I'm back! So Many Things to Share!

I have been able to get rid of some of the stresses in my life but am still having health issues.  I have decided to go raw vegan because I realized that I haven't been eating enough veggies and fruits or getting enough hydration.

Here's a better explanation:

I look and feel terrible right now but I am ready to change that and get healthy again!  Upcoming podcasts will include lots of talks with other raw food and vegan enthusiasts.

Stay tuned!

I'm so sorry

I have to suspend the show the time being.  I am in the process of applying to PhD programs and it is a far more time consuming process than I planned for.  I have tried to schedule the editing into my day and simply don't have the time.

I am so sorry.  Check back after December 15th when my last application deadline has passed.  I hope to resume the show then.

Thanks
Fianna

A little interlude...

Sorry about change in schedule.  I have been very ill for the last 3 weeks and haven't been able to work on anything.

Coming soon - The Interview with Demetrius Bagley, Producer of Vegucated.

Thank you for your patience!

The Starter Vegan Podcast Episode #6 - An Interview with Alice Ng of Animals Asia

Today I interview Alice Ng, of Animals Asia, an advocacy group working toward the abolition of bile farming.

Listen to the podcast below:

 

You can find more information about the bile farms and Animals Asia's cat and dog rescues at www.AnimalsAsia.org

Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnimalsAsia

Twitter at twitter.com/animalsasia 

YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/forAnimalsAsia?feature=CAoQwRs%3D

Scroll Down to the bottom of the page for a bio of a couple of the sanctuary bears.

Oliver caged

Oliver Free

Jasper Before

Jasper After

Emma

Best Friends

Enclosure at the Sanctuary

Full Metal Jacket cast aside 

closeup of Full metal jacket in use

Interaction with other bears is essential to recovery

Cesar in Full Metal Jacket

Photos courtesy of Animals Asia and Jo-Anne McArthur

Bears Bio

The individual bears living at Animals Asia’s Bear Rescue Centers in China and Vietnam have their own personalities, quirks, favorite foods, and preferred past-times. Some are happiest lounging in the sun, while others just want to play. Despite years of painful incarceration on bear bile farms, it doesn’t take long for freed bears’ bright and beautiful personalities to come shining through as they roam, romp, and forage. We’d like to introduce you to a few of the bears currently living at our two placid sanctuaries, having left painful lives of incarceration on bear bile farms behind them.

Jasper

Known as a gentle peacemaker, happy and handsome moon bear Jasper is known to separate aggressive younger bears when their play gets too rough. Jasper has become somewhat of a “rock star” at our China Bear Rescue Center, with many fans among our supporters. Rescued from a Chinese bile farm in 2001, Jasper had spent years barely able to move, trapped in a “crush” cage with the top section pushed down and rusted in place on top of him. A loveable rascal, Jasper is now a healthy, strong bear who stands six feet tall. Those who take care of him find his capacity for forgiveness profound; amazingly, given the horrific treatment Jasper was subjected to for so many years, he now shows complete trust in his caretakers, even coming when he is called by humans.

Dream

Dream, a beautiful moon bear, arrived at our Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in December 2011 after having spent as many as eight years on a bear bile farm in the southern part of the country. Despite missing one front paw, and the other being severely deformed, Dream has had a strong recovery from her initial health challenges. She is now happily living in her own den at River House, where she takes pleasure in climbing up on the platforms to look out at the mountains. She also enjoys lounging in her very own hanging basket bed. Her new existence is a true testament to the bears’ ability to recover from years of excruciating farming, Dream now only has days of peace and freedom to look forward to.

Oliver

When we first met Oliver he had lived thirty years, the entire natural lifespan of a bear, in a cage while being painfully farmed for his bile with the use of a metal jacket and catheter. Oliver, a brown bear, now happily spends his days meandering around his enclosure at Animals Asia’s China Bear Rescue Center, splashing in his much-loved rock pool, and foraging for food. There was a moment during Oliver’s rescue when we weren’t sure he would survive the trip home. On the four-day journey to the rescue center in Chengdu, he became seriously ill, requiring life-saving surgery on the bed of the truck that carried him. He came through with flying colors and lived to see his new life at the sanctuary. He no longer lives in terror, flattened to the bottom of a small cage. Today, Oliver strolls freely, enjoying his senior days in the sun while feeling the earth beneath his great bear paws.

