I started out intending to make a lasagna noodle house for FSMas this afternoon, but on a whim I decided to whip up some lemon cupcakes instead. I’ve got a ton of baking mixes stashed in the pantry (my parents, they take care of me!), and I figured it’s probably time use ‘em, right?

The lemon cake mix I used is from Dr. Oetker Organics line of baking mixes. I’ve tried their muffin mixes before – lemon poppyseed and blueberry, I think, both of which were really good – so I figured the lemon cake mix would be a safe bet. And it was!

The cake mix only took a few minutes to make – just add egg replacer, oil and soy milk, blend a bit, and voilà – done. Once the cupcakes were in the oven and baking, I got to work on the vanilla buttercream frosting. I’ve never tried making my own frosting from scratch, so before starting, I made sure I had a tub of frosting (strawberry!) in the pantry as a backup.

A quick Google search turned up this ‘Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting’ recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I think it’s a fairly common vegan buttercream frosting recipe, as I found a number of similar variations online. The base is 1 part shortening to 1 part margarine, with powdered sugar, soy milk and the flavoring of your choice mixed in. I played it safe and stuck to the vanilla version.

Overall, I think it turned out well; certainly, the frosting was much easier to make than I thought it would be. I made a bit of a splattery mess when blending the shortening and margarine, and then the shortening/margarine mix with the sugar, but once I got a feel for the mixer and the density of the frosting, it was smooth sailing. All in all, I finished up the frosting in about 20 minutes, just in time to take the cupcakes out of the oven.

I’m happy with how the Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting came out, but it isn’t quite as “buttery” as I’d hoped. I’d love to recreate Eden Alley’s frosting; maybe I’ll add a little extra margarine next time? Less vanilla, perhaps? Anyone have a favorite super-buttery frosting recipe, like you might find in a bakery?

Also, the recipe from VCTOTW makes enough frosting for roughly 24 cupcakes; just thought I’d throw that out there, since I couldn’t find a “serving size” online. Because I only made 18 cupcakes, mine are pretty heavy on the frosting.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you.

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Tagged: food recipe recipes vegan veganism vegetarian vegetarianism baking cupcakes lemon lemon cupcakes review dr. oetker organic frosting buttercream buttercream frosting vanilla vanilla buttercream frosting vegan cupcakes take over the world flickr photos

I rarely review veg*n foodstuffs*, but this chocolate chip cookie mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen is so simple and yummy that it definitely merits a mention.

The unusual thing about the Cherrybrook Kitchen line of mixes is that they’re designed for those living with allergies: they’re pea(nut) free, egg free and dairy free, and some of their mixes are wheat free and gluten free as well.

What does this mean for us veg*ns?

Well, since the mix is egg free – and it’s designed for those who can’t have eggs – the baking instructions don’t require eggs at all. That means no mucking around with egg substitutes. And anyone who’s had trouble getting the Ener-G Egg Replacer powder to dissolve fully in a few tablespoons of water knows that improperly mixed Egg Replacer equals dried glue-like blobs of gunk in your baked goods. So not having to substitute eggs is an awesome development!

Prep time for the Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix was about five minutes and required three dishes: a measuring cup for the water, a bowl in which to soften the margarine, and a bowl in which to mix the ingredients. I had the batch of 18 cookies (two fewer than claimed by CK, so not that far off) done and in the oven within ten minutes (that includes time spent fending off the legion of begging doggehs), and a cookie was in my belly within 30.

The cookies themselves were really good: almost as yummy as my favorite “scratch” chocolate chip cookie recipe. Almost, but not quite. Still, pretty friggin’ good. Very fluffy and moist, with juuuust the right amount of melty mini-chocolate chips. And just as good the next day.

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A hearty, hungry shout-out to Kara at Lantern Books, who recently sent me copies of How to Eat like a Vegetarian Even If You Never Want to Be One: More than 250 Shortcuts, Strategies, and Simple Solutions by Carol J. Adams and Patti Breitman and Look Two Ways on a One-Way Street: Food for Thought from the Founder of Candle Cafe and Candle 79 by Bart Potenza.

Carol Adams, of course, is one of my favorite eco-feminist/veg*n feminist authors, so I’m eager to try out some of her favorite recipes. That, and I’m feeling a bit adventurous after last month’s VeganMoFo. And Bart Potenza’s little book of mind morsels sounds like just the thing to digest on a rainy, dreary Midwestern November afternoon. While perched in front of my sun lamp, natch.

