By Victor Flores, Greater New Mexico Community Engagement and Events Coordinator
A few weeks ago, my family and I—representing Vegan Outreach—had the opportunity to join the season opening of Santuario de Karuna, a farmed animal sanctuary located about 30 miles outside of Albuquerque, NM.
Knowing that the majority of the visitors would not be vegan, we set up a booth with various types of pro-veg literature, in addition to serving the crowd vegan lasagna, ice cream, and cake. After the meal, several people returned to ask for the lasagna recipe, and many were surprised to learn that all of the meal ingredients could be purchased at their local grocery stores. Under the assumption that vegans don’t eat foods like the types we served, we overheard many of the visitors say that they’d changed their perspective on vegan food.
Being at the sanctuary helped the visitors make the connection between who and what they generally consume. As they toured the sanctuary, many were brought to tears as they heard the rescue stories of the animals. I don’t think the experience will be easily forgotten by those who attended this heart-opening event!
We want to send a huge thanks to the sanctuary’s co-founders Tamara Hubbard and Coral Ricketts for allowing us to be a part of this event where many vegan seeds were planted.
Who says you have to give up cheesecake when you’re vegan? You won’t find anyone at VO saying that—that’s for sure!
Thank you to Renee Press with Fire and Earth Kitchen, who has provided this delicious recipe!
Berry Chocolate Cheesecake Squares
Yields about 12 cheesecake squares.
Ingredients
Crust
¾ cup raw almonds
¾ cup raw walnuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
Filling
1 ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in water
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup agave or maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup melted coconut oil
½ cup berries of choice (blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries)
Chocolate
¾ cup dark chocolate chips
⅛ cup almond milk
Directions
To Prepare the Crust: In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, sea salt, and cinnamon until a fine crumb is achieved. Add the pitted, coarsely chopped dates and the agave or maple syrup and process again until it comes together and becomes sticky. If you pinch the nut mixture it should hold together.
Place parchment paper or plastic wrap into an 8″ x 8″ square baking dish, letting it hang over the sides a few inches so you can lift it out later. Press nut mixture into the bottom in an even layer. Put it in the freezer to chill.
To Prepare the Chocolate and the Filling: Put chocolate chips in a small heat safe bowl. In a small saucepan heat almond milk and pour over chocolate, stirring to melt. Will take 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside. In a blender, put in all filling ingredients. Blend 1-3 minutes until completely creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add a little water if needed to make it totally smooth.
Pour filling on top of nut mixture, and spread chocolate on top of that. Cover whole dish in parchment/plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least one hour, but up to overnight. To serve, remove from freezer and lift the entire dessert out onto a cutting board. Remove parchment/plastic wrap from the bottom and cut into cubes. Let warm a little bit at room temperature. Serve and enjoy!
Beans, beans, the protein-packed snack, the more my kids eat, the more they come back—for seconds! Beans are little super foods. They’re an excellent source of protein, complex carbs, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
And best of all, beans are inexpensive and super versatile. I blend beans into sauces, mash them into oatmeal, toss them on veggies and main dishes, and even whip them into creamy dips and desserts.
My kids love hand-held snacks, so these beany bites are perfect to munch on at home or to pack along on adventures. These bites are very easy and quick to make, and a wonderful nutrient-dense snack for any time of the day.
1 tablespoon soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted)
Salt
Onion powder
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Drain and rinse beans—if using canned. Pat dry with a towel.
In a large bowl, toss beans with soy sauce, vinegar, and coconut oil.
Arrange beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt and onion powder.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. They’ll still be soft and a bit moist. Bake longer if you want a drier texture.
Recipe Tips/Variations
You can toss the beans with a little barbecue sauce or ketchup in step 3 above. And feel free to sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, thyme, oregano—or any spices you enjoy!
I’ve noticed that a lot of people in Australia and New Zealand think that factory farming is something that doesn’t happen here, and many people think that we treat animals more humanely than in the United States. For this reason, I think it’s important to show people exactly how animals are treated here, using footage and pictures exclusively from Australia and New Zealand.
