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We've made a few changes to our site that we would like to make you aware of.

First, we've added a Vegan Resources page which contains an ever-growing number of resources designed to help you find additional information about veganism. This includes general information, nutritional advice from the experts, recipe sites we like, and restaurant review sites.

This page is dynamic and will continue to grow as we find more and more sites which we believe will be of value to you.

We've also added Got Bits? This page has information about RSS and email subscriptions... What they are, how to sign up. We know that as technology is constantly changing, and we all sometimes need a quick explanation.

It is our intent to continue to grow and improve this site. If there is anything you'd like to see, please drop us a comment.

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Let me preface this article by saying that Jane and I became vegans for health reasons. Over the course of learning about the benefits of a vegan diet, we've read literature on factory farming. And, as with most people, the more we read, the more appalled we become.

Today, watching our local CBS news affiliate, we were very disturbed by a story that was aired on animal cruelty at the Hallmark Meat Packing Company, a slaughterhouse in Chino, California. The Humane Society surreptitiously recorded the abuse of sick and injured cows, behavior designed to get the cows to walk to the slaughterhouse.

Federal and California laws have prohibited the slaughter of "downer" cattle since 1989. The term "downer" is applied to those cows that cannot stand or walk. Cattle categorized as "downer" are not allowed to enter the human food supply. This is intended to prevent both animal cruelty and the consumption of meat from unhealthy animals. "Downer" cattle are at heightened risk for infections ranging from mad cow disease, to E. coli, to salmonella.

The meat processed at Hallmark is distributed by Westland Meat Co., also based in Chino, California. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Westland sold 27 million pounds of frozen meat last year to federal food and nutrition programs, including those that furnish meals to the poor and elderly across 36 states. Westland is also a major supplier of beef to the federal school lunch program.

The Humane Society is calling for quick action from our government to guarantee the most basic level of humane treatment for farm animals and to protect Americans from potentially dangerous food.

The two employees caught abusing cattle on the Humane Society video have been fired, and their supervisor suspended. The USDA is investigating potential violations of state and federal laws, and has indefinitely suspended Westland's participation in federal food and nutrition programs.

The video below is a segment of the footage that was shot by a Hallmark Meat Packing employee who was working undercover for the Humane Society in the fall of 2007. Warning: Do not watch the video below if you are at all squeamish.

This is just another one of the growing number of reasons why we don't eat meat these days.

For additional information on this video see:

• US Department of Agriculture-- Press Release
• Westland Meat Company -- Press Release
• CBS Evening News
• CNN
• Associated Press

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I was chatting away on some vegan thread yesterday and was told, for the second time, that I'm not a vegan. Apparently this post, where I mention that I slipped, disqualifies me. Then there was the indirect attack thrown at me, "damned, stupid, half-vegans."

I have to say, I'm not sure why deliberately having one non-vegan meal in over six months of vegan meals disqualifies me from being a vegan. I was in a social situation where there was nothing else for me to eat but pizza and Guiness (two of the things I miss the most) and potato chips and coke. But even if that weren't the case, why does one meal out of 6oo make me a vegetarian (or as someone else called me, a carnivore)?

I'm sorry, I'm not going to categorize myself as a vegetarian. I don't buy cheese or dairy products. However, I am on the fence about honey and sugar, and wool. When I shop I look for vegan products. I try my best to eat vegan when I'm not in my home, but I cannot control everything. The waitstaff at any given restaurant isn't likely to know every ingredient, and the refining processes of those ingredients, in every meal prepared in the restaurant in which they work. Nor will they have the time to go into the kitchen and speak with the chef during the busy dinner rush. So, I do the best I can. And I feel good about my choices. I know I'm making a difference.

Yes, the exact definition of the word vegan is to consume (in any form) no animal products.

From Wikipedia: "The term "animal product" in a vegan context refers to any material derived from animals for human use. Notable animal products include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, honey, fur, leather, wool, and silk. Common animal by-products include gelatin, lanolin, rennet, whey, casein, beeswax, and shellac."

But does that mean I'm not a vegan? There are some people who will unequivocally say "yes, that is exactly what it means." But I don't agree with that. Whatever your objective, be it physical health, environmental impact, or animal welfare, doesn't the first step start with a reduction in the consumption of animal products? Any change in behavior requires a period of adjustment and there will always be the occasional lapse in discipline. One step off the path doesn't mean I've changed my direction.

