Fresh Friday Finds

Fact! There are 700,000 homeless people in the U.S., and 18 million vacant houses and apartments…
Source

1. Turk + Taylor, Spring 09 is looking good! T+T is one of our favorite designers, who we’ve been following for a few seasons now. The collection is almost 100% organic cotton. Check them out! Also check out their new organic tees.

2. These shoes are golden! Cool, Vegan, fair-trade, and eco-friendly, does it get any better than that ? Jinga was started 3 years ago by two gals who give back at least 5% of sales to a social project in a Rio de Janeiro favela (shantytown) which provides activities and education to children to keep them away from gangs! (Thanks to reader Michael B. for this info!)

Bronze Classic Black

3. Undercover Animal Lover. This guy is an ethical vegan who risks his safety killing animals all day and shooting undercover footage so we can get a glimpse into the heavily-shrouded meat and dairy industries. Can you imagine? Read this rare interview with TIME magazine, and check his HBO documentary Death on a Factory Farm airing March 16.

4. This Sunday, March 15th, eat good vegan food and help farm animals!

Farm Sanctuary’s Dinner Night Broadway East
171 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Reservations for your party are available between 7:30 and 10 p.m.
Reserve your table online at www.opentable.com or by calling Laurie at 212-228-3100.
Be sure to mention Farm Sanctuary when making your reservation.

5. One of our favorite organic companies, Loomstate, is having a party at one of our favorite eco-boutiques, Kaight, on Friday March 20th. Get a free Loomstate organic tee with any purchase of Loomstate S/S ’09!loomstatess091

http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs015/1101388046492/img/141.jpg?a=1102501343552 Loomstate Tosh S/S Button Down

6.  Person to know: Historian and Activist GEORGE DRAFFAN

” ‘Development’ is a euphemism, much like the word ‘efficiency.’ Efficiency within the current system is really about how fast you can turn forests and mountains into wastepaper and soda pop cans. Is that good? If the purpose of life is to consume and destroy, then international trade and industrial civilization are definitely proven ways to speed that up .”

The Elite Consensus: When Corporations Wield the Constitution

Welcome to the Machine: Science, Surveillance, and the Culture of Control

Strangely Like War: The Global Assault on ForestsRailroads and Clearcuts: Legacy of Congress's 1864 Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grant

gg125x125.jpg7. Chloé Jo and the GGA weigh in on the myth that leather can be ‘eco-friendly‘ , on the best Vegan Cheeses, and on the controversy surrounding veganizing your companion animal. Watch out for those crazy cat people! They get their claws out!

Inside a typical tannery

Parma, you so fine. I wanna make you mine!

8. You might need a french terrycloth motorcycle jacket. I’m just saying….

9. From the folks who brought you EcoRazzi, Veg Daily is Born!veg daily logo, vegetarian, vegan, veggies, eating healthy

10. Veteran vegan rockers Propagandhi talk to VegNews about their forthcoming album, Supporting Caste.

2 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 13th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in activism, animal rights, art, books, celebrity, Contributer, energy, environmental justice, fair trade, fashion, food, green, human rights, music, news, organic, philosophy, restaurant, sex, Shoes, social responsibility, trend report, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian

Lula's Sweet Apothecary

lulas3

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary is a small, cabinet of curiosities and Ice Cream parlor tucked away in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I’ve been frequenting their shop, which has given the other vegan-friendly dessert joints (what’s their names again?) a serious run for their money. Lula’s is 100% vegan owned and operated, and will rocky-road your world!

The re-emergence of early 1900s decor is exemplified in this adorable, vintage-drug-store-inspired wonder-room where handmade, artisan, vegan delights line the walls in candy-shop jars, and rare vegan toppings (white chocolate, malt powder, peanut butter cups!) reside in card-catalogue drawers, neatly labeled. Even the friendly owners seem to have been plucked from a 1920′s photograph and the music should be coming out of a gramophone.

lulas

With nutmilk, coconut cream, and soymilk-based ice cream creations like the hugely popular cake batter and brownie batter or the traditional rocky road (complete with Sweet & Sara marshmallows), maple walnut, and even chocolate-vanilla-swirl soft-serve – Lula’s blows my mind. Last night, I enjoyed a brownie sundae with hot fudge, soy whipped cream, and a cherry on top. They have a rotating array of innovative flavors and confections. I have yet to try the New York Egg Cream (no egg, no cream), or a malted milk shake, but the hot cocoa, which was topped with fresh-shaved dark-chocolate, was brilliant, and the menu is extensive. One thing I know is that this place will have a line out the door come summer-time.