By Nzinga Young, Greater NYC Community Engagement and Events Coordinator
Last month, Vegan Outreach held its first East Coast grocery store tour at Whole Foods Market in Clark, NJ. The event showed aspiring vegans how to grocery shop for a plant-based lifestyle. Veg-curious NJ residents snaked up and down the aisles as I walked them through the basics of vegan groceries.
Some tour participants were former vegans looking to get back in the game. Others were vegetarians looking to take their diet to the next level. Moms brought their sons, women brought their sisters, and nurses brought their notebooks to learn how to prepare plant-based meals.
I showed them the epicenter for affordable vegan protein—the bulk section. Participants were introduced to delicious vegan meats and popular frozen food brands that make vegan versions of their favorite ice cream flavors. We talked about the vegan staples every pantry needs, specialty items you can do without, and just how easy it is to prepare filling, flavorful meals without animal products.
More importantly, they left feeling more prepared to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I want to give a huge shout out to the brands who donated samples and coupons, and a big thank you to the NJ folks who enthusiastically participated! It was a great way to spend a Saturday!
Vegan Outreach supporters, Vijay and Rashmi Baliga, and their daughter, Devika, recently treated me to a delicious homemade breakfast at their beautiful home in Redmond, WA. As part of the meal, they served banana muffins. One bite and I instantly knew I had to share this recipe with our readers.
Thank you, Rashmi and Devika, for sharing this truly delicious recipe! I’m sure there will be many vegans making themselves these banana muffins in the near future and enjoying them as much as I did!
Delicious Banana Muffins
Yields about 12 muffins.
Ingredients
¼ cup soymilk
¼ tablespoon vinegar
½ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
¾ cup sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup almond flour*
½ cup almond meal*
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup walnuts
*Almond flour is blanched (skins removed, beige in color), whereas Almond Meal can be blanched or unblanched (skins not removed, more brown in color). The almond skin gives the muffins a better taste and color.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine soymilk and vinegar to make vegan “buttermilk.” Let sit for five minutes.
Mix oil, vanilla, and mashed bananas together. Then add buttermilk to banana mixture.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the walnuts, to the banana/buttermilk mixture.
Add walnuts after the dry and wet ingredients are well combined.
Add mixture to muffin baking tin(s) that contain paper baking tin liners. The size of the baking tin(s) used will determine the muffin size and number.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips/Variations
You can add any other type of nut you’d like in place of or in addition to the walnuts.
Add any other goodies you desire, such as white chocolate chips.
Denver’s Lala’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria is increasing their animal-free options by adding a vegan pizza to their menu.
The pizza is on their Chef’s Special menu, and it features their tomato sauce, grilled asparagus, artichokes, savory button mushrooms, Peppadew peppers, and Daiya dairy-free cheese.
When Vegan Outreach approached Lala’s, they told us that vegan cheese has been a common request from customers, and they’re excited to finally have this option available!
We’re thrilled to be partnering with Lala’s as we continue to make the world more vegan-friendly!
By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development, and Taylor Radig, Campaigns Manager
In our last blog post, we shared some great ways to eat vegan in Belize. In this post, we’ll tell you some of our favorite activities in the country. You’ve probably guessed already that most of them involve animals. Sometimes it’s difficult to take animal-centered excursions without participating in their commodification or exploitation, so we want to share with you some of our animal-friendly Belize adventures. Let’s go!
Taylor Radig
Shortly after booking our trip to Belize, my partner, Ezra, and I decided to get scuba certified, which ended up being our favorite part of our trip. Although we had taken a scuba diving course and practiced in a pool, it was our first time going deep into the ocean. We were lucky to find an awesome dive shop on Ambergris Caye island that had incredible divemasters that helped ease our nerves. It only took one dive and we were hooked! We saw amazing schools of fish, turtles, and stingrays that our divemasters pointed out to us through underwater sign language we learned.
