Wednesday on The Dr. Oz Show

See what's coming up next on The Dr. Oz Show.

Check out the show and see what you think. The documentary looks great! I can't wait to see it :)

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

I love shepherd's pie! Nothing says home cooked comfort like tender cooked veggies and mashed potatoes. Yummy! I know there are many varying recipes for shepherd's pie, but here's one that I "veganized" from a magazine. I think you'll enjoy it and plus it gives you the option to be creative and add any veggies you love. I know the ingredients look like a lot but it's not I promise. Feel free to however edit things out that you don't like or don't have on hand. You can really be creative with this comfort food classic. Try it for a nice Sunday dinner!


Two Sisters' Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
- 4 small Russet potatoes (feel free to use another potato if you prefer)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large leek, white and green parts thinly sliced (if you're not a leek fan feel free to you a nice onion or a bunch of chives)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped bite size
- 2 turnips or daikon radishes, whichever you prefer
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 lb of fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped bite size
- 5 cloves of garlic (or more if you're like me and love garlic)
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (I like Central Market Organics)
- 3 large Swiss chard leaves, torn into small pieces (feel free to change this up with spinach or kale if you prefer)
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 cups cooked cannellini beans (you can easily use canned beans too, just be sure to read the label, Central Market Organics has a great line of beans and the only ingredients are beans and sea salt)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp non-dairy sour cream (Tofutti makes a great one)
- chopped fresh chives

Directions:
1. Preheat oven for 400 degrees. Place potatoes in a pot with enough cold water to cover all of them. Bring water to a boil and then cover and reduce heat. Simmer potatoes for approximately 15 minutes or until they fork tender. Once the potatoes are done boiling drain and place aside. We will be back for them.

2. While potatoes are boiling add oil to a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add leeks and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add carrots, turnips, peas, green beans, and garlic and saute for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until veggies begin to soften and brown bits form on the bottom of the pot. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and begin scrapping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan as the broth begins to evaporate.

3. Next add chard and thyme and saute until the chard wilts. Add beans, the remaining broth, salt, and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. This is an important part, taste the veggie mix. It's always important to taste your food while you cook. It may need more salt for you or maybe more pepper, or maybe you have a go to seasoning that you think it's missing, add and simmer for another minute or two.

4. While the veggies are cooking, start mashing the potatoes with a masher. Add non-dairy milk and continue to mash and whip until potatoes are almost smooth. Next add the non-dairy sour cream and chives. I like to add a little bit of salt and pepper to taste, but you don't have too.

5. Place veggie mixture in a 10-in pie dish. spread mashed potatoes over the top of the vegetables covering the entire pie dish. Place pie dish on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until vegetable mix bubbles and the potatoes star to turn brown, approximately 20 minutes.

6. Once done, allow to cool about 10 minutes and then spoon full into shallow bowls. Feel free to top it with some non-dairy cheese like Follow Your Heart or Daiya.

*Want a fun twist? Try roasting the garlic first or try adding a little horseradish to the mashed potatoes for a little kick. Or for a more buttery taste to the mashed potatoes feel free to add a little non-dairy butter like Earth Balance. Go crazy! There's no wrong way to do it!

The Coolest French Bulldog

I had to share this adorable video! Hope you have a wonderful Friday and an awesome Earth Day!

Earth Day... It's Upon Us

Earth Day is almost here! In fact, it's tomorrow! How will you be celebrating? We only have one Earth and every little bit helps. You already do your part by being vegan! Way to go you! Just by being vegan you do not pay into the industry that abuses animals, poisons our environment, and cuts down thousands of trees every year. Good for you! But how will you celebrate Earth Day this year? For those of you drawing blanks, the Two Vegan Sisters are here to the rescue. We have compiled a list of great ideas that can help you do just one more little thing to help celebrate our Earth and improve our environment while having fun. Enjoy!