*The Discerning Brute readers get one free topping through June 1st, when you go in and say “The Discerning Brute sent me!”

8 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 12th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in activism, animal rights, art, DB Discount, food, green, organic, restaurant, sex, vegan, vegetarian

Panko-Crusted Seitan with Dulse-Miso Sauce

pankoseitanmiso

I made this crispy seitan entree specifically to go with seaweed salad. Panko is a light, Japanese-style bread crumb often used on tempura. This entree would also compliment watercress salad, miso soup, or any Japanese inspired sides. It packs a high-protein punch, and is sure to satisfy!

What You’ll Need (Serves 4):

Seitan:

  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 2 Tbs  nutritional yeast
  • 2 Tbs tahini or cashew butter
  • 2 cubes (or 2 Tablespoons) vegan bullion
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 Tbs Tamari
  • 1 tsp seat salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • canola oil
  • 1 cup Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
  • 1 Tbs Dulse Flakes (purple seaweed)
  • 1/2 cup prepared Egg-Replacer
  • greens for garnish (I used baby spinach)

Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup vegan mayo
  • 1 Tbs miso paste
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • dash of cayanne pepper (adjust to how spicy you like it)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a mixing bowl combine the wheat gluten with the nutritional yeast, salt, and dry spices. Mix until uniformly combined.
  2. Add (but do not mix) the oil, tahini/cashew butter, tamari, and bullion (dissolve bullion in 2 tbsp hot water if necessary)
  3. VERY GENTLY fold the batter only a few times (this ensures the seitan will not become rubbery) then using your hands – form into several, flat, palm-sized pieces. (If the dough is too wet (falling apart in your hands) add more gluten flour until it holds together.)
  4. In a pot of boiling water, boil pieces for 15 minutes, flipping once. They will grow in size.
  5. In 2 separate shallow bowls, place Panko with Dulse flakes, and the egg-replacer liquid.
  6. Remove seitan from boiling water, let cool for a few minutes
  7. Coat each piece of seitan in the egg replacer, then press into the panko/dulse
  8. Pan-fry on medium-high heat in 1/4 inch of canola oil until crisp and golden on each side

Sauce:

  1. Combine all ingrediens in a small bowl or mug.
  2. Top the seitan with it.
  3. Garnish if desired

9 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 10th 2009 | Posted in animal rights, food, global warming, green, Health, organic, recipes, sex, vegan, vegetarian

Pink & Ricky Gervais Star in Incredible PETA ad

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.2192396&w=425&h=350&fv=]

PETA’s brilliant, new video features the voices of Pink and Ricky Gervais as a rabbit and alligator duo who have a very interesting confrontation with some people at the coat check. Read More

3 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 9th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in activism, animal rights, art, celebrity, environmental justice, fair trade, fashion, green, news, organic, pets, sex, social responsibility, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian, video

Naked Nudies, SDN Eco-Bandit, Waxed Spring Peacoat & Rachel Comey Spills Out Some Vegan Shoes

There’s nothing we like better than slim organic jeans, eco-bandits, waxed-cotton spring peacoats, and vegan, canvas oxfords! Well, maybe total animal liberation. In the meantime, get the organic Nudie ‘Long John’ at OAK NYC, the Rachel Comey ‘Spiller’ shoe at Gimme Shoes, the organic SDN collection at sarahdixonsnova.com or if you’re in NYC, Treehouse, and the Spiewak bad-ass waxed peacoat at Alter. (Thanks to reader, Troy (A Kindness of Ravens) for the shoe tip!)

NOTE: I do believe there may be a leather belt-loop-label on the Nudie’s. Find out why you won’t like leather here.


Spiller

sdnbandit

No Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 9th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in animal rights, Contributer, fair trade, fashion, green, news, organic, sex, Shoes, social responsibility, trend report, vegan, vegetarian