On our second dive, our divemaster called us over to a small sunken ship to show us a nurse shark that was sleeping inside. He later explained that the shark was well-known among local divers and the ship was his regular napping spot. He preemptively warned that we may see nurse sharks, but reassured us that they keep their distance and aren’t dangerous.
During one of our dives, two playful nurse sharks were swimming so close to us that Ezra brushed up against one. Other than your regulator that helps you breathe, it’s almost dead silent underwater, so we had to keep our eyes open to ensure our fins didn’t hit them.
To get a more holistic feel for Belize, we rented a car to travel further inland to Belmopan. We booked a cave kayaking trip with a local family-owned business called Maya Guide Adventures. When our guide Marcos got out to put his car into four-wheel drive, we knew we were in for an experience. The trek took us through an hour of rough terrain alongside the rainforest until we got to a river that led us through the rainforest and into the caves. Marcos took us through three different caves and told us how he had discovered parts of them over the years through his cave exploring hobby.
In a few parts of the caves, the water levels had gotten so high that we had to get off our kayaks and squeeze between the walls of the cave one by one. Being in a dark cave with bats, only a headlamp for light, and then maneuvering my way through tight spaces definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, but boy was it worth it!
At the end of our trip, Marcos was kind enough to bring us vegan burritos with homemade tortillas his family made. We shared some BBQ jackfruit we brought with Marcos and he loved it! On our way back, we ended up getting the truck stuck in a mud pit in front of some members of an Amish community, which actually turned out to be another fun adventure. Marcos even let me use his machete to cut dried brush to push under the truck’s wheels to get traction. Finally, a kind local who worked on the farm came with a tractor and pulled us out.
Using Marcos’ Machete to Cut Brush
Lisa Rimmert
One of our top priorities in Belize was to see howler monkeys, and it was frustrating to keep seeing the zoo recommended on every travel website. Luckily, about an hour north of Belize City there’s a howler monkey sanctuary, also known to locals as the Baboon Sanctuary—though the inhabitants are indeed howler monkeys, and “baboon” is just an affectionate name the locals call them.
My husband, Brad, and I, entirely by accident, ended up visiting the sanctuary at the perfect time—around 9 am. Many cruise ship groups come for tours later in the day, and the monkeys are less interested in engaging as the day goes on. Since we arrived early, we had the privilege of seeing our tour guide, Royce, call the monkeys down and having them eat fruits from our hands. It was incredible being that close, having them grab our hands, and watching them travel through the trees.
Royce and his family help take care of the sanctuary, which is basically a network of citizens who have agreed to protect the monkeys from threats like deforestation. What I loved about the sanctuary—and Royce in particular—was that he worked with a family of monkeys for seven years to gain their trust without being intrusive. They did things like build rope bridges from tall trees to shorter trees and shrubs, so the monkeys could access certain fruits without having to travel by land (as they prefer to stay in the trees). The family of monkeys we fed is the one trusting enough of humans to come eat out of our hands, but Royce said it’s a very rare situation and when the matriarch dies the trust will probably die with her. We felt incredibly lucky to experience them up-close, and we’ll never forget it!
There are street dogs all over Belize, which was sometimes difficult to see. On Caye Caulker, an island off the east coast of Belize, there’s a man named Kenny who runs the Caye Caulker Animal Shelter. It’s a small, one-person operation, but Kenny does wonderful, much-needed work to rescue and house animals. I read online that visitors can walk dogs, so, of course, I added that to our agenda! At sunset, we visited Kenny’s place—the backyard of what I think is his house—and took a cute brown pup out for a walk around the beaches. It was fun for us and gave the dog some exercise—win-win!
From Caye Caulker, we took a snorkeling trip with Raggamuffin Tours to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Coral Gardens. Since Taylor already told you about diving in Belize, I’ll keep this short and just highlight a couple things.
Seeing and swimming with sharks, stingrays, and various fishes was an awesome experience. It made me appreciate them even more, and it reaffirmed my belief that they deserve protection as much as pigs and cows and dogs do.
