VegBlogger - a vegan / vegetarian blog

Animal Protection Groups Serving Animals - What's wrong with this picture?

Have you ever noticed an event going on in your community that is being put on by an animal
organization or humane society? If so, inquire about what is being served at the event. You will often find out by doing this which organizations really want to protect animals, and which ones only care about one or two species of animals.

Twice in the last week this has happened to me. In the first incident I saw that a horse rescue was holding an open house and they were going to have a BBQ at the event. When I inquired about it I found out it is not vegetarian food they are BBQing. Sadly, they are rescuing one species and holding an event to show their pride in doing so, as they serve up another on plates. This makes absolutely no sense at all. I hope those that attend will stop and realize that there is no logical reason for rescuing a horse, yet eating a cow. 

Secondly, a local humane society is holding a fundraiser party. I inquired about the party to ensure that the food being served would be at least vegetarian (if not vegan!). The response I got back was that there would be vegetarian options available. I dug a little deeper, and indeed they are serving animals. Yet on their website they claim that their mission is to protect animals from abuse and cruelty. How can they not see the problem here? When I explained it to the person I was corresponding with, the reply was "Someday we'll get there." Well, someday should be now. It really is not anymore difficult to opt for vegetarian/vegan catering, and I'm pretty sure that anyone attending a humane society fundraiser will understand why there are no animals on the menu.

This has been two incidents in the last week, but it's certainly not the first I've encountered. I urge you to pay attention to such things in your own community, especially when it involves organizations that have a mission of protecting animals. Inquire about what is being served and let them know that it's not appropriate, it's even hypocritical, to serve meat at their function. If nobody says anything, they will go on assuming it's okay. Speak out for the animals, and perhaps the tide will change, and they "will get there" faster.

"Betty Crocker Vegetarian Cooking" Cookbook Review

This past week I got a new review cookbook in the mail. It is the "Betty Crocker Vegetarian Cooking"
cookbook. So I checked it out, and here is my review...

This is a nice looking book that features some beautiful photos of some of the recipes. There are several things I would like to try, including the Mexican Tofu-Rice Skillet, Burrito Pot Pies, and the Lasagna Cupcakes. Being a vegetarian cookbook, rather than a vegan one, there is a lot of dairy and/or eggs used throughout the recipes. However, I am confident that I can veganize them on my own and will do so when trying out some of the recipes.

I vowed several years ago that I would never purchase a vegetarian or vegan cookbook that wasn't written by a vegetarian or vegan (you can always tell!). While there is no "author" listed on this book, I am confident that it is not a vegetarian. I can just tell by some of the things that are written. For example, on page 276 there is a page about soy and one of the lines says "Soy, unlike most plant foods, is a good source of high-quality protein." Apparently whoever wrote this book isn't familiar with things like nuts, nut butters, quinoa (which is a complete protein), lentils, beans, etc. That comment is one that would generally only come from a non-vegetarian, who has been lead to believe that they need animal protein in order to get good sources of protein. 

Another line that lets me know a vegetarian or vegan didn't author this book is on page 6, where they describe what a vegan is. After saying what they eat/don't eat, they go on to say that a "Vegan may not use animal produts or animal by-products..." Um no, by definition a vegan does not use those things. Someone following just a plant-based diet may or may  not avoid other things like leather, fur, and wool, but a vegan always does. Additionally, they say a vegetarian "May not eat animal-broths like beef, chicken, fish, or seafood." Sorry, but a vegetarian would never eat those. If they did, they wouldn't be a vegetarian.

The bottom line on this book is that it is one I may check out of the library to peruse and try a few recipes from, but I would not purchase it.

My Mother's Day Vegan Breakfast - Vegan Pancakes with Fruit

My husband made me vegan pancakes with fruit on Mother's Day. I loved it!

I usually make the pancakes around the house and I make them healthier. But without a doubt, my husband makes them tastier. His pancakes are the best! It's because he uses Earth Balance on the pan, so they cook up crispy around the edges. Great vegan pancakes!