Bloggers for Positive Global Change

Climate of Our Future (COOF) believe in blogging with a purpose. Many like us, but not all, write about the threat of global climate change and ways to reduce our carbon emissions. Others take on various other social and political causes that have to be tackled if humanity is ever going to preserve, persevere and progress. None of us have all the answers, but taken together we form a collective consciousness and wisdom that will help move our world in a positive direction.

COOF are creating an award meme to salute these efforts. This award goes out to all of the Bloggers for Positive Global Change. It’s not limited to any specific ideologies, religions or philosophies. It puts a premium on human compassion and the desire to make the world a better place for all of us, without exception.

One of my favorite enviro blogs A New Green Earth has kindly tagged me and I have the task, certainly not an easy one with so many great bloggers out there, of choosing five favorites of mine.

I personally feel that if we are going to slow down Global Warming we need to become Vegan and therefore, for a start, it will cut down on air pollution, water pollution and the excessive waste of water used in animal factory farming. Plus the extreme cruelty involved in it should not be acceptable to any human being.

So I decided to pick out a few favorite Vegan sites for my nominations, as they are people who really care for all living things and the planet. I have many favorites so it was not an easy task.

Notes from a Vegan Feast Kitchen Bryanna has the most tasty, nutritious, Vegan recipes on her blog that it would be hard for anyone not to enjoy them. Her website and books are also an inspiration for anyone willing to make the change.

The Bakehouse A great insight into one of many Vegan families. Dori and Dave grow and preserve their own organic veggies, homeschool the children, work, study and still seem to have time to cook delicious meals and have lots of fun. Dori also shares some of her great recipes with us.

The Milk-Free Blog This blog is run by Go Dairy Free. Although not a Vegan blog it has great ideas for living dairy-free and has excellent links. Their website has great recipes for making substitute dairy products.

Pisces Place Kleo, Peter and their dog Mattie (almost Vegans) have a great journal of what events they attend, great eateries they find, their travels and give great links on many things environmental, animal rights, important events, veganism etc. Great photos and graphics.

And to finish off a local South African enviro blog Urban Sprout with their interesting posts plus
their "ubergreen organic eco directory" helping South Africans find organic and eco-friendly goods.

If you would like to find out how you can participate in this meme call over to Climate of Our Future and check out the Awards Rules.

Technorati: ecofriendly global+warming vegan+blogs

PETA Offers to Cook Vegan Dishes for Al Gore

Decided to break my normal format and pop in this news item. Hope Al Gore takes PETA up on the offer :)

Fox News

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Can Al Gore be a meat-eating environmentalist? PETA says no… and is offering to cook the following meal for the former vice president to prove it!

• Fried 'Chicken' (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients: 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 cups unbleached white flour, 4 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional), 3 Tbsp. yellow mustard, 1/2 cup water, 2 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 lb. soy chicken (Morningstar farms chicken strips), 3 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Method: Mix together the salt, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, flour, and nutritional yeast in a deep bowl.In a separate bowl, dilute the mustard with 1/2 cup water. Add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the mustard mixture and stir. Add the baking powder to the dry flour mixture and mix. Dip chunks of the soy chicken into the mustard batter, then drop each chunk into the flour mixture and coat with the desired amount of "crust. "Fry the chunks in hot oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or deep fryer until crispy and golden brown, turning as needed.

• Slow-Cooked Collard Greens (Makes 8 servings)

Ingredients: 4 bunches collard greens, 4 Tbsp. olive oil, 4 medium onions, 4 cloves garlic minced, 4 carrots minced, 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, 2 chipotle peppers, Salt to taste

Method: Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and the garlic cloves. Sauté until the onions are soft.Add the collard greens, carrots, and vegetable stock. Cook until tender.Season with the salt.

• Cornbread (Makes 6 to 8 servings)

Ingredients 6 Tbsp. water, 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 tsp. baking powder, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1 cup plain soy milk, 1/4 cup canola oil, Walnut halves (optional)

Method: Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish.Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, simmer for 3 minutes, or until thickened.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, Florida Crystals, baking powder, and salt.Add the flax seed mixture, soy milk, and canola oil to the flour mixture. Combine just until smooth.Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and place the walnut halves on top. Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

• Creamy Chive Mashed Potatoes (Makes 4 to 5 servings)
Ingredients: 5 large potatoes diced, 1 cup liquid nondairy creamer (try Silk brand), 2 Tbsp. margarine, 1/4 cup fresh chives chopped, Salt and pepper to taste

Method: Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, and mix until smooth. Serve hot.

• Chicken-less Gravy (Makes 6 to 8 servings)
Ingredients: 2 cups boiling water, 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, 1 vegetable bouillon cube, 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms diced, 1/2 cup onion finely chopped, onion salt, to taste, unbleached all-purpose flour.

Method: In a large saucepan, simmer all ingredients except the flour for approximately 5 minutes. Slowly add the flour by tablespoons, whisking after each addition, until the desired thickness is reached. Keep warm.

• All-American Apple Pie (Makes 8 servings)
Ingredients for the Crust: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup cold water, 3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

Ingredients for the Filling: 1 3/4 lbs. Golden Delicious apples thinly sliced, 1 3/4 lbs. Granny Smith apples thinly sliced, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. unbleached flour, 3 Tbsp. Earth Balance margarine diced, 1 Tbsp. soy milk, 1 Tbsp. Florida Crystals sugar, large pinch of ground cinnamon

Method for the Crust: In a bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Mix the water with 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to make a paste. Set aside.With a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the vegetable shortening into the remaining flour mixture until the texture is "pebbly." Add the paste and mix well. Shape into a ball and divide into 2 parts.Lightly flour a clean countertop and rolling pin. Roll 1 portion of the dough at a time. Roll from the center out, lifting the roller at the end of the dough (rather than rolling back and forth). Roll to a 1/8-inch thickness. Have an 8- or 9-inch pie pan ready. The rolled dough should be at least 2 inches larger than your pie pan. Loosen from the rolling surface, fold in half, and place in the center of the pie pan. Unfold and gently work into the pan, pressing lightly. Trim any excess dough with a knife.
Method for the Filling: Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Let stand for approximately 15 minutes, or until juices form. Add the flour and mix.

To Assemble: Spoon the filling into the bottom crust and dot with margarine.Roll out the second ball of dough to form a 13-inch round circle. Drape over the filling.Seal the top and bottom crust edges together and trim any excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold under and crimp decoratively with a greased fork.Brush the pie with the soy milk. Combine the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the pie. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven.Immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F. Bake for approximately 2 hours, or until the crust is golden brown, the apples are tender, and the filling is thick and bubbling. If the edges are browning too quickly, cover with foil.Serve warm or at room temperature.

— For more information, visit www.GoVeg.com

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