The folks at Raggamuffin were fantastic, and I’d highly recommend going with them if you ever travel to Belize! However, their vegan lunch left much to be desired—I ate a salad and rice! Luckily, Brad packed a few Clif bars for us to eat too. The reason I’m mentioning the lunch at all is that I was delightfully surprised that there were three other vegans on our boat—out of about 15 people!
If you have a chance to visit the western part of Belize, I recommend doing so. After all, it’s only about 80 miles from Belize City on the east coast! Brad and I rented a car in Belize City and drove to San Ignacio, where we spent about four days. And we loved every one!
We visited the Green Iguana Conservation Project, a little sanctuary at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. They rescue green iguanas—animals that are plentiful in Belize and are at risk of being kept and cared for inadequately as pets, being killed for sport, or being eaten. At the sanctuary, we were able to hold iguanas, pet and feed them, and learn about their plight in Belize. It was fantastic!
A few other activities we did in and around San Ignacio didn’t necessarily involve animals, but they’re good ways to fill time and were very vegan-friendly. In San Ignacio, we visited AJAW Chocolate & Crafts and saw a demonstration of chocolate-making that originated with the early Mayans.
We got to taste it in the form of chocolate beverages we made for ourselves—and since they don’t add milk, it was all vegan except for optionally adding honey. We also did tastings at two hot sauce companies—Marie Sharp’s and Hot Mama’s. Marie Sharp’s is a brand you’ll see all over the place in Belize. And even though it’s tasty, we preferred Hot Mama’s. We brought a bunch home to eat! Most of the hot sauces and jams sold by these companies are vegan, but be careful of honey and cream in some jams.
While staying in San Ignacio, we took three trips to see Mayan ruins—the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, Xunantunich, and Caracol. One trip we made by ourselves, but the other two were with local tour companies. We ordered vegan lunches in advance, and we were pleasantly surprised by how good they were. In both cases, the tour operators’ wives prepared the meals for us. I could tell they went out of their way to figure out what would make a good, filling meal for vegans. We were very appreciative!
Belize’s beautiful beaches, animal sanctuaries, and cave adventures are just a few reasons why it’s the perfect vacation spot for anyone looking for a little relaxation or adventure. We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about our experiences and have convinced you to take a take a trip of your own! If you have any questions about veganizing your trip to Belize, feel free to contact us at [email protected] and [email protected]!
Pho is one of those dishes I don’t enjoy unless I’m at a restaurant that serves it—and prepares it vegan! Why? I have no idea. There’s no reason to not make this at home, especially with Sharon Palmer’s easy Vegan Tofu Pho recipe.
To Prepare the Broth: Combine all the broth ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables and seasonings. Return the strained broth to the pot, cover, and keep warm (broth should be bubbling right before serving time). While broth is cooking, prepare noodles and toppings.
To Prepare the Noodles: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles, cover, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain the noodles immediately and rinse with hot water. Return the drained noodles to the pot and cover.
To Prepare the Toppings: Arrange the toppings on a large platter.
To Serve the Soup: Divide the noodles among four very large soup bowls. Either garnish the noodles with desired toppings or let your guests do their own. Ladle boiling broth over the noodles and toppings, and serve immediately. Allow hot broth to wilt vegetables and cool slightly before eating it.
Following conversations with regional pizza chain WisePies, their Tempe, AZ location is now testing out Daiya’s vegan cheese.
Campaigns Manager, Taylor Radig, explained that with vegan cheese becoming a staple in the pizza industry, cheeseless pizza is now a thing of the past for dairy-avoiders. We couldn’t be more excited to work with the WisePies’ Tempe store to bring vegan cheese options to Arizona. We hope that when their corporate team sees its success, they’ll roll out vegan cheese to all of their locations!
To try this delicious new option simply visit or call for pickup (or order for delivery on Grubhub) and ask for a pizza in any size on their wheat crust with Daiya cheese.
Location Information
521 S. College Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85281
Phone Number: (480) 275-5197