Do you say someone isn't a democrat if they voted green in the last election? Do you say someone isn't a Catholic if they only go to church once or twice a year? Do you say someone isn't a Jew if they don't keep kosher at home? Or if they do keep kosher at home, but don't when they eat out? Or how about the people who only recycle at home, are they not environmentalists to some degree? Lighten up people!

It's this militant, self-righteous attitude that is most off-putting when people consider going vegan. To know you are going to constantly have to defend your decisions to other people is wearying, and forbidding. In this country, we all have the freedom to choose our own paths.

And finally, if we are so busy preaching compassion to animals, doesn't that include compassion to the human animal?

“Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.” --Henry Ward Beecher

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Hi everyone, it's Jane posting today. I'm a Daring Baker, and today is our day to post on the January challenge.

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was Lemon Meringue Pie. I have to admit, I was rather downhearted when I found out what we would be baking. This was only my second month participating in the group, and last month's Yule Log didn't work out well. I didn't want to start off 0-for-2. I mean, vegan meringue? Not likely. But I joined this group to force myself to start baking again. Now that I'm vegan, I've had to re-learn a few things, some of which I've gotten and other things still require further study. But I do know that you can't make meringue without egg whites!

Not wanting to give up before I even started, I went out and purchased the ingredients for the rest of the pie. But what was I going to do about the meringue? I scoured the internet for vegan alternatives. I found one which uses agar and looked like the real thing. Unfortunately, I also found very mixed reviews on this topping and didn't want to risk it as I was planning on serving these to company. (Something I was taught NEVER to do!)
Ultimately, I settled on this concoction:

• 3/4 cup lite silken tofu (firm), crumbled
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons hazelnut oil, walnut oil or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

The tofu would add some protein to the dessert which would compensate for the lack of nutritional value in the the lemon filling since I would be using Ener-G Egg Replacer, which doesn't have any protein at all. And this meringue alternative sounded like it would have a nice sweet taste. So now I had a plan of attack. Time to get to work!

We had the option of making a pie, or "tartlets." I opted for the tartlets, thinking I could customize them if any portion of the recipe didn't work out. A far less wasteful approach!

The crust was no problem. I've made crust many times before. This recipe was easily "veganizable" - I simply replaced the butter with vegan butter. Then I shaped the tartlets bottoms and into the oven they went. They looked very cute and I was optimistic.

Now I was getting in to uncharted territory... it was time to make the pie filling. I was able to follow the recipe exactly, with the exception of the 5 egg yolks, and a bit of yellow food dye which was necessary to make the lemon filling look like lemon filling. The Ener-G egg replacer has instructions for replacing whole eggs, egg whites, and egg yolks on the box. So, I prepared 5 "egg yolks." This was the second time I'd used that product and I wasn't really confident that it would work here. But, to my delight, the pie filling was delicious! It just looked a little weak. The lemon and lemon zest didn't really do enough to color the filling yellow. So that's where the food dye came in. Lemon pie filling should be yellow, after all!

Lane was hovering over me as I topped the tartlet crusts. He loves lemon meringue and knew I'd let him lick the spatula when I was finished. We "accidentally" broke one of the crusts, and so, we got a sneak preview of the lemon pie sans meringue. Again, it was truly delicious. Now I was feeling rather confident that this was a dessert I could serve.

But it was time to start thinking about the most troubling aspect of this pie, the meringue. I'd already decided on the tofu topping mentioned above.

People on the Daring Bakers board were commenting that the filling broke down when they put the pie back in to cook/brown the meringue. Well, I wasn't going to have that problem. My topping didn't need to cook. One hurdle down. Unfortunately, I didn't love the way my "meringue" tasted. Neither did Lane. It wasn't bad, it's just one of those things you either like, or you don't, and we didn't. Instead of topping the tartlets like a traditional meringue, I opted to put a light decorative line across the top. I thought the lemon alone wasn't going to be interesting enough, and the challenge did allow for a fruit topping of some sort, so I made a simple warm blueberry and sugar jelly.

When it came time for dessert to be served, I microwaved the blueberries and spooned them over the lemon tarts. Dessert was a hit which was evidenced by the fact that not one bite remained. Yay! My first successful Daring Bakers challenge.