21 Fun Things To Do on Earth Day:

• Plant a tree
• Plant a garden (if you live an apartment, plant an herb garden)
• Bike or walk to work
• Start a compost
• Recycled Crafts – do a craft project with the kids using only things found in your house. Like turn that plastic bottle into a paper mache piggy bank! Be creative with it!
• Go to an Earth Day event, like Mix 94.7’s Party for the Planet at Carlos’ n’ Charlie’s
• For all you Shopoholics – go to your local thrift store instead of buying new
• Go for a hike or a nature walk with the whole family
• Take your dog on a walk or a run at Town Lake
• Check out a Farmers’ Market (we have a whole page dedicated to them, find the one nearest you)
• Recycle all the plastic bags in your house and replace them with new reusable ones from your favorite grocery store.
• Recycle all of the plastic bottles in your house and replace them with a Brita filter for inside the fridge or right on your faucet
• Have a picnic with the kids or a romantic picnic with your honey
• Make a nature craft with the kids like a bird feeder or a bird house
• Do some spring cleaning and get the kids involved. Encourage your kids to recycle old toys, games, and clothes. Teach your kids the benefits of recycling their toys and how paying it forward benefits everyone!
• Wear Green! Or better yet, make a t-shirt with the kiddos as a fun arts and craft project. You can make a statement or wear a funny slogan like “No trees were harmed in the making of this shirt” or “Tree Hugger”
• Make a fun scavenger hunt with the kids where it’s all about the environment, recycling, or all things green
• Go Camping
• Change all the light bulbs in your house to energy efficient light bulbs
• Change all of your bills to paperless
• Get outside and play! Go play ball, tag, or even hide and go seek!

Remember, although Earth day comes once a year, you can celebrate the Earth all year long. Try extending your Earth day to the whole weekend. Do one item from the list each day!

Where the Wilde Things Are

Although, this is a reference to one of my favorite books growing up, I'm not talking about those Wild Things. I'm talking about Olivia Wilde's website, Wilde Things. For those of you who don't know her, Olivia Wilde is the actress who plays "Thirteen" on House. And guess what?!? She's a vegan. Just one of the many beautiful women of the world that proves that you don't need meat to be stunning. This vegan activist actress also has a great website dedicated to her thoughts, feelings, and of course being vegan. It's great insight to a pretty cool lady. Check it out and let us know what you think!

A Kind Bucket List

I came across the coolest thing yesterday. On down time at work, I like to cruise the Internet for new things and all things vegan. I was stoked to find on VegNews.com a vegan bucket list. How cool, I thought. So I of course had to check it out. I was enthralled with all of the fun things to do on the list that ranged all over the United States. Things like visiting the Mini Vegan Mall in Portland, Oregon. Or taking a vegan tour of Los Angeles. Along with cool destinations, I also found on the list great places to order vegan items, like jewelry, clothing, and of course food. I also found Chicago Soydairy. This is a cool company out of, you guessed it, Chicago. They make "cheese," marshmallows, and even vegan mozzarella sticks! And the best part, you can order their stuff online. As I was drooling over all of their products I realized that I had heard the name before, and that's when I remembered... Hoboken Pies, right here is ATX. That's right, we have a pizza place right here in town that, by request, can make your specially designed pizza with Chicago Soydairy Cheese! Check out Hoboken Pies here.

Although I loved the list on VegNews, which by the way check it out here, I was sad not see anything for Austin, although there was a shout out for Texas. So how about it? What would your vegan bucket list include? Anything from our great city of Austin? Maybe Hoboken Pies could make the list. Or better yet maybe make a day of trying all the pizza places in town that serve vegan cheese and see which one you like best. Sounds Yummy to me :) But then, I'm one of those give me pizza or give me death kinda gals :)

So, what's on your Vegan Bucket List???

No-Bunny was Harmed

When I think of Easter, I think of candy. It doesn't help that whenever I go into any store right now there are aisles and aisles full of every sweet confection you can think of. But what's a vegan to do? Make my own of course! For Christmas this last year, I made vegan treats for my family and one recipe that I thought turned out especially well was my vegan peanut butter cups. They are super easy to make, they just take a little bit of time, but trust me they are totally worth it!


