Elevate Difference

Reviews tagged vegan

Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

My library copy of Vegan with a Vengeance shouldn’t have been returned. Not in the state it was in after it lived in my kitchen for five renewed status cycles (the maximum number I was allowed before I had to return it to my local library). The book shouldn’t have been returned because it smelled like food.

Veganize This!: From Surf & Turf to Ice-Cream Pie--200 Animal-Free Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

One of the struggles faced by many vegetarians, vegans, or any other person who has a restricted diet is that you can no longer eat the “comfort foods” you enjoyed earlier in your life. One of my favorite foods to eat when I was a child was beef stroganoff. I can still taste it when I think about the flavors, aromas, and even its delightfully sloppy appearance. Alas, I no longer eat red meat, so beef stroganoff is not a part of my culinary repertoire. And although I’ve made the low-rent version with mushrooms and cream sauce, the flavors and aromas that went along with this venture are just not as memorable.

Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes That are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod

Assuming you’ve never heard of Skinny Bitch and its burgeoning franchise, here’s a quick primer. A diet book, marketed as a tough love, no-nonsense takedown of women who whine about their diets and think there is nothing they can do to change their bodies, ambushes its readers with a surprise crash course on the evils of eating animal products, meant to shock women into choosing a vegan diet.

The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East: 150 Asian-Inspired Recipes—from Soba Noodles to Summer Rolls

The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East is a compilation of recipes from India, Thailand, China, and Japan. There’s an additional section on Asian Fusion, featuring recipes from Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Tibet, and Nepal, as well as little known recipes from Iran and Afghanistan. Basically, this cookbook allows you to make vegan versions of your favorite Asian dishes in less time than it would take a delivery person to arrive.

Vegan Baking Classics: Delicious, Easy-to-Make Traditional Favorites

Kelly Rudnicki describes herself as a “busy mother of five young children,” the oldest of whom was “diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and legumes.” Incorporating material from her blog, Rudnicki’s first book, The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book, began as Vegan Baking Classics. Although the title of the book situates it in vegan media culture, I found Rudnicki’s writing style, interests, and recipe descriptions more typical of parenting and food allergy books.

Ripe from Around Here

I'm an avid vegan cookbook collector, and Ripe From Around Here is more than a vegan cookbook. jae steele, a holistic nutritionist from Toronto, offers a neat little package of sustainability, mindfulness, and the politics of food in addition to vegan gourmet recipes in the end.

Ripe From Around Here

When jae steele’s Ripe From Around Here arrived, it joined a pile of vegan library books on my kitchen table. I needed inspiration and fresh ideas, and hoped one of the books would help. steele’s book was the star. These are the recipes that will become everyday favorites, and the ones that omnivores will devour, blissfully unaware that no animal products are present.

Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers

Let’s just get this out of the way—Terry Hope Romero is the best gift a vegan chef could ever hope for. While I am just a vegetarian, I often find myself flirting with the idea of going vegan. Thanks to Viva Vegan!, though, I can now successfully have a vegan Mexican dinner night.

Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World

Wherever one falls on the meat-eater to vegan continuum, you need to make the Torres duo your truth-speaking, profanity-spewing, tough-loving pals. They will move you closer to ethical veganism. For the already-vegan, Bob and Jenna offer the rationale and the moral support to stay that way. For four years, these wacky Ph.D.s have provided social commentary and intellectual critique to and for vegans through their podcast, blog, online forum and publications.

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism

I will say it, here and now: I eat meat. Now that I have announced that, I fear that Melanie Joy will fly through my window to tell me how the meat industry recapitulates Nazism. Okay, I don’t really. But you catch my drift: this woman is serious. As a person with very close vegetarian friends, and who has also purchased, prepared, eaten, and enjoyed seitan, quorn, and tofu, I would say that I have a decent understanding of vegetarianism without actually practicing it. I am not convinced, however, that Joy’s book offers much that is new to the vegetarian rhetoric.

That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things

If you are planning on raising a vegetarian child who will be well-prepared to explain his or her beliefs to inquiring peers, teachers, and friends’ parents, That's Why We Don't Eat Animals is a great start. Did you know that turkeys blush? Or that newborn quail start walking the moment they are hatched from their eggs?

Soap Sampler & Solid Body Lotion

I discovered Soap Lady Oregon products at—of all places—a chocolate festival in Portland, Oregon. While the products obviously aren't edible, they smelled better—and had healthier ingredients—than many of the food products that my partner and I sampled at the event. I believe you can vote with your pocketbook, and it was nice to know that the company uses all-natural, vegan and cruelty-free ingredients.

Winter Wonderfuls: Dark Chocolate Crunchy Peanut Butter Snowmen

I finished the last Dark Chocolate Crunchy Peanut Butter Snowman on the wintriest day in Atlanta. Anyone who is familiar with the city and its weather knows that snow covered roofs, cars, trees, and streets meant a snow day for hundreds of thousands of adults and kids alike. So it was one of those rare and perfect days to stay in and enjoy a chocolate-y treat! Originally, I was a bit perplexed to find a box of nine little, white, individually wrapped, peanut butter snowmen waiting to be consumed.

Another Dinner is Possible: Recipes and Food For Thought

My interest in vegetables is quite young; around a year and half. Since this new found vegetarian interest, I’ve been looking out for recipes which are quick and involve simple ingredients so that I don’t have to run around super-market looking for all those hard to pronounce spices. At first glance, I must confess that I was disappointed with Mike and Isy’s Another Dinner Is Possible.

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar is a tasty new book by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. It looks so good I’m tempted to eat it, Cookie Monster-style, but then I wouldn’t be able to follow the recipes.