Keep an eye out for reviews, as well as the inevitable food porn.

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Tagged: books shout out lantern books stephen colbert flickr photos cookbook

Oh yays! The lovely Kara from Lantern Books sent me two ARCs (Advance Reading Copies), and I’m psyched about them both: Strategic Action for Animals by Melanie Joy and Social Creatures: A Human and Animal Studies Reader, edited by Clif Flynn.

Strategic Action looks as first glance as though it will make a nice supplement to Striking at the Roots, and Social Creatures is an anthology of essays on anthrozoology. So, yays all around!

Lantern Books has a pretty interesting selection of new releases, not all of which deal with animal advocacy issues. For example, there’s a book on male aggression (Boys Will Be Boys) and another about the Columbine school shootings (No Easy Answers). So, go check ‘em out. As of last month, they’re also on Library Thing – so if you’re an Early Reviewer (and, um wtf wouldn’t you be, you silly bird?), maybe you’ll be able to snag a Lantern book via LT. Last go-round they offered up 15 copies of Aftershock, with 321 members requesting a copy…not too shabby!

I also treated myself to a few early birthday presents – a subscription to Veg News (The two-year subscription comes with a free tote, which is friggin massive. I should be able to cram an entire Whole Foods trip into it. Well, almost. All that Purely Decadent ice cream might put me over the top.), and three more books: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (I was reading a library copy, but I ran out of renewals!), The Caged Virgin by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Thirty Ways of Looking at Hillary, another anthology of essays.

Oh mans, I love book piles. Maybe a little too much.

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Tagged: books shout out lantern books strategic action for animals social creatures activism animals animal rights animal welfare animal activism animal advocacy anthrozoology flickr photos

Yo! It’s time for another easyVegan Shout Out!

This one’s to Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots, who so graciously send me a copy to read and review. (Thanks, Mark!)

I’m a bit behind the curve on this one – seems like everyone and their dogs have already read it (there’s even a Wiki entry!) – but I’m working on it and hope to have a review soon. I just got the book yesterday, and have already given it a few skim-throughs. Looks like a good read. (And the cover is super-cute, too!)

In the meantime, go check out some of Mark’s other stuff. I recommend starting with Satya (rest in peace, my mostest favoritist animal lib magazine evah!) and then catching up on some of his more recent writings. (Ironically, there’s also a Mark Hawthorne who works as the Managing Director of McDonald’s. Unless Mark is going deep undercover, assume that they aren’t one in the same, and skip right through McD’s propagandtastic press releases.)

More info about Striking at the Roots after the jump.

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And to celebrate the occasion, proprietor Furry Girl is offering all easyvegan-ers – that would be all of y’all who read this humble blog – 10% off through August 3rd. Your (coupon) codename: EASYVEGAN.

After the flip, a little more info about the The Sensual Vegan. Because, ya know, it’s “adult” and all. Gawd forbid the kiddies find out about teh s-e-x.

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Got another care package from the good folks at Lantern Books. Actually, I guess it was a few weeks ago now…wow, do I move slowly! Better stop dilly dallying here and get a-readin’.

Anywho, this time they sent me copies of Aftershock by pattrice jones (of Eastern Shore Sanctuary fame) and Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs by Zoe Weil. I started Aftershock last week, right before my basement flooded and I became otherwise occupied with waterlogged books and moldy floors. So far, all’s good – I’ve got high expectations for this one. While you’re waiting for my slow self to post a review, check out this one from invisible voices.

On that note, I best retire to bed for the night.

Thanks again, Kara!

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare shout out lantern books books book reviews aftershock Claude and Medea pattrice jones Zoe Weil flickr

I received my first package of swag in the mail Friday, so here comes the promised shout-out.

Sorry, I had to do that. Really.

Anywho – the good folks at Lantern Books sent me copies of Dr. Michael Greger’s newest book, Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching (tbr November 15),

as well as Hillary Rettig’s recent release, The Lifelong Activist: How to Change the World Without Losing Your Way.

Thanks, guys!

So far I’ve only had a chance to skim each, but they both look like good reads. Reviews forthcoming – I’ll post them here and on Amazon when I’m done.