No Bunny Harmed Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (I like Sunspire)
1 cup natural peanut butter (creamy is best but if you're feeling adventurous try crunchy)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup vegan powdered sugar

Directions:
1. To make big peanut butter cups, cut the top half of the muffin cups to where they are about half the original height for 12 paper muffin cups or you can buy the candy cups that look like tiny muffin cups. Whichever you prefer.

2. Melt the chocolate chips by microwaving them for about 2 minutes at 50% power in a glass or microwaveable bowl.  Stir until creamy, you might need to microwave them a little more.  Make sure you do not overcook them. Using a spoon, spread a layer of the chocolate evenly within the muffin cups making sure you fill the crevices on the sides.  Place the coated muffin cups in the freezer until the chocolate hardens.

3. In another bowl, combine the peanut butter and salt, and then fold in the powdered sugar. Microwave the mixture for about 1 minute. Stir until well mixed and then allow to cool.

4. Once the peanut butter mixture is cooled but still soft, spoon the peanut butter into the chocolate cups leaving a little room for the top layer of chocolate. You have the option of putting the top layer of chocolate on now or after the peanut butter has hardened in the freezer. I highly suggest waiting for the peanut butter to harden, it works a little easier, but it's up to you.

5. Then you will top the the peanut butter with the rest of the chocolate mixture until the peanut butter is all covered.

6. Place the cups in the freezer and wait about an hour.


*Just a side note, these cups don't have to be pretty. Trust me they will be so yummy that your friends and family won't care. Feel free to spice it up by using decorative muffin cups or you can put handfuls of the smaller ones in fun little Easter bags. Just have fun with it!

Hoppy Easter!

Being a Vegan and Kathy Freston

Kathy Freston on the Ellen Degeneres Show

In my opinion, I think so many people are not vegans because they refuse to see the truth about what they are eating. Sadly, our society chooses convenience over our own health and the welfare of others. I strongly believe that if more people would ask questions about where their food comes from and the cruelty that animals endure in our farming industry, I think more and more of us would be vegans. I, like many people, had a hard time accepting these horrible stories as truths. It wasn't until I started doing my own asking and reading, that I realized the horrors that plague our farming industry and the horrible abuse that we humans inflict on defenseless animals.

When I am so often asked, "why are you a vegan?" so many answers run through my head at once. And although I would love to tell that person all of them, they are usually only mildly peaked with interest as to why I, as a big strong human, top of the food chain, would choose to eat plants rather than MEAT. I have found over the last several months of being a vegan an answer that is short and sweet and encompasses the true and honest way I feel about meat. I tell them that I am not interested in having any part in the abuse of another living thing, therefore I choose not to eat meat or any meat by-products.

Having said that, I came across a wonderful book at the book store today. For those of you that watch the Ellen Degeneres Show, you probably caught the episode with Kathy Freston. First let me say, awesome woman! She's just one of those people that I would love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with. For those of you that do not know her, she is a vegan activist that takes a spiritual approach to health and diet. Anyways, while in the book store today, I came across her book Veganist. I of course grabbed it and immediately found a cozy seat and curled up ready to soak it all in. I almost immediately got stuck on the chapter about the horror stories of how and where our food comes from. There were a couple of stories in the book, that to say the least were not for the faint hearted, but that were about undercover "agents" in different aspects of our food industry. There was a story about our chicken industry, one about our egg industry, and another about our dairy industry. This brings me to my first point, that if people would really put two and two together and see our farming industry for what it is, I think more people would be vegans. The atrocities described in these select stories were enough to make my stomach churn and my heart ache. And although I wanted to put the book down, I knew I had to finish the story. I knew that I had to read it for myself. Although that particular chapter made me physically and emotionally sick, above all else, it actually made me glad to know that I don't contribute to those animals' pain.

