both inspiring and encouraging: you CAN have a healthy and tasty vegan meal in minutes.  The proof is in, well, the "Chocolate-Banana Pudding (p. 198)."

"Quick-Fix Vegetarian" is recommended for both the veg'n newbie all the way to the well-seasoned pro... it has a very special place in my collection, and I'll be riffing on the tunes for a long time.

Here's a link to some sample recipes

Mad Cowboy Newsletter #60 Done!

Here's the intro to the latest Mad Cowboy Newsletter:

-----
Howdy!  Welcome to the 60th edition of the Mac Cowboy Newsletter.

After a brief hiatus, we're back with lotsa information, several videos, some new digital Howard, and some recipes from a great vegan cookbook as well as a unique vegan "e-cookbook."

In this issue you'll get the mandatory round-up of Mad Cow Disease and Avian Flu-related articles, information about new studies about cancer and consumption of flaxseed, meat, general diet recommendations, and soft drinks relationship to heart disease.  You'll be able to enjoy the interview with the self-proclaimed "Joyous Vegan," learn about 10 steps for Vegan Culinary Activism, a new book by Andrew Kimbrell (he's also in the "Mad Cowboy Documentary") and a comprehensive article about Capt. Paul Watson and "Neptune's Navy."

Further down, you'll be able to see "earthrise" from the moon, a trailer for "King Corn," view the must-see video by PCRM about the upcoming Farm Bill, marvel at a Vegetable Alien, ponder the future evolution of the Big Mac, learn who won a contest for the most artistic "Salt Lick," and know about new hardcore evidence that organic produce IS more nutritious, heart healthy, and has higher yields.

... and, as always, a tip of the hat to our new subscribers.  Y'all can read past issues of the newsletter at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/

Best wishes to all for the holidaze season (and watch those calories!)

Mark, MC Editor/Webmaster

***********************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

00: Quote(s) from Howard
01: Some Digital Howard
02: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
03: Two New Vegan Cookbooks of Note & Recipes
04: Mad Cow Info Round-up
05: Bird Flu News
06: Cancer: Flaxseed, Meat, & Diet, Soft Drinks=Heart Disease
07: Joyous Vegan, 10 Steps, What's In Food, Neptune's Navy
08: Veg Video Theater
09: Veg Alien, Future Big Mac, 25lbs Fat, Salt Lick Contest
10: Organic:  Better, Heart Healthy, High Yields
11: Howard's Schedule
12: Quick Bytes
13: Closing Thoughts

Direct link to this edition of the newsletter is here!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mad_Cowboy/message/81

Stop Hiding from Vegetarianism

[This was published today on Alternet from the Vegetarian Times as "15 Reasons to Stop Hiding from Vegetarianism."  I've isolated the 1st sentence from each of the sections, and the expanded version can be found here and below.   Although it's nice to see such published online, with sources to stats,  it's disappointing on two counts:  (1) dairy and eggs do NOT contribute to good health and cancer prevention (to paraphrase something I read recently, "dairy epitomizes the agricultural industry with all the hormones, filth, animal abuse, etc."), and (2) it's disappointing to see the usual rants in comments that come from any article online promoting veg'nism.  It's like discussing religion to some people, and the non-vegetarians often get quite insulting, emotional, and just plain irrational.  I've stopped bothering to respond online to their comments as, imho, it's a waste of time.  That all being said, it's a decent summary and, I believe, over the next few years (should we survive Bush), the argument will continue to accelerate in persuasiveness.]

"...An estimated 70 percent of all diseases, including one-third of all cancers, are related to diet. A vegetarian [better yet, vegan] diet reduces the risk for chronic degenerative diseases such as obesity, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain types of cancer including colon, breast, prostate, stomach, lung and esophageal cancer...