Truth Belt: The Westie

As more companies are becoming earth and animal-friendly, and the DIY movement has seen resurgence in the past few years, I have been on the lookout for a good selection of quality vegan belts. I’ve encountered a lot of hemp and vinyl belts, and even some belts made out of bicycle inner tubes, but I still haven’t found one company that offers a wide variety of both classy and funky vegan belts. Enter: Truth Belts. Truth is an animal-friendly accessory company based in Canada.

Apple Spice Vegan Lip Balm

Calling all Vegans! You’re in for a treat. This Apple Spice Lip Balm I’ve got has a mouthwatering flavour that’s good enough to eat, which might happen as your tongue seeks a trace of that delectable apple spice scent. The first thing you notice as you pop open the cap is its deliciously sweet aroma, which is created out of a mixture of red delicious apples and cinnamon for supreme flavour.

BooBoo Unisex Wrist Bracelet, Orange

Functional. Fashionable. Fun. The BooBoo wrist cuff from Truth is oh-so-cool—according to me, anyway. It’s a deep orange—a colour that has grown on me over time—and has an almost faded look. Created from distressed acrylic and cotton webbing, this BooBoo is size small, fitting me with ideal precision. These genuine non-leather bands, amusingly named “BooBoos,” are manufactured in Canada by a company called Truth.

Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food: 65 Everyday Meal Ideas for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with Over 150 Great-tasting, Down-home Recipes

As someone who has been cooking far less time than I’d like to admit, I should explain that I’ve gotten quite skilled in the arts of chopping, mincing, and sautéing in a very short time, and I enjoy my kitchen prep time far more than I ever expected. I’m a vegan in a decidedly un-vegan land, so I had little choice when it came to learning to cook. After going vegan, the options were eat junk or go hungry. Alicia C.

Ladies Certified Organic White T-Shirt

Green is the new black, and no, we’re not talking about that vintage Chanel dinner party dress. From cosmetics to clothing, the determination to be more earth friendly is not just a celebrity fad, but a way of honoring Mother Nature.

Euoko’s Y-00 Instant Precision Cellular Masque / Leaf & Rusher’s Active Serum

Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental hazards in India. Caused largely by vehicles with aged diesel engines and industrial emissions, the same technology that is moving the country forward in the global economy is moving people backward in terms of individuals’ health. Half of the children in Bangalore are now afflicted with asthma, and Kolkata has the highest number of cases of lung cancer in the world.

Rhubarb N Blueberry Spice Soap

I am a soap snob, but not without good reason. I don't want to imbibe chemicals into my skin, and just about everything with scent tends to make my skin dry out or cause an allergic reaction.

Sagebrush & Pinon Soy Candle

My reasons for reviewing the Sagebrush & Pinon candle from Soy Candles by Phebes were somewhat self-serving. I was intrigued by the name, and I wanted to try my hand at writing a product review. Ama encourages reviewers to do a little research before requesting items for review, but I happily assumed a candle that smelled like sage would be a welcome accoutrement to any abode.

BooBoo Unisex Wrist Bracelet, Woven

The story behind a company and its products really makes or breaks my decision to purchase. Yes, aesthetics are a key determining factor, but my criteria goes beyond this alone. I want to know the who, what, where, when, and how behind it so that my money supports my values.

Spearmint Soap

Who doesn’t love soap? Besides a Chilean pal I had in college who insisted “Americans bathe too often,” I’ve never known anyone who took issue with washing. I have a complicated relationship with bathing, though. It takes me a while to deal with my hair once washed, and for this reason, I’ve been experimenting with less frequent showering this past year. Some people think this is a ‘green’ habit. For me, it’s mostly about convenience and comfort. I grew up loving baths, and my current apartment features only an awkward shower with two levels.

Chocolate Rain Soy Candle

To say I was ill prepared when I moved to Denmark for love is quite an understatement. I did not research the stereotypes; when people starting shoving past me on public transit, I was surprised. The prices still startle me. And while I have a working knowledge of geography, I was not prepared for the darkness that accompanies winters so close to the Arctic Circle. A South African co-worker recently asked how I survived last winter in Copenhagen.

BooBoo Unisex Wrist Bracelet, Faded Prints, Burgundy Flower

Fashion designer Renia Pruchnicki began making Truth belts a bit by chance. Previously working as an outdoor gear designer, her employer closed their doors in 2001. From her small studio in Toronto, with a bit of savings, a small loan, and her vault of skills, Truth was born. Renia had no experience working with leather, so she began making vegan belts with faux leather textiles.

Cook Food: A Manualfesto for Easy, Healthy, Local Eating

I’ve long enjoyed Lisa Jervis’ critical analysis, a woman best known in feminist circles as the co-founder of Bitch magazine. Growing into my own love of all things kitchen this past year, I fully expected to be won over by Cook Food; sadly, I was not. It seems like a complicated time to write this book.

Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine

Whether you're rebuilding yourself or just doing daily maintenance, healthy food is a necessity for bringing the body back and keeping it going. Now that I can't go to Whole Foods, it's time to get creative with the selection from produce stands and farmer's markets. Today I saw a man with a straw cowboy hat selling tomatoes, melons, and sunflowers out of a battered pick-up truck. Chilled soup, sorbet, and an arrangement for the table?

The SimplyRaw Living Foods Detox Manual

Which should I do first, save my butt or save the planet? The SimplyRaw Living Foods Detox Manual contains much useful information, but it appears that any local food aspirations may conflict with many of the program's staples. Some recipes incorporate avocados, bananas, and papayas.