The rest of the book is not nearly as sad but equally thought provoking. It's filled with wonderful insight and powerful knowledge of how diet heals us, inside and out and how little changes can save the world. Check it out for yourself or buy it here.

You can also read more on Kathy at http://www.kathyfreston.com/

Eat well my friends

and harm none

Only in Austin...

Those of us that consider ourselves to be native Austinites will surely have noticed the influx in trailer eateries all over town. While at first it started out as a kitchy weird Austin kind of a thing, they have slowly but surely infiltrated the entire city. You can now find trailer eateries all over town. They range in type, cuisine, location, and price. What once was a trailer park where people lived has now become local watering holes to eat and hang out. These trailers bring a certain uniqueness to our town that of which can only be "Austin weird."

Being a fan of these cool food trailers, I was, of course, excited when my brother in-law turned me onto a new iPhone app called Austin Food Carts. You can find it at the Apple app store and download it for free or you can check out their website and follow them on twitter at http://www.austinfoodcarts.com/. This nifty little app is great for vegan and ominivores alike. Once you download it, you can use it to find certain cuisine types, including vegan of course :) or you can search your area or search by name. They have categories ranging from African food to Yogurt and everything in between. Once you find a place that sounds good, the app offers you maps, addresses, websites, and even menus. How cool is that? I have already found my next vegan destination, Biscuits and Groovy. Let me kow if you've tried it.

Check it out and see what you think, because only is Austin would trailer parks be cool :)

Conscious Cravings

Although its only a little after eight o'clock, I already find myself wondering what I can do for lunch today. Hmmm.... I'm one of those people that love food and am usually hungry. In fact, to be honest, you can usually find me eating :) so of course you would find me already pondering my lunch endeavors so soon after waking. If you're looking for a new yummy lunch on the go you should check out Conscious Cravings. It's a food trailer just off Guadalupe near campus. It's actually in a cluster of trailer eateries on MLK, but Conscious Cravings is the only vegetarian one. It's a wonderful combination of vegetarian and Indian cuisine (many items are vegan as well). They have wraps, smoothies, and ice cold drinks. My favorite wrap is the spicy chickpea wrap. I promise it will change your life! They have picnic tables to sit and enjoy your food or you can take it to go. Try 'em today!

You can also check out their menu online at http://www.consciouscravingsaustin.com/

Gettin' Fresh with Greenling

I love going to Whole Foods, but as of lately I haven't been able to get to the downtown location early enough and by the afternoon it's gridlock downtown and I usually arrive at the store grumpy. But what's a vegan to do? I have to get fresh produce. Well, I happened to stumble upon this great service that I am so excited to try that can totally be a fix for the grocery store blues. The service is called Greenling.

Greenling delivers farm fresh produce right to your door! You can choose their weekly box or you can customize your own from a long list of seasonal goodies. They use locally grown and organic produce so you know where your food comes from and better yet, on their website you can check out all of their farmers. Once you set up an account and place an order your produce is then delivered right to your front door in a cooler box. It can stay cool in the shade for hours. How cool is that? And my favorite part, when you order the local box they also provide recipes for all the produce you get, so you can plan meals accordingly and nothing you buy has to go to waste! I think they actually may have thought of everything!

Check them out when you get a chance. It's a great way to know exactly where your food comes from and since it's all locally grown you know you will be eating in season which is not just beneficial to you but beneficial to the enviroment as well.

Just a side note, they not only deliver produce, but they can also do gourmet baskets and they also do boxes of local goods that the farmers make, things like beer and wine or jam. You just have to check them out for yourself! Please feel free to post if you used Greenling before and tell me about the experience.

http://www.greenling.com/

Happy Eating!

She's One Skinny Bitch!

   For those of you who have never read any of the Skinny Bitch books, I strongly reccommend them. Now, they are definitely not for everyone because they do give a very no nonsense approach to veganism and how the current eating standards in America is killing us. Authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin give you the raw truth, nothing sugar-coated about it. Their style of writing may not appeal to everyone, but the information they are giving is absolutely priceless.