1. You'll ward off disease...
2. You'll keep your weight down...
3. You'll live longer...
4. You'll build strong bones...
5. You'll reduce your risk of food-borne illnesses...
6. You'll ease the symptoms of menopause... [thank god!]
7. You'll have more energy....
8. You'll be more "regular..."
9. You'll help reduce pollution...
10. You'll avoid toxic chemicals...
11. You'll help reduce famine....
12. You'll spare animals... [even more as a vegan]
13. You'll save money...
14. Your dinner plate will be full of color...
15. It's a breeze..."

[Live even longer, reducing risk of disease even more, save additional animals, avoid unnatural hormones, cut back fat... go VEGAN.]

 

A Vegan Should Be Able To:

The following is one of my all-time favorite quotes ('cept the hog bit).  In mentioning it to a friend yesterday, I had intended to just post it on this blog without much comment:

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." ---Lazarus Long in "Time Enough For Love," by Robert Heinlein.

However, upon reflection, I thought maybe I could write a quick "vegan" version.  Normally I'd wait a day or more to review and re-edit, but we're having an extended harvest due to warm weather and I've too much else "on my plate" (actually, the 50lbs. of tomatoes are in boxes on the floor).  So, here it is as it is for now:

"A vegan should be able to:  press a block of tofu, roast vegetables, sprout beans, grains, and seeds, grow vegetables and herbs from seed, harvest lettuce or greens, water or pressure can produce, bake homemade bread, create a stir-fry from scratch in a friend's kitchen, boil three kinds of grains successfully without a recipe, make seitan, saute stuff without using oil, use rice or soy milk to make a thickened sauce, own a crockpot, blend a good pesto, eat a variety of colors every day, wash salad greens, mix an ad-hoc low-fat salad dressing, cook more than two kinds beans and grain dishes, know three types of "egg replacers" for recipes, use nutritional yeast, list plant sources of Omega 3 and calcium, suggest alternatives to ingredients on a restaurant's menu, answer the question "why are you vegan?" or correct the protein myths in 30 seconds or less, identify trans-fats and "hidden" dairy products on labels, comprehend what "calores from fat" means and why that's important, cite some environmental statistics regarding factory farming and modern food production when asked in line at the supermarket, remember at least three websites to recommend for aspiring vegans or vegetarians, vocalize the problems with dairy and cheese if asked to, have listened to or seen at least one talk by Howard Lyman, summarize Dr. Cauldwell Esselstyn's research and McDougall's Diet recommendations, have read a NotMilk column by Robert Cohen, have attended a Veg'n'-related Conference, design a flyer, write a convincing "letter to the editor," laugh often and for the right reasons, stop and smell some flowers, listen gracefully, be non-judgemental as much as possible, encourage all healthy eating habits, never stop learning, do volunteer work for a worthy cause, help build relationships in the veg'n community where you live, make love often, be polite to your carnivorous friends and family members, place a small footprint in the environment, then ultimately die peacefully with the knowledge that you made a difference..." --- Mark Sutton

Feel free to pass it around, but please include @2007 by Mark Sutton, and the address of this blog with the quote.  Thanks!

More Silly Vegan Myths+

"During (approximately) 4620 days eating vegetarian, I have directly saved the lives of about 1201.2 animals."

[Sugarrocket has put together a small, but really efficient and effective website for vegans and info about vegans.  The above quote is from her homepage.  She's also written a nicely hyperlinked article "Silly Vegan Myths" with excellent resources in those links.  Also, check out: "vegan tips." Nice job, gal!]

Howard at AR2007

[Many thanks to "DoggyTV" for posting this video at YouTube.  Excellent example of Howard Lyman (aka, The Mad Cowboy) at his best, speaking at AR2007 last Friday. Now here's a dynamic, healthy-looking 67 yr. old hardcore vegan breaking some stereotypes.  Pity it's not the whole talk and just the first 16 minutes, but still, it's great.  Enjoy!]

[You can see the original version of the YouTube post (and a fine list of other related videos) here.  I'm still playing catchup on projects and will get to the backlog of cookbook reviews, memes, etc., soon.]