How to Make Easy Vegan Bean & Potato Soup

I've moved this recipe to the new blog: Cheap Vegan Chick. Come on by to check it out and find more vegan recipes, deals, coupons and so forth!

Vegan Soy Candles: Info and Product Review for Lorain’s Touch Soy Candles

Did you know that most of the conventional candles you find in stores are actually bad for your health and the environment? With lead wicks, polluting paraffin wax, fake, chemical-laden scents - and even tallow - conventional candles might look and smell lovely, but animals, the environment and your health are paying a high price for that warm, inviting glow.

Fortunately, there are eco-friendly vegan candle options that are clean burning and create a warm, welcoming atmosphere that will enhance the ambiance of any space without harmful chemicals and pollutants. All natural, vegan soy candles are a great option that burn longer and cleaner than conventional candles, and I just happen to know where you can order them right from the comfort of your own home.

I recently came across LorainsTouch.com where vegan and vegetarian candle lovers will find deliciously scented vegan soy candles that are handmade by a fellow energy healer and artisan crafter, Lorain Danus.

Living and working in the Huntington Beach, CA area, Lorain founded Lorain’s Touch and began to make handmade soy candles to provide energy, mood and spirit enhancing options that are vegan and eco-friendly.

Each of Lorain’s vegan soy candle creations is energized with specific intentions and positive energy, which is released into the surrounding atmosphere when lit. Available in two, four and eight ounce reusable tins, Lorain’s vegan soy candle scents/intentions include:

Focused - Oatmeal Milk & Honey
Happy - Vermont Maple Sugar
Cheerful - Bergamont & Coriander
Creativity - Blackberry Sage
Harmony - Green Tea
Compassion - Gardenia Blossoms
Strength - Lemongrass
Enlightenment - Water Blossom & Ivy
Abundance – Amber

Lorain also offers additional scents and intentions (as well as her sacred jewelry) that can be found at her website, www.lorainstouch.com.

Lorain’s candles are surprisingly affordable for vegan soy candles, which can sometimes be pretty pricey, and their clean, chemical-free scents are an absolute delight. I particularly love their long burn time and the super handy reusable tin that adds to their eco-friendliness. If you are in the market for some vegan soy candles for a romantic evening, a relaxing bath, or an energizing aromatherapeutic experience, I highly recommend stopping by Lorain’s Touch to check out her vegan soy candle offerings.

Easy Tofu Scramble Recipe

Here is a super easy vegan scrambled tofu recipe - it's sort of my basic tofu scramble recipe that I then change up to create different vegan scrambles.



What you need:

1 block firm tofu (drained well)
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons Bragg’s, tamari or soy sauce
½ Tablespoon chopped onion
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon fresh minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
2 Tablespoons vegan bacon bits
Chopped green onion


What you do:

Combine vegetable oil, Bragg’s (or tamari, or soy sauce), turmeric, onion and garlic in a skillet and heat on medium, while cutting the tofu into small pieces. Lower the temp of the burner a bit and add the tofu to the mixture in the skillet. As the tofu cooks, mash it up and make sure that the tofu and seasoning mixture are mixed well.

If you want to include vegan bacon bits, they can be added as a topping after or folded into the mix towards the end of cooking. Cooking them in the scrambled tofu for a few minutes will soften them, which I like better.


Notes:

I use a potato masher to mash the tofu into a more scrambled egg-like texture.
Topping the scrambled tofu with green onion adds a crisp, fresh flavor.

This is a very simple tofu scramble recipe that is quick and de-lish. I generally serve this with GimmeLean sausage or tempeh bacon and toast.

The Best Vegan Red Lipstick

I have to admit, I love my make-up. And, prior to going vegan, a great red lipstick was always a mainstay in my make-up bag. I love a bit of a vintage look, and red lipstick is a must-have in order to achieve it. But, for years now, I have been without my red lipstick - ever since I found out that carmine (from ground up little critters) is the ingredient of choice that most make-up companies use for red coloring.

Finding vegan make-up is hard enough as it is, but finding vegan red lipstick is even harder. When I started my quest for vegan red lipstick, the first site I visited was Caring Consumer, which lists "cruelty-free" companies to help compassionate consumers make better buying decisions. However - and I think a lot of well-meaning vegans miss this - they list companies that don't test on animals and, according to Caring Consumer, that apparently makes them cruelty free, regardless of how loaded with animal-derived ingredients each company's products might be.

Now, don't get me wrong, caringconsumer.com is a great resource and great place to start - and they do mark which companies are completely vegan - but, you just have to keep in mind that you still need to do your own research.

For example, I was very excited to find Revlon and Jane Cosmetics on the list - Woot! Cheap cruelty-free cosmetics? - I'm there! But, when I went to the local drugstore and started reading labels, every single product that I picked up by either brand had at least one animal-derived ingredient. Naturally, this included carmine in their totally-not-vegan red lipsticks.

However, I am very happy to report that after an extended period of seeking out and testing vegan red lipstick options, I have found possibly the best vegan red lipstick in the world. Okay, maybe not in the world, since I haven't tried them all, but suffice it to say - I have found the vegan red lipstick for me, and I am thrilled to have a fab red lipstick back in my make-up bag.

Gabriel Cosmetics - which also makes Zuzu Luxe - uses St. John's Wort Extract to achieve rich red hues in completely vegan and cruelty-free lipsticks. Their eco-friendly, paraben-free, lead-free, vegan cosmetics are a tad more expensive than cheap drugstore brands, but the fact that they are better for your health, the planet and our animal friends make them completely worth it.

The Gabriel Cosmetics Pomegranate Lipstick is by far my fave vegan red lipstick I have found so far. Zuzu Luxe also has some great reds that I will try once this one runs out, and Gabriel Cosmetics also has some other rich red vegan lipsticks that I can't wait to try.