After reading Skinny Bitch, I of course moved on to their other books and their recipe book. I liked all of them and urge you to read them if you can. I however, have discovered and have fallen in love with the newest edition to the series. Enter Kim Barnouin's Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook. I truly love this book. First off, it's got loads of great pictures that make your mouth water. Secondly, the recipes are easy to follow and do not have so many ingredients that they lose you and thankfully Kim explains any technical cooking jargon in simple terms. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the recipes also rock!

I have had this cookbook for about 5 months now and I have not been dissappointed once. My absolute favorite is the pear crosstini. It is scrumptious! Border's in the Domain is closing their store and everything is on sale. This is a great time to head over and check to see if you can add this cookbook to your collection. If you can't find it there I know Target and Barnes and Noble both carry it and of course you can always find it on Amazon. You can also check Kim out online at http://www.healthybitchdaily.com/

Enjoy skinny bitches!

Plant a Garden

Sunshine Garden Annual Plant Sale

Last weekend my mother and I braved the weather for the Sunshine Community Garden plant sale last weekend. We both stocked up on herbs and vegetables. Here are the fruits of my labor. Let's hope I can keep my dogs out of it.  :)

With Spring just around the corner, right now is the perfect time to start a garden. If you don't fancy yourself a green thumb try starting small like a few herbs. Choose herbs that you like to cook with. My favorite is basil. You can easily grow herbs in your kitchen or on the patio. They are especially good for apartments or house without back yards. For those of you are experienced gardeners take this time to start or refresh your garden.

There are some things to keep in mind when starting your garden. Central Texas weather obviously gets very hot as we get into the depths of Summer so be conscientious about where you put your garden. You probably will not want to put your garden where it's going to get the full heat of the Texas sun. Try and choose some place where it will get a bit of shade but still get about 8 hours of sun a day. Choose vegetables that do well in the full sun and be sure you have the room for plants that vine or the ones that grow big. Good herbs would be basil, rosemary, oregano, and mint. All will do well, but feel free to be adventurous.

So take advantage of the next weekend with good weather and plant a garden. Do you have any tips or tricks for your garden?

An Encounter with Counter Culture

   Looking for lunch in all the wrong places? Well the Two Vegan Sisters have got just the place for you! We met for lunch yesterday and decided to try out Counter Culture on North Loop. I have been meaning to go by there since it's so close to my office, but I had never gotten around to it. So when my sister mentioned it yesterday as our late lunch destination I was immediately stoked! However, in hindsight, nothing could have prepared me for the delighful deliciousness that was instore.

   For those of you who have never been there, Counter Culture is a Vegan Trailer Eatery that is located on the corner of North Loop and Avenue F. It is across the street from Room Service and next to Blackbird. The quaint little trailer is bright turquiose so you can't really miss it. You can order to go or find a seat at one of their picnic tables in the back. My sister and I opted for an outdoor picnic table lunch because of the perfect weather.

We split out lunch and shared. We both had a half of the Philly and a half of their special, Sausage and Sauerkraut. It was so good! So good in fact, I'm planning on going back today! I had the pleasure of meeting Sue and she was kind enough to split our sandwiches for us when she overheard us talking about sharing our grub.

The Philly was my favorite! : ) Truly out of this world! It's seitan with sauteed bell pepers and onions with cashew cheese. It's a flavor explosion like no other. The Sausage and Sauerkraut was also awesome! The sausage was spicy and it was topped with old fashioned yellow mustard. How can you go wrong? Yummy!

If you have not been, you must try it! It comes highly reccommend by the two vegan sisters. Check them out online here or find them on Facebook. If you need their address check out our Restaurants Page.

March is Almost Here

And just like that February is gone! What a whirlwind! Sorry for the lull in posts, it's just been a super hectic month. March is now just around the corner. The two sisters have lots in store for you this month so keep checking back. Here are some things to check out this week.