The Nature of Natural

“I have heard people suggest that because humans are natural that everything humans do or create is natural. Chainsaws are natural. Nuclear bombs are natural. Our economics is natural. Sex slavery is natural. Asphalt is natural. Cars are natural. Polluted water is natural. A devastated world is natural. A devastated phyche is natural. Unbridled exploitation is natural. Pure objectification is natural. This is, of course, nonsense. We are embedded in the natural world. We evolved as social creatures in this natural world. We require clean water to drink, or we die. We require clean air to breathe, or we die. We require food, or we die. We require love, affection, social contact in order to become our full selves. It is part of our evolutionary legacy as social creatures. Anything that helps us to understand all of this is natural: Any ritual, artifact, process, action is natural, to the degree that it reinforces our understanding of our embeddedness in the natural world, and any ritual, artifact, process, action is unnatural, to the degree that it does not” — Derrick Jensen (Author, The Culture of Make Believe)

http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/R/7/2/natural-and-unnatural-disasters.jpg

Have you ever had this conversation with someone? You know, the one where you try to describe the actions of this culture – the affects our society has on wild nature, on each other, on children, on women, on animals, on indigenous peoples, on the poor. You see an interconnectedness, a pattern with a possible origin, and the response you get is “well, people are natural, everything comes from nature at some point, therefore everything we do and say and think must be natural“. You know deep down that this rationalization is flawed but you just can’t articulate why. You accuse the person of being nihilistic, or of rationalizing every terrible thing this culture has resulted in from genocide to child labor to domestication and Monsanto, but you still haven’t pinpointed the line that must be drawn between “natural” and “unnatural”. I found that the quote above really hits the nail on the head, without having to be an ecologist to understand it.

No Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 6th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in activism, animal rights, books, environmental justice, fair trade, fashion, food, global warming, green, Health, human rights, news, organic, philosophy, sex, Shoes, social responsibility, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian

Fresh Friday Finds

1. Viori’s Tees and Scarves, 100% US-grown organic cotton, water-based inks, made fairly in the USA.

Vuori Stone Scarf

2. NY Coalition for Healthy School Lunches is an organization that promotes plant-based farm-to-school nutritional and educational implementation. I had a chance to go eat a delicious, vegan meal with the kids in Harlem last week, and I have to say that the menu, which was designed by a collaboration between Candle 79 and the school, was really yummy! Find out how you can get involved by clicking below:

NYCHSF logo

3. Reware’s JuiceBag ES300 Solar Messenger charges iPods, Cell Phones, GPS, Cameras, etc, and is made from recycled soda bottles.

4. Refinding’s reclaimed accessories, made from reclaimed materials like trading cards, nylon, matchbooks, and type-writer keys.

5. Abuse of Primates in Research Labs exposed on ABC’s NIGHTLINE. If you missed it on TV, read the article at change.org. Read also about why animal experimentation is so inneffective from a woman undergoing cancer treatment, and watch the Nightline video below:

nightlineprimates


6. Sameunderneath Knit Blazer  on Sale, 75% organic cotton, 25% polyester

7. HBO premieres the documentary “Death on a Factory Farm”. Get program schedule here. Watch a clip from the doc:

8. Of The Earth organic cotton hoodies.

9. Veg News weighs in on obstacles to estimating the number of veg kids. The CDC fails at surveying. Read the article:

10. Do you ever have a clogged drain and you end up buying the toxic, animal-tsted Draino? Finally there’s a pure, natural environmentally-friendly, enzyme-producing bacteria that liquefies grease, fats, and other organic wastes and controls odors in drains, garbage disposals, and septic systems. Earthworm! What’s best? It’s only five bucks at VeganStore.com.

2 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 5th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in activism, animal rights, art, celebrity, environmental justice, fair trade, fashion, food, global warming, green, grooming, Health, home, human rights, news, organic, philosophy, sex, social responsibility, trend report, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian

Car Sick

“If a group of aliens came to this planet and said they would bring us all sorts of goodies like jet skis, tomatoes in January, computers, and so on (or at least they would bring them to the richest of us), on the multiple conditions that we offer up to them a yearly sacrifice of a half-million human lives, change our planet’s climate, individually spend increasing amounts of time serving them, and socially devote an ever-increasing amount of land and other resources to their service, we would rebel in a flash. Or at least I hope we would.” - Jan Lundberg, Anti-Road activist making analogy to car culture, Alliance for a Paving Moratorium

http://www.hardrivesinc.com/UserFiles/Image/HWY35%20-%201.jpg

http://ilovemountains.org/images/FAQimages/blasting.jpg

The EPA is considering reversing a Bush Administration decision that has prevented many states from taking action to reduce global warming from cars. You can sign the petition HERE, and then consider the issue even further. Some say that the most destructive aspect of cars is destroying mountains to  access metals to build the car itself. Sorry hybrid lovers – sorry electric idealists – sorry LA! According to WorldCarFree.net, A car causes more pollution before it’s ever driven than in its entire lifetime of driving. The EPA now estimates that mountaintop removal will double over the next decade, destroying forests, river systems, animals, and anything else that may be in the way.

