Another Meatless Monday is coming up -- and Monday, October 24, 2011 is Food Day 2011 (Find a Food Day event in San Francisco!). Are you ready to eliminate a little meat and/or dairy from your diet?
Vegans and vegetarians are still in the minority here in the U.S. but a 2008 study by Vegetarian Times showed that meatless and dairy-free eating has definitely been on the rise in recent years. (see: Vegetarianism in America) In 2008, according to the study, 7.3 million Americans were vegetarians and an additional 22.8 million followed a vegetarian-inclined diet.
Since 2008, considering all the attention in the media about the many benefits of moving to a plant-centric diet, the increased attention on the plight of animals raised in factory farm conditions, and repeated food safety episodes, the interest in and practice of vegan and vegetarian diets can only have increased. In fact, the folks behind Meatless Monday say that 50% of Americans now report being aware of their campaign. (This just in! We're at 50% National Awareness!)
It's this interest in vegan and vegetarian eating that has prompted the re-release of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's original vegan cookbook, The Compassionate Cook: Or, "Please Don't Eat the Animals!" It was one of the first to come onto the mainstream market eighteen years ago, when veganism really was considered to be on the fringe and still sold more than 50,000 copies and went to press twelve times.
If you want to incorporate more vegan and vegetarian meals in your diet -- or you have been tempted to eliminate meat and dairy altogether but don't know where to begin, The Compassionate Cook -- a vegan cookbook just reissued by PETA -- will absolutely get you going. Full of simple, doable and delicious-sounding recipes all made with accessible ingredients, the handy little cookbook could quickly become your go-to resource.
The new edition features more than 200 original, delicious, easy-to-make recipes for all kinds of entrees as well as for snacks, appetizers, side dishes and desserts. There are no weird faux-meats called for, and the same recipes can be used whether you go strictly vegan or opt to include dairy. The book also contains a glossary of healthy ingredients, tips on substitutions for when you might not have the exact ingredients, and even practical advice on how to eat healthy -- and vegan -- when dining out.
And, to make you feel a bit more special when opting to go vegan, The Compassionate Cook includes some recipes and inspirational quotes from a few famous vegetarians including Paul McCartney, Albert Einstein, Chrissie Hynde, Thomas Edison, Kevin Nealon, George Bernard Shaw, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Want more information?
The Compassionate Cook : PETA Catalog
Vegans Take America Radio podcast on Boston's NPR news station
Why Meatless?
Meatless Monday
Meatless Monday Guide to Food Day (Monday, October 24, 2011)PETA in the Bay Area:
554 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA 94610
510-763-PETA or info [at] peta [dot] org
And if you don't think you'll be quite ready to hit the kitchen this Meatless Monday and want to celebrate Food Day 2011 out on the town, here are a few links to get you oriented to meatless dining in San Francisco.
The Vegetarian Guide to San Francisco
Loving Hut (vegan)
1365 Stockton Street
San Francisco
(415) 362-2199
Ananda Fuara
1298 Market Street
San Francisco
(415) 621-1994
Golden Era (vegan)
572 O'Farrell Street
San Francisco
(415) 673-3136
Millenium Restaurant
580 Geary Street
San Francisco
(415) 345-3900
Herbivore (vegan)
531 Divisadero Street
San Francisco
(415) 885-7133
Cafe Gratitude (vegan)
2400 Harrison Street
San Francisco
(415) 824-4652
Alive! (vegan)
1972 Lombard Street
San Francisco
(415) 923-1052
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