So, if you are craving some hot red lipstick that is vegan and lead-free, I highly recommend checking out Gabriel Cosmetics and Zuzu Luxe.

How to Make Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Vegan pumpkin pie is actually quite easy to make and takes very few ingredients. There are a few different ways to make a vegan pumpkin pie and, of course, you can easily make your own vegan pie crust or use separate spices rather than a pumpkin pie spice blend. However, since this is geared towards folks who are looking for a way to make a super easy vegan pumpkin pie, this recipe is about simple as it can get.

I have moved this recipe over to the shiny, new blog: Cheap Vegan Chick. Swing by to check out this and other vegan recipes. Thanks!

Eat Less Meat: Help the Planet and Your Health!

While I sincerely hope that one day a vegan diet will be practiced by the majority, rather than a steadfast, caring minority, this blog post is for the folks who aren't quite ready to transition to a vegan - or at least vegetarian - diet.

There are many reasons to go vegan - animal rights, human rights, environmental concerns, spiritual beliefs, health and wellness, and an ethical belief in non-violence are just a few.

This quick blog post is addressed to those folks who aren't yet veg*n, but are concerned about their environmental impact and interested in ways they can help save the planet by making easy changes in their lifestyle.

So, here goes:

The energy, water and transportation involved in raising, processing and transporting animals raised for food and the resulting meat products have an enormous impact on the environment. Because of this, vegans and vegetarians significantly lower their impact on the environment the day they stop eating meat.

But, even if you aren’t quite ready to transform your diet and go meat-free, you can still lessen your impact on the environment by limiting your meat consumption – even if you go meatless just one day each week.

Meat alternatives are a great way to ease your (or your family’s) transition and still thoroughly enjoy hearty, filling meals on the days you choose to help the environment – and your health – by going meatless. Morning Star Farms, Boca, Yves and many other companies offer excellent fake meat products that allow you and your family to enjoy your favorite dishes and comfort foods without missing the meat you usually use.

Although meat substitutes do still require energy, water, transport and packaging, the environmental impact of fake meats is significantly less than animal-derived meat products, making vegetarian and vegan meat products a good place to start for folks who would like to improve their health and lower their environmental impact by limiting their intake of meat.

Check out the links in the right column to find easy vegan recipes, vegan and vegetarian meat alternatives and resources that will help you go meat-free for at least just one day each week.

Vegan Stocking Stuffer Guides!

As promised, here are links to four more guides to vegan stocking stuffers:

Vegan and Vegetarian Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Kids
10 Vegan and Vegetarian Stocking Stuffers Children Will Love

Vegan and Vegetarian Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Women
13 Vegan and Vegetarian Stocking Stuffers Women (and Others!) Will Love

Vegan and Vegetarian Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Teens
12 Vegan and Vegetarian Stocking Stuffers for Teenagers

Vegan and Vegetarian Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Men
17 Vegan and Vegetarian Stocking Stuffers that Guys (and Others) Will Love

Amy's Kitchen Vegan Shepherd's Pie: Product Info & Review

Amy's Kitchen makes a variety of meatless vegan and vegetarian entrées, including Amy's Shepherd's Pie, made with organic vegetables and topped with organic mashed potatoes. If you didn't grow up in the English countryside or have never heard of shepherd's pie, think vegetable stew in a pie with mashed potatoes on top instead of crust and you will have a pretty good idea of what shepherd's pie looks like.

I love finding ways to make traditional, hearty meals into meatless, dairy-free, vegan delights. And, although I prefer to make them myself from scratch, I don't always have the time - or, let's face it, sometimes I'm just too lazy. Those are the times that I rely on companies like Amy's Kitchen that offer vegan and vegetarian entrées for easy meatless, dairy-free, vegan meal preparation.

As vegans living in the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest, my partner and I have a special appreciation for hot, hearty, savory vegan meals - not to mention that both of us just generally enjoy eating tasty vegan foods. So, when we spotted Amy's Kitchen Vegan Shepherd's Pie at our local PCC Natural Market, we decided to give it a try.

Read more about Amy's Kitchen Vegan Shepherd's Pie (and the full review) here.

Vegan Stocking Stuffer Guide

If you celebrate Christmas - or just love the gift exchange - you know it can sometimes be difficult to find enough fun little vegan gifts to fill up a stocking. But, never fear - the Vegan Stocking Stuffer Guide is here! This one is for general stocking stuffers, but stay tuned - as soon as my other articles on vegan stocking stuffers for men, women, teens and kids are published, I will post those links as well!

In the meantime, here are 11 vegan (which also means they are vegetarian) Christmas stocking stuffers that are easy to find or make and will delight the vegan or vegetarian in your life.


Vegan Stocking Stuffer Guide

Vegan Black Pepper Steak by Vegetarian Plus: Product Information and Review

All Natural, Cholesterol-Free Vegan Black Pepper Steak in Black Pepper Sauce

While shopping at our local PCC Natural Market a couple of weeks ago, my partner and I came across Vegan Black Pepper Steaks in Black Pepper Sauce made by Vegetarian Plus. Neither of us had ever tried them and they looked like a hearty, savory vegan meat alternative, so we decided to give them a try.

These soy-based steak medallions make a great meat substitute for a hearty meal on a cold day or a savory vegan entrée for a filling dinner. The black pepper sauce is very thick and rich - like a black pepper jelly - and I didn't need to add any herbs or spices to dress up the flavor. I served these vegan black pepper steaks with brown rice and vegetables, but I think that baked or mashed potatoes would also be a very nice side dish for this vegan meat alternative.

Read more about the nutritional information and my full review by clicking the following link:

Vegan Black Pepper Steak by Vegetarian Plus: Product Information and Review