When you combine that with ever-increasing road-building, which requires 250,000 tons of sand and gravel per mile, in addition to millions of annual deaths, and tens of millions of annual injuries caused by car accidents, we can’t help but wonder if arranging your life to do most things locally isn’t the best option? Maybe those locavores are on to something? Anyone else wanna give up their cubicle to work from home?

I could even go into the energy required to build certain bike frames (and how no matter how far you ride it, you could never compensate for the energy used to make the alloys) but I’ll save that for another day. Get out your walking shoes… hmm..wonder what those are made out of and how much the person was paid who glued on the sole and stiched the seams?

2 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 5th 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in activism, energy, environmental justice, global warming, green, Health, news, social responsibility, travel, trend report, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian

Easy, Cheesy Toaster Pizza

toasterpizza

Remember the days before you knew about dairy farming, when you’d come home from school and pop a frozen Ellio’s pizza into the oven and just 10 minutes later you’d have a crispy, cheesy treat to eat while watching Duck Tales? This delish snack I created is similarly satisfying (and much healthier for you and the cows). This recipe is 100% vegan, dairy-free, super easy, really yummy, and fast! Now all you need is a cartoon to watch…

Easy, Cheesy Toaster Pizza

what you’ll need:

  • 2 slices of organic, whole-grain sourdough bread
  • 4 tbsp organic tomato sauce
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1/4 cup plain rice or almond milk
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • pinch of salt & pepper
  • 2 drops black truffle oil (not required, but very yummy)

directions:

  1. In a blender, combine cashews, rice or almond milk, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, agave, and truffle oil until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Slice the onion, and in a small pan, sautee over medium heat with a teaspoon of olive oil until golden.
  3. Take the 2 slices of bread, and spread about 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce on each.
  4. Drizzle the cashew cheese you’ve made evenly on top.
  5. Top with the sauteed onions.
  6. Toast in a toaster oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cashew cheese begins to brown.

33 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 3rd 2009 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in food, Health, organic, recipes, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian

Gala Gallery

March 24, 2009, Vegan Food and Wine Tasting at The Max Studio

Press Photohttp://supervegan.com/blog/images/joshkatcherlarger.jpghttp://videogum.com/img/thumbnails/posts/morgan_spurlock2.jpghttp://thediscerningbrute.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/chloe.jpg

Come meet Yours Truly: Joshua Katcher, and Chloé Jo, as well as Golden Girl: Rue McClanahan, Moby, Morgan Spurlock, and Dan Pirraro as “Celebrity Guest Wine Pourers” at a special evening to benefit PCRM. Hosted by Mary and Peter Max and PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., Featuring food and wine from Bonobo’s, Candle 79, Dessert Diva – Fran Costigan, 4 Course Vegan, and Organic Vintages. Register NOW as tickets are going fast!

Please Mary and Peter Max and PCRM President Dr. Neal Barnard for a special evening to benefit PCRM

____________________________________________________

March 14, 2009, ARFF 20th Anniversary Gala
http://thehealingtouch.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/bob_barker_retires-768476.jpghttp://www.treehugger.com/pamela-anderson-picture-1.jpghttp://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/wp-content/uploads/newkirk1.jpg

Gala

Bob Barker, of The Price is Right fame, will host the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) 20th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, March 14, 2009, at 7 p.m., at the Broward County Convention Center. Pamela Anderson is the guest of honor. The black-tie-optional affair will provide members and supporters the opportunity to meet, mingle and relax while enjoying an exciting, eventful evening. Highlights of the gala will include a gourmet vegan dinner, an open bar, silent and live auctions featuring items from actress Kim Basinger and basketball player Yao Ming, and book signings by PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk and PCRM’s Dr. Neal Barnard. All proceeds from the gala will be used to fund ARFF’s Humane Education program, which has educated thousands of schoolchildren in Florida on veganism, companion animals and wildlife. Tickets for the gala are $250 and can be purchased by calling (954) 727-ARFF or visiting www.arff.org <http://www.arff.org>

2 Comments

TheDiscerningBrute, March 1st 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in activism, animal rights, art, celebrity, Contributer, environmental justice, food, green, Health, holiday, news, organic, pets, restaurant, sex, social responsibility, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian
Newer Posts »