BTW, if you haven’t yet, go check out Lantern Books. Their catalog focuses on a number of progressive topics, including animal advocacy, vegetarianism, nature and environment, and social thought. They also maintain a mailing list for animal advocates and NYC residents (sign up to receive notices of NYC events, and watch while this Kansan turns green with envy).

As always, if you’ve got a book, CD, movie, etc. that you’d like me to mention here and/or review – I like stuff. Especially free stuff. Details and contact info here.

An interesting aside on Bird Flu – one of my biggest gripes with the mainstream media is their (collective) bad habit of not following up on stories. I was recently considering this in relation to the whole bird flu scare (remember how the bird flu reports practically disappeared after 2004, even though the virus is still spreading today?), when I happened to spot a mention of the bird flu on the CNN ticker.

The general gist of it:

The U.S. government has approved the use of firefighting foam to kill chickens quickly if there is an outbreak of deadly bird flu in commercial poultry.

The Agriculture Department says water-based foam can be an alternative to carbon dioxide, which has traditionally been used to quickly kill large quantities of birds.

Foam can be used to suffocate floor-reared flocks _ chickens and turkeys raised primarily for meat _ to contain deadly bird flu, said APHIS spokeswoman Karen Eggert. Foam also can be used in outbreaks of rapidly spreading disease such as Exotic Newcastle, a fatal respiratory virus in birds, when state or federal officials deem it necessary.

And it can be used when birds are in structurally unsound buildings, such as a building damaged by a hurricane or other natural disaster, she said.

But in Canada, a senior official with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said this form of killing is not considered humane and Canada will not adopt the practice.

“The information that we have at this point in time suggests that rather than humanely destroying the birds, they in effect drown from inhaling the material, the water in it.”

The practice has other critics. Animal rights advocates argue against using the foam because it suffocates the animals, and they are urging authorities to use gases instead.

Lovely. And in their true lazy, ADD-addled fashion, nary a word of this was said on CNN. Apparently, only the intern who operates the ticker thought that widespread, government-endorsed animal cruelty was worth a mention.

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Tagged: animals animal+rights poultry chickens birds bird+flu avian+flu shout-out activism book+reviews the+media lantern+books

Those dozen or so readers who have been with easyVegan since the beginning (meaning, June ’06) know that I just came back from twenty-one glorious days of vacation a few weeks ago. Well, I finally have the inevitable vacation pictures available for perusal over at Flickr. Just a tad bit late, yes, but in my defense my little sis managed to infect me with her germies right before I left, so I’ve spent most of the past two weeks in bed or, during my more lucid moments, doing mindless dreg work on the ‘puter. I’ll only post a small selection here, so if you’re one of those sickos who actually enjoys looking at other people’s vacation slideshows (gasp!), check out my Road Trippin’ ’06 set on Flickr.

First up – THOSE VEGAN DONUTS from Ronald’s Donuts in Las Vegas:

Yes, yes, I know – one of the donuts does have a huge hunk missing. It’s in my belly. Well, technically, I guess they all ended up in my belly, but that half was ingested in the seconds before I snapped the pic. You see, I was so excited by the presence of VEGAN DONUTS that I wolfed half of ‘em down before I even thought to take a picture.

Luckily, we bought a second batch before our departure:

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? It brings a tear. (Guess you’ve gotta be a veg*n to understand.)

Sadly, the donuts didn’t fare too well on the plane ride back. I still ate ‘em, though. Hey, it’s hard to completely annihilate such sweetness.

Interestingly, Grist ran a story on green/veggie food options in Sin City not long after we returned to Kansas. It wasn’t a huge kick in the arse – having spent an afternoon researching vegan eateries on Happy Cow before the trip, I was well-versed on all the guilt-free options available in Vegas – but it was fun to note which of the featured businesses we had hit up during our weeklong stay. We went grocery shopping at the new Whole Foods mentioned in the article, and ordered lunch from Rainbow’s End Natural Foods & Café. It isn’t nearly the dealio as is Ron’s Donuts (c’mon, what trumps VEGAN DONUTS!?), but it definitely rocks the strip. Certainly, Vegas is unexpectedly welcoming to veg*ns – just don’t go there during the summer months. Trust me.

And DO stop by Ronald’s, at least once. Screw the diet, it’s worth it.

While in Vegas, we also…

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