Borders Books
Borders is closing their store here in Austin. All of their merchandise is 20-40% off. Treat yourself to a new vegan cookbook or maybe a nice Saturday read. You deserve it!

Sunshine Community Garden
The community garden on Sunshine Drive near the Triangle is having their annual plant sale Saturday March 5th from 9am-2pm. The two vegan sisters will be there :) Come check it out and grab some plants to start a nice garden. Bring a wagon to haul away your goodies. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Don't Fight Your Primal Urges!

This just in, the two sisters have discovered a great new vegan snack, Primal Strips. Now, when I first saw these at Whole Foods, I had no idea what they were. However, after a little bit of research I found that they are an awesome alternative jerky snack. Not only are they meat free but they are kosher with no GMOs, no cholesterol, no perservatives, and no artificial flavors. They are high in protein and low in fat.

They come in great flavors like Thai Peanut, Mesquite Lime, Teriyaki, Hot & Spicy, Hickory Smoked, and of course, Texas BBQ.

Check 'em out for yourself at http://www.primalspiritfoods.com/

ThunderCloud to the Rescue!

In a rush? What's for dinner? Just need a quick fix?

Recently, I know I have felt more and more rushed and I feel like some days just fly by. What do you mean it's Wednesday already??? As a vegan there are very few selections on, not fast food, but good food fast. Yesterday was one of those speedy days for me and I found myself between work and going to a training class, and I was starving! What to eat, what to eat, what to eat? I then remembered that there was a ThunderCloud Sub shop right around the corner from my office. Yummy, I thought! I can get a fast meal and not have to feel guilty about it. Which by the way, their veggie delight is heavenly :) While I was there I got to chatting with my sandwich artist and found out some pretty nifty news that I just had to share, ThunderCloud Subs has 100% vegan bread. That's right! So the next time you are in a rush and you don't want to compromise your lifestyle or your waistline, check out ThunderCloud. They have several vegan friendly options and even more vegetarian options, so go crazy!

Visit ThunderCloud Subs online to find out more and to find a restaurant near you!

Thank you ThunderCloud! You rock!

Cheesy Tex-Mex Burritos

 

1 ear of corn, husk and silk removed

1 small red bell pepper

1/4 cup white onion

1 can refried beans (I like to mix mine with a can of Rotel and I love Central Market’s Refried beans, so yummy and nothing added)

1-2 Tbls of non-dairy cheese (I prefer to do a mix of Follow Your Heart’s Nacho Cheese and Mozzarella)

11-in whole wheat tortillas (Mission makes a good one, but you can get fresh ones from HEB or Central Market)

1-2 Avocados, for topping

Directions:  Remove corn kernels from the cob. I usually use a serrated knife and that usually works best. Chop bell peppers and onions to a desirable size. Lay tortillas out flat and in the middle of the tortilla layer refried beans, corn, peppers, onions, and cheese. Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll the tortilla slowly to close. Preheat oven for 450 degrees. Place tortillas on pan and bake for 10-15 minutes. The tortillas will just start to lightly brown, that’s when they’re done. I love to serve them with fresh guacamole.

Dinner is served!

Variations:   Try adding other vegetables that you enjoy. You can also serve them with tofutti Sour Cream and some fresh salsa. Or you can even add some fresh brown rice. Yummy! :)

A Tasty Butter Substitute

 

When I went vegan I was a little sad that I would no longer be able to eat butter. I thought, gone were the days of warm toast and melting butter with jam. But alas, I was wrong. My mother (who is also a fellow vegan) turned me onto a yummy butter substitute. Earth Balance is a wonderful substitute that tastes just like butter. In fact, I made the trade to this buttery concoction months before my husband ever noticed that it wasn’t the “real” thing. Earth Balance has a variety of spreads to choose from and they are all vegan. Plus, they also carry vegan shortening and buttery sticks that are great to bake with.

Earth Balance also makes soymilk and peanut butter spreads. Check out all of their products at www.earthbalancenatural.com.