David

One of the first sun bears to join our family was David, a big, gorgeous goof known for his relaxed and gentle personality. David arrived with us in September 2008. A true charmer, David was thought to have been smuggled from Laos, and had been confiscated earlier the same year in Nghe An province. David now shares a home with a group of other sun bears who all have access to an outdoor enclosure where they like to play together. He has grown into a very laid-back, friendly adult bear, who enjoys spending days playing with his companions and can always be relied upon to give newcomers a warm welcome.

 Photos Courtesy of Animals Asia and Jo-Anne McArthur

The Starter Vegan Podcast #5 - A Vegan Chocolate Tasting with Special Guest Allison Higginbotham

In today's episode, I invite my longtime friend Allison Higginbotham to taste test vegan chocolates.




The Chocolates and The Taste Test Results

Ikea Dark Chocolate - middle of the road, not bad for $1chocolate but a little dry
Lindt Swiss Bittersweet - creamy, almost milk chocolate texture and good, rich taste
Citarella Pomegranate Dark Chocolate - Crumbly, and very little flavor
Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Goji Berries, Pecans and Maca - Pasty, powdery texture, almost no flavor, bitter aftertaste
Lake Champlain Peppermint Crunch - crisp, creamy and delicious with little bits of peppermint candy inside
Perugina Dark Chocolate with Caramelized Almonds - Good and creamy
Perugina Bittersweet - Pasty under the tongue, starchy on the palette
Sharffen Berger Mocha - good creamy texture, crunchy espresso bits in the bar, good coffee taste and fragrance
Citarella Dark Chocolate Cranberries - Good, middle of the road, sweeter and creamier than the other chocolate of the same brand.
Chocolove Dark Chocolate with Orange Peel - rich and fragrant with a strong orange taste and crunchy texture.
Noi Pure Icelandic Chocolate Bittersweet - Creamy, strong flavored, very good texture, easy meltability
Noi Pure Icelandic Chocolate SemiSweet - Very creamy and sweet, closest to milk chocolate in texture and taste, refreshing aftertaste.
Enjoy Life Mini Chips - Dry if straight out of the bag, melty and very similar to standard chocolate chips in cookies.
Baker's Chocolate - Very good in baked goods



Allison's Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large banana, mashed
2 cups Enjoy Life Mini Chips

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
Beat together, margarine, both sugars and vanilla in bowl of mixer.  Add banana.  Mix well.
Add dry mixture.   Stir until flour is well incorporated.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9-11 minutes.




Fianna's Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegan margarine, room temperature

1 cup turbinado sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1 egg replacer  (1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer plus 2 tablespoons water)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup chopped raw almonds

Preheat to 325°F.  

Place flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. 

Using electric mixer, beat margarine, sugar, and molasses in mixer bowl until well blended. Mix in egg and both extracts. Beat in flour mixture. Mix in oats, then chocolate chips, cherries and almonds.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies 12 minutes or until slightly browned.

Sponsors of this Podcast

Vegan Farmgirl In the City -www.veganfarmgirl.wordpress.com

Animals Asia - www. animalsasia.org

Fianna MacGregor Consulting/ Vegan Lifestyle Coach - www.fiannamacgregorconsulting.com

A Mini (and very focused) Videocast

The Starter Vegan Videocast #5 - Making Vegan Pesto

Today's Starter Vegan Videocast is all about making Vegan Pesto with Fianna MacGregor.  This is a simple and delicious sauce and spread that will start your vegan lifestyle with a bang.  It can be used on pasta, as a spread on bread or toast, or can be used as a pizza topping.

Vegan Pesto

2 cups basil, stems removed
2-6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons veggie broth (more if needed)

Put everything in a food processor and blend for 3-5 minutes, stopping at least once to scrape down sides of bowl. Add more salt if desired.

If mixture is too thick, add more veggie broth until desired consistency is achieved.

Place in a covered container in the fridge until ready for use.