New Additions to the Blog

Check out our new pages! We have added three new pages to our blog to help our vegan Austinites. We now have a restaurant page that has a list of restaurants that have vegan options. We also have added a page with grocery stores that carry vegan products and a list of farmers' markets in the Austin area. Please browse around and check it all out.

As always please send your comments or questions to twovegansisters@gmail.com

Enjoy!

Natural Beauty

Finally, a makeup that is kind to your face and kind to the earth! Rae Cosmetics is a local brand developed by Rochelle Rae. The line is designed to withstand humidity and perspiration; anyone who lives in the Texas heat can appreciate that. It's perfect for active women or just the girl on-the-go. The line is mineral based and offers everything from eyeliner to lip gloss, what else could a girl ask for? But wait! I haven't told you the best part, it's cruelty-free and enviromentally friendly. Check 'em out online here or visit their store. Go ahead and treat yourself, you deserve it!

Rae Cosmetics
1206 W. 38th Street
Suite #1206
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 320-8732
http://www.raecosmetics.com/

A Kinder Way of Life

With all this rain here in Austin it makes me want to snuggle up on the couch with my dog and a good book. The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone is pretty much the reason why my sister and I went vegan. It is also how we got our name, Keep Austin Kind. If you have not read this book, it comes highly recommended by the Two Vegan Sisters. Alicia gives it to you straight, but not in a harsh way like some other books have. The book is loaded with lots of great information regarding our meat industry, our dairy industry, and our earth. She backs up her info with some easy to understand science and data, but nothing to hardcore to lose you. It’s forthright, funny, and wonderfully humanizing. It was without a doubt one of my favorite reads of 2010. I read it cover to cover in one day. YES, it was that good and that easy to read. Plus, there are yummy recipes in the back. I just tried pan fried mochi this morning and it was AWESOME! A post of that will be forthcoming :)
Enjoy my friends!

Handy Knowledge

I must confess that my sister and I are newcomers to the whole Vegan lifestyle. As many of you will probably vouch, it can be hard sometimes to find products that are completely cruel-free. Manufacturers are very sneaky sometimes and what you may think is an innocuous product may actually hurt rather than help. Avoiding meat as a vegetarian can be very easy sometimes, but trying to avoid all animal products can be a true test. When reading the labels of products it is sometimes a daunting task to try and even wrap your head around the ingredients' names, let alone trying to figure out what they actually are. To help make it a little easier, here is a new ingredient to add to your mental checklist when buying beauty products, Lanolin.

Lanolin is not vegan.

Although lanolin does not sound bad or like it even comes from an animal it actually comes from sheep. Sadly lanolin is a wax that is secreted by and from domestic sheep. It is this wax that sheep naturally produce that helps sheep stay dry from water and rain. That is why manufacturers use this wax in things like hand creams and lotions because it makes them water resistant.

I was surprised to find out that the aromatherapy hand cream that I had purchased recently had lanolin in it. To make it worse, I thought I had been doing a good thing by buying this hand cream because it was not tested on animals. Buyer Beware. Remember that just because it is not tested on animals doesn't mean its free of animal ingredients.

If you are looking for kind lotions, try some of these:
Island Essence, http://www.islandessence.com/
Aubrey Organics, http://www.aubrey-organics.com/
Alba, http://www.albabotanica.com/

Sweet Treats

Who doesn't love a little sweet reward at the end of the day? As a vegan it can sometimes be hard to find places that have desserts that are kind to our animal friends. However, Quack's 43rd Street Bakery has got your fix. Quack's makes their desserts fresh from scratch daily. Yesterday my sister and I found that they have several vegan goodies to choose from. We of course had to sample several, including the vegan chocolate peanut butter cup, Erin's vegan lemon cupcake, and the chocolate vegan truffle. We were impressed to say the least. Everything was fresh and yummy! I highly recommend the truffle. Even my non vegan co-workers were jealous. Make sure to stop by there on your next outing in Hyde Park. You will not be disappointed!